Microfossils from the Cambrian to the Recent

Books reviewed in this article:
Bate, R. H., Robinson. E. & Shcppard, L. M. (eds.) 1982: Fossil and Recent Ostracods.
Neale, J. W. & Brasicr, M. D. (cds.) 1981: Microfossils from Recent and Fossil Shelf Seas.     

峡东陡山沱组一些微化石的再研究

陡山沱期在生物进化中是一个重要的阶段,这一时期不仅在动物界而且在植物界均有明显的变化.峡东陡山沱组多种多样的微化石已有众多报道.这个生物群落包括浮游的球形体、底栖的藻丝体和瓶状微化石.最近笔者重新研究了陡山沱组薄片中的微化石,这些微生物三维地保存在几乎未蚀变的条件下,以丰富的具剌疑源类为特征,主要者有Baltisphaeridium,Filisphaeridium,Tianzhushania和Comaspheridium等.陡山沱组的碳酸盐岩相具刺疑源类和瓶状微化石与产自Spitsbergen的化石近似.这似乎说明陡山沱组与位于Spitsbergen东北部的Svanbergfjellet组沉积可以对比.但由于化石只发现在少数薄片中,因此上述结论可能是片面的,这些化石可能只代表峡东陡山沱组生态环境的一部分.     

Experimental radiometric survey in Azerbaijan

Discusses measurement of gamma-field radiation by use of a continuous gamma-ray counter submerged in the waters of the Caspian Sea in Azerbaijan. Influence of bottom sediments is taken into account in evaluating results. Submarine acoustic measurements are employed to determine the nature of the bottom sediments. Radiometric measurement of bottom deposits is done with a special type of counter identified as an MORS-60 device. Gamma-radiation anomalies were plotted from results of profile traverses made at right angles to the head of structures and strike of the beds. Influence of bottom sediments in interpreting anomalies is discussed. — B.N. Cooper.     

Microfossils and biofacies of the Vendian fossil biota in the southern Siberian Platform

Based on the study of the litho- and biofacies of the Vendian Nepa Horizon in the central area of the Siberian Platform inland, a paleoecological model for the Vendian microbiota has been developed. The sedimentation environments of the Katanga saddle have been reconstructed, and three sedimentary systems have been recognized: (1) lower continental, formed by the deposits of proluvial fans and riverbeds of temporary streams; (2) middle transgressive, made up of littoral sand facies in the lower part and of fine-clastic shelf strata in the upper part; and (3) upper, of sea highstand, composed of alternating sand bank facies and fine-clastic lagoon deposits. Four biofacies have been recognized in the fine-terrigenous deposits of the Nepa Horizon: (1) Appendisphaera, represented by a Doushantuo-Pertatataka acanthomorph assemblage; (2) Transitional, with a great diversity of plankton and benthic (including complex) taxa; (3) Vanavarataenia, dominated by Vanavarataenia complex benthic algae; and (4) Oscillatoriopsis, represented by taxonomically poor biotas with morphologically simple (mainly prokaryotic) remains. These biofacies are confined to the following sedimentation environments: Appendisphaera is widespread in the distal open-sea areas; the Transitional biofacies is localized in the distal environments of the semi-isolated inner basin; Vanavarataenia occurs in the proximal areas; and Oscillatoriopsis is typical of the shallow-water environments, both extended (corresponding to the highstand period) and local.     

Microfossils from the Lower Kundelungu (Late Precambrian) of Zambia

Lower Kundelungu black argillites and silty dolomicrites from the Ndola area contain a rich microfossil assemblage, of which several forms can be attributed to the form-genus Fibularix Pflug, 1965. The same assemblage has also been found in fine-grained, mildly metamorphosed sedimentary rocks from Kalengwa and Karibarembi (North-Western Province). These findings support the Kundelungu correlation of the Kalengwa and Karibarembi successions.Three new species of Fibularix are described and illustrated. Seven types of sphaeromorphs are described and illustrated, though treated informally. Some sphaeromorphs are detached parts of Fibularix chains.The Lower Kundelungu microfossils resemble very closely some palynomorphs that occur in the Brioverian (Late Precambrian) of France, in the Libby Formation (Belt) of the northwestern United States, and in other formations of Late Precambrian age.     

Stratigraphy of the Maikop Group and Pteropoda Beds in northern Azerbaijan

Deepwater sections of the Maikop Group (Oligocene-lower Miocene) and overlying lower-middle Miocene sediments are studied near the Perekishkyul Settlement in lower reaches of the Sumgait River, northern Azerbaijan. Several lithological reference levels and the Spiratella (Pteropoda) Beds are used to correlate preliminarily these uniform clayey sections barren of benthic fossils. Based on distribution of the organicwalled and calcareous phytoplankton, spores, pollen and ichthyofossils, the sections are first subdivided in detail and dated. Distinguished in the sections are two regional levels characterizing distortions in the basin hydrological regime during the late Oligocene (level with large Leiosphaeridia and Pterospermella) and Burdigalian (level with dominant dinocysts of the genus Batiacasphaera), and separate intervals with diverse phytoplankton and ichthyofossils. The Tarkhanian sediments are marked by first-appearing oceanic nannoplankton with Sphenolithus heteromorphus and deepwater ichthyofauna with Vinciquerria merklini. The Karaganian is established at the first occurrence level of peculiar endemics (Sardinella karaganica W. Dan. and Mugil karaganicus Swich.) among ichthyofauna.     

