Before the flood: Miocene otoliths from eastern Amazon Pirabas Formation reveal a Caribbean-type fish fauna

The Pirabas Formation of Early Miocene age represents the final stage of the central western Atlantic carbonate platform in northeastern South America, predating the emplacement of the Amazon delta system. The otolith-based fossil fish fauna is represented by 38 species typical of a shallow marine environment. A total of 18 species are described new to science from the families Congridae, Batrachoididae, Bythitidae, Sciaenidae and Paralichthyidae. The fish fauna was associated with high benthic and planktic primary productivity including seagrass meadows, calcareous algae and suspension-feeders. The break of todays shallow marine bioprovince at the Amazonas delta mouth is not evident from the fish fauna of the Pirabas Fm., which shows good correlation with the Gatunian/proto-Caribbean bioprovince known from an only slightly younger time window in Trinidad and Venezuela. Differences observed to those Early Miocene faunal associations are interpreted to be mainly due to stratigraphic and geographic and not environmental differences. We postulate that the emergence of the Amazonas river mouth close to its present day location has terminated the carbonate cycle of the Pirabas Fm. and pushed back northwards a certain proportion of the fish fauna here described.     

Early Permian post-glacial bivalve faunas of the Itararé Group,Paraná Basin,Brazil: Paleoecology and biocorrelations with South American intraplate basins

The uppermost portion of the Taciba Formation, Itararé Group, Paraná Basin, Brazil, records a succession of depositional environments tied to the demise of late Paleozoic glaciation. In the study area, Teixeira Soares county, state of Paraná, the unit is dominated by massive to laminated diamictites with inclusions of sandstones and other coarse-grained lithotypes, representing re-sedimented material in proximal areas. These are succeeded by fine to medium-grained sandstones with tabular cross-stratification and pectinid-rich shell pavements, interpreted as nearshore deposits. Above this, laminated and intensely bioturbated siltstones with closed articulated bivalve shells are recorded, probably deposited in inner shelf settings. Fine to very fine sandstones/siltstones with hummocky cross-stratification and intercalated mudstones, including infaunal in situ shells, are interpreted as stacked storm deposits, generated in distal shoreface environments. These are succeeded by fossil-poor, massive to laminated siltstones/mudstones or gray shales (=Passinho shale) that are inferred to be outer shelf deposits, generated in organic-rich, oxygen-deficient muddy bottoms. In this sedimentary succession dropstones or ice-rafted debris are missing and locally the Passinho shale marks the maximum flooding surface of the Itararé succession. These are capped by the fluvio-deltaic deposits of the Rio Bonito Formation (Sakmarian–Artinskian). Six facies-controlled, bivalve-dominated assemblages are recognized, representing faunal associations that thrived in aerobic to extreme dysaerobic bottoms along a nearshore–offshore trend. Within these assemblages, nineteen bivalve species (three of them new) were recorded and described in detail. The presence of Myonia argentinensis (Harrington), Atomodesma (Aphanaia) orbirugata (Harrington) and Heteropecten paranaensis Neves et al. suggests correlation with bivalve assemblages of the Eurydesma-bearing Bonete Formation, Pillahuincó Group, Sauce Grande-Colorado Basin (Buenos Aires Province), Argentina, indicating a possible Asselian age for this diverse post-glacial bivalve fauna. Despite that, typical members of the icehouse-style Eurydesma–Trigonotreta biota (stricto sensu) have not yet been found in the studied bivalve assemblages.     

西秦岭天水阴崖沟早古生代草滩沟群火山岩地球化学特征及其地质意义

天水阴崖沟草滩沟群中发育有变质火山岩,其岩石类型主要为变玄武岩、变安山岩、变英安岩和变流纹岩;研究区变火山岩主体属于拉斑系列,其原始岩浆来源于富集地幔;变火山岩的微量元素特征表现为富集大离子亲石元素Cs、Ba、Th和U,而相对亏损高场强元素Nb、Ta、P、Ti和Y;微量元素构造环境判别显示其形成于俯冲消减带之上的岛弧环境;结合已有年代学资料,显示天水—武山洋在晚奥陶世已经存在并开始俯冲,形成阴崖沟草滩沟群岛弧火山岩;同时从岩石组成、形成时代及地球化学特征来看,阴崖沟草滩沟群火山岩与东秦岭丹凤岩群火山岩相似,这为确定天水一武山构造带是早古生代商丹古缝合带的西延部分提供了证据。     

