Chronostratigraphy and Stratigraphic Classification of the Cretaceous of the Songliao Basin

Isotopic ages of synsedimentary clay minerals were directly determined with the ultrasonicscattering-settlement separation-K-Ar dilution technique. The apparent age of black mudstoneis 123 Ma for the Quantou Formation, 111.9-89.0 Ma for the Qingshankou Formation and77.6-76.8 Ma for the upper part of the Nenjiang Formation. The Rb-Sr isochrone age of themuddy limestone-mudstone sequence of the lower part of the Nenjiang Formation is 81 Ma andthat of the muddy evaporite of the middle part of the Quantou Formation is 122.2 Ma. On thebasis of the above isotopic ages, the authors propose a modified scheme of stratigraphic classifi-cation of the Cretaceous of the Songliao basin.     

Sedimentary Characteristics of the Cretaceous in the Songliao Basin

The rupture of the lithosphere in Late Jurassic brought about the eruption of basaltic magma in the Songliao Basin. The evolution of the basin in Cretaceous progressed through six stages: pre-rift doming, extensional fracturing, fault subsidence, fault downwarping, downwarping and shringkage, resulting in the deposition of terrstrial facies nearly 10,000 m thick. There are different depositional sequences in these stages: the depositional period of the Early Cretaceous Shahezi and Yincheng Formations is the development stage of the down-faulted basin, forming a volcanic rock-alluvial fan-fan delta-lacustrine (intercalated with episodic turbidites)-swamp facies sequences; the period of the Early Cretaceous Dengluku Formation is the transformation stage of fault subsidence into fault downwarping of the basin, forming a sequence mainly of alluvial plain-lacustrine facies; the depositional period of the Early Cretaceous Quantou Formation-Late Cretaceous Nenjiang Formation is the downwarping stage of the basin, forming an alluvial plain-delta-lacustrine facies sequence; the period of the Late Cretaceous Sifangtai Formation-Mingshui Formation is the shringkage stage of the basin, forming again a sequence mainly of alluvial plain-alluvial fan and small relict lacustrine facies. These vertical depositional sequences fully display the sedimentary characteristics of a failed continental rift basin. Many facts indicate that the two large-scale lake invasions, synchronous with the global rise of sea level, which took place in the downwarping stage of the basin development, led to the connection between the lake and sea.     

Hydrocarbon migration characteristics of the Lower Cretaceous in the Erlian Basin

The paper systematically analyzes the hydrocarbon migration characteristics of the Lower Cretaceous in the Erlian Basin, based on the geochemical data of mudstone and sandstone in the main hydrocarbon-generating sags. (1) The source rocks in K1ba and K1bt1 are estimated to be the mature ones, their hydrocarbon expulsion ratio can reach 32%-72%. The Type-I sags in oil windows possess good hydrocarbon generation and expulsion conditions, where commercial reservoirs can be formed. (2) According to the curves of the mudstone compaction and evolution of clay minerals, the rapid compaction stage of mudstones is the right time of hydrocarbon expulsion, i.e., primary migration. (3) The timing between hydrocarbon generation and expulsion is mainly related to the accordance of the oil window and the rapid compaction stage of mudstones in the hydrocarbon generation sags of Type-I. That forms the most matching relation between hydrocarbon generation and migration. (4) The faults and unconformities are the important paths for the secondary hydrocarbon migration. Especially, the unconformity between K1ba and K1bt1 has a favorable condition for oil accumulation, where the traps of all types are the main exploration targets. (5) Hydrocarbon migration effect, in the Uliastai sag, is most significant; that in the Saihan Tal and Anan sags comes next, and that in the Bayandanan and Jargalangt sags is worst.     

The Depositional Environment of the Cretaceous Kizilsu Group in Xinjiang——With a Discussion of the Lowermost Marine Horizon of the Cretaceous in the Western Tarim Basin

In this paper. it is demonstrated that there exist marine horizons in the upper part of the lower subcycleand the upper subeycle of the Kizilsu Group in Xinjiang. based on new evidence of authigenic glauconite.boron content. carbon and oxygen stablc isotopic analyses. and lithological and sedimentary features. The up-per part of the lower subeycle is the lowermost marine horizon of the Cretaceous in the western Tarim Basin,which is inferred to be of Barremian age.     

