Karst characteristic properties of salt, sulphate and carbonate rocks have been studied in Artyemovsk district (Ukraine). Developments into three karst epochs have been established on the basis of structural, tectonic, paleogeographic, and lithologic and facial, geologic and hydrogeologic data. These epochs are closely connected with interruptions in sedimentation. Karst geodynamics and detailed investigations of karst activity nowadays made it possible to determine areas of its active development.
The region where karst has been under detailed investigations is the south-west part of Artyemovsky Anticline Uplift located within Bakhmut Valley in the north-west of Donbass. The Uplift has been composed of Lower Permian (Nikitovsky and Slavonic suites) and Lower Triassic (Dronovsky suite) deposits overlaid with the cover of Paleogene, Neogene and Quaternary formations. Connection of Artyemovsky Uplift with the contact zone of Dneprovsko-Donetsky Depression and Donetsky Ridge predetermined the depositional conditions in the Early Permian period when the Slavonic suite rocks were being formed. The movements of Donetsky Ridge in the Early Permian period caused movement of the pond borders in the region, their depth change, as well as introduction of friable material from Donetsky Ridge. All those factors led to instability of water salt concentration and complex lithologic composition of Slavonic suite rocks. At present karst is developing in Slavonic suite rocks.
The Slavonic suite is composed of sulphate rock strata 4m to 24m thick interstratified with layers of terrigenous formations 11 m to 19 m thick, salt strata and carbonate rock interlayers. The following strata are recognized (from the top to the bottom) in this rock massif: I, II, III, IV, V sulphate rock strata, Above- Bryantsevsky salt stratum (ABS), VI, VII sulphate rock strata, Bryantsevsky salt stratum (BS), unnumbered strata of sulphate rocks, Sub-Bryantsevsky salt stratum (SBS), Karfagensky salt stratum (KFS).