Kinematics of the eastern Caucasus near Baku, Azerbaijan

The potential for large, shallow earthquakes and their associated seismic hazard in the eastern Caucasus, an area of dense population and sensitive industrial infrastructure, remains speculative based on historical precedent and current geologic and seismologic observations. Here we present updated and expanded results from a GPS network between the northern edge of the Lesser Caucasus and Greater Caucasus, providing geodetic constraints to the problem. A significant strain rate is observed in a profile over a distance of about 150?km across the Kura Basin. We attribute this to inter-seismic strain accumulation on buried fault structures and present simple elastic dislocation models for their plausible geometry and slip rate based on the known geology, seismicity and the GPS velocities. Due to the close proximity of the strain anomaly to Baku, further observations are needed to determine whether observed contraction is due to inter-seismically locked faults and, if so, implications for the seismic hazard in the region.     

Artificial Intelligence Identification of Multiple Microfossils from the Cambrian Kuanchuanpu Formation in Southern Shaanxi,China

The Cambrian Kuanchuanpu Formation in southern Shaanxi, China is a critical window for the understanding of the Cambrian explosion, because of abundant and various exceptionally preserved metazoans and embryo fossils yielded. The efficiency of traditional sample manually selecting with microscopes is quite low and hinder the discoveries of new species, thus recognition and classification of microfossils by artificial intelligence (AI) is substantially in the request. In this paper, we develop a procedure for fossil area segmentation in common multi-typed mixed photos by improved watershed algorithm. And for better fossil recognition, previous histogram of oriented grandient (HOG) algorithm is replaced by scale invariant feature transform (SIFT), which is feasible for the segmented images and increase the accuracy significantly. Thus, the scope of application of AI fossil recognition can be extended form single fossil image to multi-typed mixed images and the reliability is also secured, as the result of our test presents a high (at least 84%) accuracy of fossil recognition.     

湖北秭归庙河地区震旦系陡山沱组微化石的新发现

庙河地区震旦系陡山沱组燧石中的激化石，前人曾有过报道。但是，所报道的激化石组合与已知峡区的其他震旦系剖面陡山沱期微化石明显不同。具刺疑源类以ＭｉｃｒｈｙｓｔｒｉｄｉｕｍｔｌａｎｃｅｄｅｔｕｍＬ．Ｙｉｎ为主（样品号：Ｈｍ８０—１４—２，Ｙｉｎｂｏｒｎｉｎｇ，１９８５）。１９９２年作者等重新研究了庙河震旦系沿江剖面，系统采集了燧石样品。结果，并未在陡山沱组发现上述微化石组合，而在寒武系底界附近的燧石夹层中，发现了与其相同的微化石群，因而，对上述微化石组合出现的层位提出质疑。最近，作者再次对庙河地区陡山沱组燧石     

Isotopic composition of pyritic sulfur from the mud volcanic ejecta in Azerbaijan

Geochemical studies of pyrite crystals from the mud volcanic ejecta in Azerbaijan were studied. It is shown that all of them have cubic shape. Determination of the sulfur isotope composition revealed a wide variation range of δ³⁴S values from–27.0 to +26.4‰. Signs of spatial zonation were recorded in the distribution of δ³⁴S values—lower values are confined to the present-day coastline of the Caspian Sea. Appearance of pyrite with a high share of ³⁴S is attributed to sulfate reduction that takes place in an environment with excess organic matter. It is supposed that the isotopically heavy sulfides represent the “neck” facies that are formed at the periphery of mud volcanic conduits at the contact of the hydrocarbon-rich mud volcanic fluids with stratal waters of host sediments.     

Seismic risk assessment of the 3rd Azerbaijan gas pipeline in Iran

A comprehensive seismic risk assessment has been performed for the existing route of the 3rd Azerbaijan natural gas buried pipeline in Iran. The major active seismic sources along the pipeline were identified and the geometrical parameters as well as the seismicity rates were determined. The seismic hazard assessment of the ground vibrations along the pipeline was performed in the framework of the Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis using the CRISIS 2007 software. All of the components of the gas pipeline along the route were identified and the corresponding fragility functions are established through the methodology described in the HAZUS guideline (HAZUS MH MR4 Technical manual 2007 Department of homeland security emergency. Preparedness and Response Directorate, FEMA). A detailed cost analyses was taken into consideration based on the expert opinions in the National Iranian Gas Company, in order to provide more practical loss model for the pipeline route. Also, a simple method is suggested in order to account for the vent gas in the total loss estimation. The spatial analysis of the hazard function layer in combination with the loss model layer, in Geographical Information System  (GIS) platform, reveal the financial consequences of different earthquake scenarios.     