On the Age of the Dongtang Formation in the Hengyang Basin of Hunan and the Cretaceous and Tertiary Boundary

Since the coexistence of the Cretaceous and Palaeocene was ascertained in the Hengyang Basin of Hunan in the middle of the 1960's, the Cretaceous and Tertiary boundary has been discussed in several papers, but it still remains controversal. The points at issue are the connotation, stratigraphical position and lateral correlation of the Dongtang (or Chejiang) Formation.     

The Marine Cretaceous in the Western Part of the Tarim Basin of Xinjiang and Its Depositional Environments

The western part of the Tarim Basin in Xinjiang is one of the main areas in China where the marineCretaceous is well developed. The Upper Cretaceous Yingjisha Group represented mainly by sediments of lit-toral, near-shore neritic and estuarine facies is divided in ascending order into the Kukebai Formation, theOytak Formation, the Ygezya Formation and the Tuylouk Formation. For about thirty years, the basal beds of the Kukebai Formation had been considered to be the lowermostmarine horizon of the Cretaceous in the western part of the Tarim Basin, which represents the earliest trans-gression of the Cretaceous Sea into this region. Recently. marine trace fossils, Ophiomorpha nodosa, O.tuberosa and Thalassinoides? spp. were found in abundance and fine preservation from the upper subcycle andupper part of the lower subcycle of the Kezlesu Group underlying the Kukebai Formation. The fact indicatesthat the marine transgression there took place earlier than the Kukebaian. Process of transgression and regression and change of environment in the West Tarim Basin during the pe-riod from the late Early Cretaceous to the end of the Cretaceous is also discussed in this paper.     

Magnetostratigraphy and lithostratigraphy of the Laño vertebrate-site: Implications in the uppermost Cretaceous chronostratigraphy of the Basque-Cantabrian Region

Here we present the magnetostratigraphic dating of the Laño locality (Condado de Treviño, northern Iberian Peninsula), one of the most noteworthy Campanian-Maastrichtian vertebrate sites of Europe. A composite section of 75 m thickness (Laño quarry) constructed from multiple, overlapping profiles and a continuous one (Faido) have been sampled for magnetostratigraphy. Thermal demagnetization techniques were systematically applied to 161 standard specimens and allowed characterizing the characteristic remanent magnetism, mostly carried out by magnetite. The palaeomagnetic signal is slightly scattered due to variety of lithologies, but the primary character can be guaranteed, since the normal and reverse directions are pseudo antiparallel; 346, 28 (α₉₅: 11.9°, k: 5.3) and 175, −35 (α₉₅: 16.4°, k: 4.6). Reliable samples allowed us to build the local polarity sequence made of eight magnetozones that has been used to correlate to the Global Polarity Time Scale. The age of the lower part of the Laño-village succession is basal late Campanian (Hoplitoplacenticeras marroti ammonite zone) and fits with the long reversed zone that must correlate to Chron C33r. The pattern of magnetozones allows tracking the section up to C30r at the upper part of the profile. In this correlation, the Laño vertebrate site is regarded as latest Campanian in age as it falls within the C32n (≈72–73.5 Ma). The combined lithostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic analyses have yielded additional conclusions regarding the vertebrate assemblages that are representative of the Late Campanian of the Iberian Peninsula, in addition to highlight an older occurrence in Europe of some vertebrate groups such as salamandrid lissamphians and anguid lizards (or amphisbaenians).     

Cretaceous–Early Cenozoic Geodynamics of the Olyutorka–Kamchatka Accretionary Zone

Doklady Earth Sciences - Within the Olyutorka–Kamchatka accretionary zone, several terranes of an island-arc, marginal-sea, and oceanic nature are distinguished. The igneous complexes of...     