内蒙古巴林右旗下三叠统幸福之路组凝灰岩LA—ICP—MS锆石U—Pb年龄及其地质意义

下三叠统幸福之路组分布于大兴安岭南部,为一套以红层为主要特征的杂色碎屑岩组合,时代为早三叠世。笔者重新实测了幸福之路组三段建组剖面——巴林右旗幸福之路苏木哈拉山东剖面,除采集到早三叠世早期的孢粉、叶肢介等化石外,在剖面下部首次发现了凝灰岩夹层。采用LA—ICP—MS技术,对2个凝灰岩中的锆石进行了u—pb年龄测定,获得的年龄值为252．6±1．7Ma（MSWD=0．64）和249．9±1．6Ma（MSWD=0．22）,即火山岩大约在250Ma前形成。结合地层古生物及区域岩浆岩资料,认为幸福之路组三段的形成时代为早三叠世早期,大兴安岭南部存在约250Ma与板块闭合相关的岩浆事件,以红层为特色的幸福之路组含有华夏和安加拉两大植物群混生的孢粉化石组合,反映华北板块与西伯利亚板块在250Ma时已经完成碰撞拼贴,幸福之路组形成于碰撞之后。     

Eastward termination of the Solonker–Xar Moron River Suture determined by detrital zircon U–Pb isotopic dating and Permian floristics

The Permian Solonker–Xar Moron River Suture in South Mongolia and Inner Mongolia of China represents a major tectonic boundary in Asia. The position of its eastward continuation in northeastern China has been debated for many years. In order to resolve this debate, we measured detrital zircons of the Cisuralian (Early Permian) plant fossil-bearing Hesheng Formation in the Yanbian area, Jilin Province. The detrital zircons have ages of ca. 2541–2535 Ma, 1897–1832 Ma, 458–452 Ma, and 390–280 Ma. We therefore conclude that the depositional age of the Hesheng Formation is younger than ca. 280 Ma; this is consistent with paleontologic data that indicates an Artinskian–Early Kungurian age. The presence of Neoarchean and Paleoproterozoic zircons suggests that the Hesheng Formation may have a North-China affinity; the absence of Neoproterozoic and Pan-African zircons preclude detrital sources from the Jiamusi–Mongolia Block during the Cisuralian. This, combined with the Permian floristic and stratigraphic data, provides a clue that the Solonker–Xar Moron River Suture likely extends to the Wangqing–Hunchun region, in eastern Jilin Province.     

山东郯城和江苏东海早白垩世晚期恐龙足迹化石新发现及古环境*

首次在山东郯城早白垩世晚期地层中发现恐龙足迹化石,分属蜥脚类和兽脚类恐龙足迹,足迹大小差异较大。通过对山东省郯城县新发现的2处恐龙足迹化石点和江苏省东海县南古寨恐龙足迹化石点的对比研究,探讨了足迹类型、大小、速度与足迹深度的关系,发现同等条件下,蜥脚类恐龙足迹通常较兽脚类足迹深,而蜥脚类恐龙足迹深度随着足迹大小的增加有变深的趋势;波痕、雨痕和泥裂等沉积构造以及足迹回填和叠覆现象对足迹化石保存形态和细节有较大影响,而构造变形对足迹形态和行迹并无明显影响,但高角度的构造变形会加速差异风化,使足迹化石更易暴露而被破坏。对研究区古环境与古生态的研究表明,早白垩世晚期研究区经历了水体逐渐变浅、气候由湿到干并伴随短暂间歇性干旱的过程,沉积环境由河湖演变为三角洲前缘、并逐渐过渡到三角洲平原,生态环境逐渐恶化,动植物由兴而衰、逐渐减少。     

南昌地区发现的早侏罗世孢粉组合及其地质意义

南昌县岗上乡裴家Rk-4孔获得较丰富的孢粉化石,计有40属84种,含1新种。文中介绍了孢粉组合及其特征,讨论并阐明了含孢粉层位的地质时代为早侏罗世;并对该孔内地质构造问题发表了一些看法。     

