Meotian Stage

the upper stage of the Miocene in Rumania and the Caucasus and along the coasts of the Black and Caspian seas. It is divided into three levels, of which the lower contains remains of marine mollusks of the genera Dosinia, Venerupis, Mya, Lucina, and Modiolus, and the middle and upper levels contain remains of mollusks of the genera Congeria, Theodoxus, and Hydrobia, whose presence indicates a marked decrease in the salinity of the water. The Meotian stage is represented by sandy-clayey and limestone rocks and by conglomerates; kerchenite, a coquinoid limestone, is widely used in construction.