Geological events of the Late Cretaceous–Early Paleogene in Western Kamchatka

The age ranges of Upper Cretaceous lithotectonic complexes of Western Kamchatka—terrigenous Kikhchik, volcanic Irunei, and terrigenous Omgon—are analyzed to reveal their almost simultaneous deposition. The pre-Cenozoic settings of these complexes are reconstructed. Based on analysis of the composition and structural features of Late Cretaceous lithotectonic complexes and on correlation of events, the Late Cretaceous paleogeography is reconstructed. It is found that the formation of the contemporary structure of the studied region would have required significant displacement of the volcanic Irunei complex from west to east and the terrigenous Omgon complex from north to south. It is concluded that the Western Kamchatka continental block (minor lithospheric plate) was independent in the Late Cretaceous.     

A New Enantiornithes (Aves) from the Early Cretaceous of China

A new bird from the early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Liaoning, China is described. This new species, Grabauornis lingyuanensis, shares several synapomorphies with the Enantiornithes. The specimen is relatively well preserved. The skeletal morphology of Grabauornis bears close resemblance to that of other Chinese members of this clade. The brachial index （the ratio between the lengths of humerus and ulna） is 0.95, which is close to the average for enantiornithine birds. It indicates that Grabauornis was a rather good flyer, and the presence of an alula in the wing further testifies to this.     

A New Ornithocheirid from the Early Cretaceous of Liaoning Province, China

Based on a nearly complete skeleton with skull from the Early Cretaceous of Liaoning Province, a new ornithocheirid pterosaur: Boreopterus cuiae gen. et sp. nov. is erected. Boreopterus cuiae is different from other pterosaurs preserved with skulls known from the western Liaoning Province and its neighboring areas. Tiffs new oterosaur has more and larger teeth than those in other ornithocheirids. Its anterior nine pairs of teeth are larger than other teeth. The fourth pair of upper and lower teeth are slightly larger than the third pair. Overall, Boreopterus cuiae shows much small range of tooth size variation than Anhanguerapiscator and Coloborhynchus robustus. The new taxon shares with other ornithocherids in having a relatively large size of the third and fourth pairs of teeth.     

Change in the Geodynamic Settings in the Pacific‒Eurasia Transition Zone at the End of the Early Cretaceous

Doklady Earth Sciences - An attempt to provide a new explanation for the change in the geodynamic regime in the Early Cretaceous is presented below. It accounts for data on a number of global...     

Derivation of the Chortis and Chiapas blocks from the western Gulf of Mexico in the latest Cretaceous–Cenozoic: the Pirate model

Currently, two basic models describe the genesis of the Caribbean Plate: (i) a Pacific model that derives the Caribbean Plate off southern Mexico and (ii) an in situ model. The Pacific model requires the 1100–1400 km sinistral displacement recorded across the Cayman Trough to pass through the Gulf of Tehuantepec into the Middle America Trench, but no evidence of such a connection exists. The in situ model is inconsistent with the 1100–1400 km displacement across the Cayman Trough. A way through this impasse is indicated by the northwestward curvature of active oblique reverse to sinistral transcurrent faulting in southeast Mexico. Extending this potential solution back to ca. 80 Ma forms the basis of the new Pirate model, in which the Caribbean Plate and the Chortis and Chiapas blocks are derived from the northwest by anticlockwise rotation during the latest Cretaceous and Cenozoic. Following passage of the Chortis Block, the northern and southern parts of the Yucatan block collided along the intra-Yucatan suture, producing the 11–9 Ma Chiapas fold-and-thrust belt. The Pirate model accounts for the N-trending segment of the Laramide Sierra Madre Oriental–Zongolica foldbelts by anticlockwise drag, Palaeogene palaeocanyons, the second, 66–40 Ma phase of rifting in the western Gulf of Mexico, and post-10 Ma extension in the Chortis Block (Chortis–Sula rift province). Impingement of the East Pacific Rise on the Middle America Trench led to modification of the Pirate model involving subduction erosion of the ～200 km-wide, Eocene–Oligocene forearc at ca. 25 Ma, opening of the Gulf of California at ca. 6 Ma, and birth and ESE movement of the Southern Mexico block (<5 Ma) followed by its fragmentation. The Pirate mechanism indicates that the North American Plate is relatively weak and so tears and rotates into the trailing edge of the Caribbean Plate.     