福建东山变质岩LA-ICP-MS同位素年龄及其地质意义

LA-ICPMS锆石U-Pb法测得东山地区变质岩的年龄为176.8 Ma、203 Ma、230 Ma、1320 Ma、1810 Ma等,其中176.8 Ma为火山-沉积岩中的岩浆锆石,代表着地层形成的年龄;203 Ma、230 Ma为继承岩浆碎屑锆石,代表了晚三叠世源区火成岩的物源年龄;1810 Ma、1320 Ma为变质岩继承锆石,代表了基底物源年龄。地球化学分析结果表明:岩石具贫硅、高铝、铁,富钾,Co、Ni、V含量低,Ba、Rb、Zr、Hf、U、Th及La含量高,具壳源特征;稀土元素总量较高,轻稀土略富集,轻、重稀土元素分异不明显,无明显的负铕异常,表明变质岩的部分物质与地幔有关。福建东山地区亲营山组可能属早侏罗世晚期华夏陆块边缘进入裂陷期海陆交互相火山-沉积的产物。     

Petrogenetic implications and geochronology of middle Miocene Tannayama igneous rocks,Goto Islands,Japan Sea southern margin,northwestern Kyushu,Japan

The subduction of “hot” Shikoku Basin and the mantle upwelling related to the Japan Sea opening have induced extensive magmatism during the middle Miocene on both the back-arc and island-arc sides of southwest Japan. The Goto Islands are located on the back-arc side of northwestern Kyushu, and middle Miocene granitic rocks and associated volcanic, hypabyssal, and gabbroic rocks are exposed. The igneous rocks at Tannayama on Nakadori-jima in the Goto Islands consist of gabbronorite, granite, granite porphyry, diorite porphyry, andesite, and rhyolite. We performed detailed geological mapping at a 1:10 000 scale, as well as petrographical and geochemical analyses. We also determined the zircon U–Pb age dating of the igneous rocks from Tannayama together with a granitic rock in Yagatamesaki. The zircon U–Pb ages of the Tannayama igneous rocks show the crystallization ages of 14.7 Ma ± 0.3 Ma (gabbronorite), 15.9 Ma ± 0.5 Ma (granite), 15.4 Ma ± 0.9 Ma (granite porphyry), and 15.1 Ma ± 2.1 Ma (rhyolite). Zircons from the Yagatamesaki granitic rock yield 14.5 Ma ± 0.7 Ma. Considering field relationships, new zircon data indicate that the Tannayama granite formed at ~16–15 Ma, and the gabbronorite, granite porphyry, diorite porphyry, andesite, and subsequently rhyolite formed at 15–14 Ma, which overlaps a plutonic activity of the Yagatamesaki. The geochemical characteristics of the Tannayama igneous rocks are similar to those of the tholeiitic basalts and dacites of Hirado, and the granitic rocks of Tsushima in northwestern Kyushu. This suggests that the Tannayama igneous rocks can be correlated petrogenetically with the igneous rocks in those areas, with all of them generated by the upwelling of hot mantle diapirs during crustal thinning in an extensional environment during the middle Miocene.     

Geologic age of the lower Josoji Formation,Shimane Peninsula,Southwest Honshu,Japan: Implications for an abrupt change to deep-water during the earlier opening stage of the Japan Sea

The lower part of the Josoji Formation, Shimane Peninsula, contains clues for figuring out changes in deep-water characteristics during the opening of the Japan Sea. The foraminiferal assemblage includes early to middle Miocene biostratigraphic index taxa such as planktonic foraminiferal Globorotalia zealandica and Globorotaloides suteri. The occurrence of these two species, together with the absence of praeorbulinids, suggests that the lower part of the Josoji Formation is assigned to the top of planktonic foraminiferal Zone N7/M4 (16.39 Ma). The benthic foraminiferal assemblage, which is characterized by Cyclammina cancellata and Martinottiella communis, clearly suggests that the lower Josoji Formation was deposited at bathyal depths, and that it developed in association with the abrupt appearance of deep-sea calcareous forms. Such bathyal taxa are the main constituents of the Spirosigmoilinella compressa–Globobulimina auriculata Zone of the Josoji Formation and also of the Gyrodina–Gyroidinoides Zone at Ocean Drilling Program Site 797 in the Japan Sea. The base of these benthic foraminiferal zones can be correlated with the base of the nannofossil Sphenolithus heteromorphus Base Zone (= CNM6/CN3); thus, its estimated age is 17.65 Ma. This biostratigraphic information suggests that the lower Josoji Formation was deposited from shortly before 17.65–16.39 Ma in upper limit age. Evidence that fresh to brackish and shallow-water basins formed in the rifting interval of 20–18 Ma in the Japan Sea borderland suggests that the abrupt appearance of deep-sea calcareous foraminifera occurred about 1 my earlier in this area than in other sedimentary basins and suggests that a significant paleoceanographic change occurred in the proto-Japan Sea at 17.65 Ma.