Avian extinction at the end of the Cretaceous: Assessing the magnitude and subsequent explosive radiation

Debate on the magnitude of Cretaceous extinctions and timing of modern bird origins has sharply coalesced over the past two decades into contested models, gradualistic or explosive. Molecular clocks, bolstered by phylogenetic, biogeographic, and vicariance models, support an Early Cretaceous origin for birds and mammals over 100 million years ago. Yet, although numerous new Chinese fossils of archaic ornithurine birds have been discovered in the Jehol Biota of the Early Cretaceous of China, none shows close affinity to modern neornithines; it is not until the latest Cretaceous when some fossils show more advanced ornithurine morphology, and are possibly Neornithes. In contrast to mass survival scenarios, most paleontological evidence appears to support an explosive radiation following the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) mass extinction event, closely paralleling the geometry of mammal evolution. Gradualistic models ignore recent evidence of cataclysmic worldwide events following the impact event. How could mass survival of the environmentally sensitive birds have occurred following cosmopolitan environmental destruction, when other terrestrial vertebrates, particularly ectotherms, suffered dramatic loss? Given the paucity and scrappy nature of avian fossils immediately prior to and after the K–Pg boundary, it is prudent to use mammalian and other biotic evolution in the Paleogene as a guidepost for avian evolution. Our continued inability to produce a veracious phylogeny of higher avian taxa is likely related to a Paleogene explosive burst or ‘big bang’ evolution of bird and mammal evolution, resulting in short ordinal internodes.     

青藏高原东南缘碰撞造山结构与物质组成:来自岩石地球化学和地球物理的联合约束

青藏高原东南缘位于印度板块与欧亚板块侧向汇聚部位,是检验碰撞造山动力学模型的理想场所。尽可能全面收集该区已有地球物理和新生代岩浆岩数据,探讨这些资料对碰撞造山带结构和物质组成的指示。结果表明:青藏高原东南缘不同部位的壳幔结构和组成存在较大差异。兰坪—思茅地块、保山地块和腾冲地块等的中地壳(15~30 km深度)普遍发育低速层,表明富水层或者部分熔融物质的存在,为青藏高原物质向东南流动提供了可能。部分熔融产物以大型剪切带内具有高Sr、低Nd同位素特征的淡色花岗岩脉为代表。但是,扬子板块同等深度下却发育高速层,其组成很可能是峨眉山玄武岩,它的存在阻隔了碰撞带物质向东流动。扬子板块和兰坪—思茅地块下地壳底部均出现呈条带状展布的高速体。根据新生代具有高Sr、低Y的岩石显示的下地壳源区特征,结合该区地质演化历史,将上述两套呈条带状展布的高速体分别解释为新元古代铁镁质弧岩浆岩和二叠纪—三叠纪铁镁质弧岩浆岩。青藏高原东南缘地幔各向异性存在明显南、北分区特征,在26°N以北表现为SN向,在26°N以南表现为近EW向。这一差异跟俯冲的印度板片撕裂有密切关系。该撕裂在综合地球物理剖面上显示为突变的印度板片俯冲角度,在地表表现为苦橄岩、煌斑岩、埃达克岩以及淡色花岗岩等的集中出露。这一新模型明显区别于前人的岩石圈拆沉和对流减薄等作用。     

Weiwoboidae fam.nov.of 'Higher' Fulgoroidea (Hemiptera:Fulgoromorpha) from the Eocene Deposits of Yunnan,China

<正>A new family of so-called‘higher' planthoppers,Weiwoboidae fam.nov.,from the Lower Eocene of Yunnan is described.A new monotypic genus,Weiwoboa gen.nov.,with Weiwoboa meridiana sp.nov.is also described and illustrated.The characters of tegmen venation of the new family,its evolution,and supposed relationships are briefly discussed.     

Microelectrona cladara gen.et sp.nov.:A New Protodikraneurini from the Eocene Baltic Amber(Hemiptera:Cicadomorpha:Cicadellidae:Typhlocybinae)

<正>A new genus Microelectrona gen.nov.and species Microelectrona cladara sp.nov.of the extinct tribe Protodikraneurini of the leafhoppers(Cicadeilidae:Typhlocybinae) from the Eocene Baltic amber is described. The piece of amber containing leafhopper inclusion is broken,unveiling some of the morphological structures,and enabling their studies using scanning electron microscopy.     