Dinosaur ichnofauna of the Upper Jurassic/Lower Cretaceous of the Paraná Basin (Brazil and Uruguay)

Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous sedimentary layers are represented in the Brazilian Paraná Basin by the fluvio–aeolian Guará Formation and the Botucatu Formation palaeoerg, respectively, overlapped by the volcanic Serra Geral Formation. In Uruguay, the corresponding sedimentary units are named Batoví and Rivera Members (both from the Tacuarembó Formation), and the lava flows constitute the Arapey Formation (also in Paraná Basin). Despite the lack of body fossils in the mentioned Brazilian formations, Guará/Batoví dinosaur fauna is composed of theropod, ornithopod and wide–gauge sauropod tracks and isolated footprints, as well as theropod teeth. In turn, the Botucatu/Rivera dinosaur fauna is represented by theropod and ornithopod ichnofossils smaller than those from the underlying units. The analysis of these dinosaur ichnological records and comparisons with other global Mesozoic ichnofauna indicates that there is a size reduction in dinosaur fauna in the more arid Botucatu/Rivera environment, which is dominated by aeolian dunes. The absence of sauropod trackways in the Botucatu Sandstone fits with the increasingly arid conditions because it is difficult for heavy animals to walk on sandy dunes, as well as to obtain the required amount of food resources. This comparison between the Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous dinosaur fauna in south Brazil and Uruguay demonstrates the influence of aridization on the size of animals occupying each habitat.     

Sporopollen Assemblages from the Cretaceous Yimin Formation of the Hailar Basin, Inner Mongolia, China

Three sporopollen assemblages are recognized for the first time from the Cretaceous Yimin Formation in the Hailar Basin of eastern Inner Mongolia. They are （in ascending order）： the lmpardecispora-Aequitriradites- Clawttipollenites assemblage; the Triporoletes-Pilosisporites-Asteropollis assemblage; and the Appendicisporites- Asteropollis-Tricolpites assemblage, distributed in Members 1, 2 and 3 of the Yimin Formation respectively. Recognition of this biostratigraphic sequence is very important for the division and correlation of the Yimin Formation in the basin. Meanwhile, the age of the Yimin Formation is considered to be Barremian to Early Albian based on the palynological data.     

A Nwe Hadrosauroid Dinosaur from the Mid—Cretaceous of Liaoning,China

A new hadrosauroid dinosaur,Shuangmiaosaurus gilmorei gen.et sp.nov,is descuibed based on a complete left maxilla with articulated premaxilla and lacrimal fragments,and a complete left dentary from the mid-Cretaceous Sunjiawan Formation of Beipiao.Liaoning,northeastern China.Chadistic analysis shows that Shuangmiaosaurus is a basal hadrosauroid,and comprises the sister taxon to Hadrosauridae.In both Shuangmiaosqurus and Hadrosaurids.However,Shuangmiaosaurus does not possess such hadrosaurid synapomorphies as the diamond-shaped maxillary crowns with reduced primary ridges and reduced marginal denticles.     

Middle Jurassic—early Cretaceous radiolarian assemblages of the western Yarlung Zangbo Suture Zone: Implications for the evolution of the Neo-Tethys

Cherts in the Zhongba mélange of the western Yarlung Zangbo Suture Zone (YZSZ) contain well preserved radiolarian assemblages. These radiolarian assemblages indicate that the Zhongba mélange has middle Jurassic–early Cretaceous remnant, are coeval with those from the central and eastern parts of the YZSZ. Cherts from the Najiu area yield Aalenian to Aptian radiolarians, while cherts interbedded with siliceous mudstones from the Bielongjiala area yield Aptian radiolarians, indicating that terrigenous-derived sediments were deposited during early Aptian. The above observations indicate that the entire YZSZ have a similar geochronological framework and thus they underwent similar geological evolution: (1) during the Jurassic, the Neo-Tethys was a wide ocean with pelagic sediments distal from continents; (2) during the Cretaceous (around 130–120 Ma), the Neo-Tethys started to subduct along the southern margin of the Lhasa block, and terrigenous-derived siliceous mudstone began deposition.     

