Abstract The late Neoproterozoic Vendian succession fills a peri- to epicratonic Mezen Basin in front of the Timan Orogen, and is exposed along the northwestern flank of the basin. In the SE White Sea area, the siliciclastic succession demonstrates a wide range of lithofacies that define a transition from a low-energy shallow-marine muddy shelf to a braid-delta plain. Significantly, the prodelta, distributary-mouth bar, and delta plain lithofacies all demonstrate a remarkably tight clustering of palaeocurrent trends suggesting that the sediment was sourced from the NE. This pattern is interpreted as representing deposition in a distal setting in the Timan foreland basin. U-Pb zircon dates of 558 ± 1 Ma and 555.3 ± 0.3 Ma for volcanic tuffs in the Vendian succession provide lower age constraints for the emergence of the Timanian hinterland.

Abstract The northeastern and eastern margin of the East European Craton exposes numerous Riphean and Vendian (Meso- and Neoproterozoic) sedimentary successions that were deposited in alluvial and shallow-marine environments in intra- and pericratonic basins. A review is presented of the lithostratigraphy, sedimentary environments and architectural style of these sedimentary sequences in the Southern, Middle, Subarctic and Polar Urals, on the Poludov Range, and in the Volga-Urals and Timan-Pechora regions. The Riphean sequences are subdivided into three major sedimentary units: Lower, Middle and Upper, based on type areas in the Bashkirian Anticlinorium. During the Early and Middle Riphean, in the Southern Urals there were several short episodes of ‘diffuse’ and linear rifting and long intervals of more stable development in intracratonic sedimentary basins. During the Late Riphean, in the territory under review, larger shallow marine basin developed. Two laterally connected zones existed along the eastern periphery of the East European Craton: one in the Southern and Middle Urals, with a predominance of shallow marine arkosic deposits, and the other, with moderately deep marine (continental slope and rise) turbidities in the Timan-Pechora region. Subsequent Vendian successions were largely shallow marine and deposited in epicratonic basins; they generally give way upwards in the Late Vendian into non-marine clastic formations, derived from the east.