Abstract
Palaeozoic carbonates exposed in the Karatau Ridge of southern Kazakhstan represent isolated offshore carbonate massifs that developed as shallow- marine carbonate mounts within the ancient Proto-Tethys Ocean. These massifs aggraded in response to tectonic subsidence, forming prominent positive relief features on the ocean floor. Repeated sea level oscillations led to periodic subaerial exposures and associated karstification, while meteoric-marine mixing in their margins led to dolomitization. Together, these processes generated extensive karst voids and secondary porosity that later served as hydrocarbon reservoirs. Subsequent fold-and-thrust deformations and orogenesis, uplifted and exposed giant fragments of carbonate massifs, enabling detailed stratigraphic and sedimentological investigations, which provide valuable insights for geological exploration across the sedimentary basins of Central Asia.