Chronological and Geochemical Characterisitics of Volcanic Rocks of the Yingcheng Formation in the Southern Songliao Basin: Constraints on the Early Cretaceous Evolution of the Songliao Basin

The discoveries of oil and gas reservoirs in the volcanic rocks of the Songliao Basin(SB) have attracted the attention of many researchers. However, the lack of studies on the genesis of the volcanic rocks has led to different opinions being presented for the genesis of the SB. In order to solve this problem, this study selected the volcanic rocks of the Yingcheng Formation in the Southern Songliao Basin(SSB) as the research object, and determined the genesis and tectonic setting of the volcanic rocks by using LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating and a geochemical analysis method(major elements, trace elements, and Hf isotopes). The volcanic rocks of the Yingcheng Formation are mainly composed of rhyolites with minor dacites and pyroclastic rocks. Our new zircon U-Pb dating results show that these volcanic rocks were erupted in the Early Cretaceous(113–118 Ma). The primary zircons from the rhyolites have εHf(t) values of +4.70 to +12.46 and twostage model age(TDM2) of 876–374 Ma. The geochemical data presented in this study allow these rhyolites to be divided into I-type rhyolites and A-type rhyolites, both of which were formed by the partial melting of the crust. They have SiO2 contents of 71.62 wt.%–75.76 wt.% and Al2 O3 contentsof 10.88 wt.% to 12.92 wt.%. The rhyolites have distinctively higher REE contents than those of ordinary granites, with obvious negative Eu anomalies. The light to heavy REE fractionation is not obvious, and the LaN/YbN(average value = 9.78) is less than 10. The A-type rhyolites depleted in Ba, Sr, P, and Ti, with relatively low Nb/Ta, indicating that the rocks belong A2 subtype granites formed in an extensional environment. The adakitic dacites are characterized by high Sr contents(624 to 1,082 ppm), low Y contents(10.6 to 12.6 ppm), high Sr/Y and Sr/Yb ratios, and low Mg# values(14.77 to 36.46), indicating that they belong to "C" type adakites. The adakitic dacite with high Sr and low Yb were likely generated by partial melting of the lower crust under high pressure conditions at least 40 km depth. The I-type rhyolites with low Sr and high Yb, and the A-type rhyolites with very low Sr and high Yb, were formed in the middle and upper crust under low pressure conditions, respectively. In addition, the formation depths of the former were approximately 30 km, whereas those of the latter were less than 30 km. The geochemical characteristics reveal that the volcanic rocks of Yingcheng Formation were formed in an extensional environment which was related to the retreat of subducted Paleo-Pacific Plate. At the late Early Cretaceous Period, the upwelling of the asthenosphere mantle and the lithosphere delamination caused by the retreat of the subducted Paleo-Pacific Plate, had resulted in lithosheric extension in the eastern part of China. Subsequently, a large area of volcanic rocks had formed. The SB has also been confirmed to be a product of the tectonic stress field in that region.     

New Material of Zhenyuanopterus (Pterosauria) from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Western Liaoning

A new partial specimen of Zhenyuanopterus from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Beipiao city, Liaoning Province is described. This specimen is slightly larger than half the size of the holotype. Although it is not complete, it provides new information on Zhenyuanopterus both in taxonomy and ontogeny： the total number of the caudal vertebrae is 15; the forelimb is more robust than the hindlimb; the growth rate of the humerus and femur is constant, and their ratio is about 1. Compared with the holotype, the scapula and coracoid grow faster than the humerus and the femur. The scapula and coracoid may slow their growth rate after a certain ontogenetic stage. The pectoral girdle, robust forelimb and weak hindlimb of the new material（XHPM1088） together with data from the holotype of Zhenyuanopterus indicate that this taxon spent less time on land than in the sky or other ecological niches such as forests and cliffs.