贵州瓮安陡山沱组球状化石元素地球化学浅析

本文利用电子探针微区分析技术(EPMA),首次分析了采自贵州瓮安北斗山磷矿区陡山沱组外壁呈瘤状及多边形板片状的磷酸盐化球状化石的元素地球化学含量,包括常量元素氧化物含量和部分稀土元素含量,经初步对比发现:具瘤状及板片状外壁的两类球状化石,由内至外常量元素含量的变化趋势大体相似,表明归人同一生物大门类的可能性较大;与磷块...     

Stratigraphic Implications of Skeletal Microfossils from the Cambrian of Korea: A Preliminary Report

Diverse small shelly fossils and other associated fossils were recently recovered from the Cambrian Hanaeri section, southwestern Mungyeong, Korea. The fauna includes conoidal problematica, poriferans (sponge spicules), coeloscleritophorans (chancelloriids), brachiopods, monoplacophorans, trilobite (?) fragments, echinoderms, and conodonts. A preliminary assessment of faunal associations, stratigraphic implications, and the correlation of these skeletal fossils is given, based on occurrences of Actinotheca cf. mira (He), Microcornus sp., Torellela laevigata (Linnarsson), Torellela sp., Archiasterella quadratina Lee, Chancelloria sp., Lingulella sp., Prototreta sp., Phakelodus tenuis (Müller), Phakelodus elongates (An), Hertzina sp., and Furnishina sp.     

剖析对峡东陡山沱组瓶状微化石的曲解

前寒武纪瓶状微化石在我国主要分布于湖北省境内。对峡东陡山沱组瓶状微化石 ,有人曾提出过异议。笔者在文中对因方位不同的切磨导致的瓶状微化石的各种形态差异 (如横切面、弦切面等 )做了详尽的解释 ,以确证该类化石在峡东陡山沱组的存在 ,而并非所谓的“沉积构造”或“核形石”     

Stratigraphic Implications of Skeletal Microfossils from the Cambrian of Korea: A Preliminary Report

Diverse small shelly fossils and other associated fossils were recently recovered from the Cambrian Hanaeri section, southwestern Mungyeong, Korea. The fauna includes conoidal problematica, poriferans (sponge spicules), coeloscleritophorans (chancelloriids), brachiopods, monoplacophorans, trilobite (?) fragments, echinoderms, and conodonts. A preliminary assessment of faunal associations, stratigraphic implications, and the correlation of these skeletal fossils is given, based on occurrences of Actinotheca cf. mira (He), Microcornus sp., Torellela laevigata (Linnarsson), Torellela sp., Archiasterella quadratina Lee, Chancelloria sp., Lingulella sp., Prototreta sp., Phakelodus tenuis (Müller), Phakelodus elongates (An), Hertzina sp., and Furnishina sp.     

Microfossils from silicified stromatolitic carbonates of the Upper Proterozoic Limestone-Dolomite 'Series', central East Greenland

Silicified flake conglomerates and in situ stratiform stromatolites of the Upper Proterozoic (c. 700-800 Ma) Limestone-Dolomite 'Series', central East Greenland, contain well preserved microfossils. Five stratigraphic horizons within the 1200 m succession contain microbial mat assemblages, providing a broad palaeontological representation of late Proterozoic peritidal mat communities. Comparison of assemblages demonstrates that the taxonomy and diversity of mat builder, dweller, and allochthonous populations all vary considerably within and among horizons. The primary mat builder in most assemblages is Siphonophycus inornatum, a sheath-forming prokaryote of probable but not unequivocally established cyanobacterial affinities. An unusual low diversity unit in Bed 17 is dominated by a different builder, Tenuofilum septatum, while a thin cryptalgal horizon in Bed 18 is built almost exclusively by Siphonophycus kestron. Although variable taphonomic histories contribute to observed assemblage variation, most differences within and among horizons appear to reflect the differential success or failure of individual microbial populations in colonizing different tidal flat microenvironments. Twenty-two taxa are recognized, of which two are described as new: Myxococcoides stragulescens n.sp. and Scissilisphaera gradata n. sp.     

Radiostratigraphic study of the deposits of the Maikop Group, Western Azerbaijan

This work presents the results of biostratigraphic study of natural outcrops of the Maikop Group, which were first carried together with detailed radiometric studies in the Ganja oil and gas-bearing region, Western Azerbaijan. The paleontological research method included determination of the genus or species (depending on the preservation) of microfaunistic remains (foraminifera, ostracods, fish remains). The radiometric research method included measurements of the integral radioactivity in the field, the sampling, as well as laboratory radionuclide (spectral) analysis. As a result of our research, the stratigraphic control of variation in the radioactivity of rocks of the Maikop Group of the Ganja oil and gas-bearing region has been established. The radioactivity of Oligocene rocks is predominantly determined by potassium content. The radioactivity of the Miocene part of the section of the Maikop Group is determined by uranium-potassium contents. Within the Ganja oil and gas-bearing region, deposits of the Kotsakhurian regional stage, which are usually referred to ??barren?? formations or anoxic ??fish facies??, contain a significant number of species of benthic foraminiferal fauna.