A note on the ‘Variolaris Bed’ (Palaeogene) near Newport, Isle of Wight, and its Ostracod assemblage

Augering to the east of Newport, Isle of Wight, has proved the presence of the ‘Variolarius Bed’ at the top of the Selsey Sand Formation. As well as its characteristic flood of the foraminifer Nummulites variolarius it contains a biostratigraphically useful ostracod assemblage, characterised by dominant Leguminocythereis haskinsi and subdominant Cytherella dixoni, with less numerous Cytheridea rigida, Oertliella aculeata, Cytheretta forticosta and Pterygocythereis cornuta.     

Eocene fauna of Messel Pit Fossil Site, Germany

The paper reports sunthetically the Cocene fauna of the Messel Pit Fossil site of Germany, in detail, including its rich taxanomic compositions, geological and paleogeographic backgroud, and the studying and applying history.     

Transgressive Eocene clastic–carbonate sediments from the Circum‐Rhodope belt,northeastern Greece: implications for a rocky shore palaeoenvironment

Locally exposed Middle to Upper Eocene conglomerates in the western part of the Cenozoic Thrace Basin are interpreted as products of continuous marine erosion of a rocky coast (consisting of Lower Cretaceous carbonates) and subsequent redeposition of the land‐derived limestone material in a wave‐dominated nearshore setting during a prolonged transgression. Contemporaneous biological activity in the warm‐temperate marine environment contributed to the accumulation of mixed coarse‐grained clastic–carbonate sediments on the upper shoreface. The formation of a relatively thick sedimentary succession was favoured by the interplay of several controlling factors as only shoreface deposits were preserved in the rock record. The results may help to elucidate the evolution of the hydrocarbon‐bearing Thrace Basin and to assist with the regional correlation of its basal deposits. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Upper Eocene travertine-lacustrine carbonate in the Jianchuan basin,southeastern Tibetan Plateau: Reappraisal of its origin and implication for the monsoon climate

The Asian monsoon is one of the largest climatic systems in the world, but age of its onset has been estimated differently ranging from the late Eocene to the Quaternary. We investigated the sedimentology and stable isotopic compositions of the upper Eocene Jiuziyan Formation, a terrestrial limestone unit in the Jianchuan basin, Yunnan Province in China. This limestone formation is restricted in several localities in the central part of the basin. Previously, this has been characterized as palustrine carbonate and the transition to the sublacustrine deposit of the overlying Shuanghe Formation was interpreted as the appearance of wetter climate during the late Eocene. Our observations of macro- and microfacies revealed sedimentary fabrics indicating rapid CaCO₃ precipitation, such as dendritic calcite and calcified reed stems, which are unlikely to develop in a simple lacustrine setting. High carbonate content (mostly >90 %) and restricted distribution of the Jiuziyan limestone indicate a depositional setting spatially limited and isolated from clastic influx. These findings, together with clearly higher δ¹³C values (−0.7 ‰ to +6.9 ‰) and lower δ¹⁸O values (−14.6 ‰ to −10.5 ‰) than those of the Shuanghe Formation, indicate that the limestone was mainly travertine, carbonate formed from endogenic spring water. The elevated δ¹³C resulted from a large amount of CO₂ degassing from spring water with high pCO₂. In addition, the occurrence of centimeter-scale lamination coupled with cyclic changes in δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O is almost identical with the modern annually-laminated travertine reported from Baishuitai in northern Yunnan Province, implying comparable amplitude of seasonal temperature and precipitation changes to the record of the modern travertine at Baishuitai. Our results do not contradict the previous interpretation of late Eocene wetting and additionally suggest the existence of the late Eocene monsoon climate in the Jianchuan basin.     

Characteristics and Genesis of the Es_1 Productive Sandstone Reservoir(Paleogene), Nanpu Sag,East China

The Shahejie Formation is a fundamental rock unit for hydrocarbon exploration and production in the Nanpu Sag, Bohai Bay Basin. Methodology including thin sectioning, core observations, fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy, cathodoluminescence, fluid inclusion, laser scanning confocal microscopy and geochemical analysis(C, O isotopes) were all utilized to investigate the reservoir characteristics and origin of the Es_1 Sandstone. Thin section study showed that the reservoir rock consisted of feldspathic litharenite and lithic arkose. The reservoir pores are categorized as intergranular pores, fracture pores, dissolution pores and intergranular cement dissolution pores. The studied sandstone had good porosity(0.05%–35%) and permeability(0.006–7000 m D). The Es_1 reservoir is classified as a fractured reservoir, a primary intergranular pore-associated reservoir and a dissolution reservoir. Deposition, diagenesis and tectogenesis are the main factors that played important roles in the development of the reservoir. Sedimentation is the foundation and assumption for reservoir development, but the effective reservoir is primarily controlled by primary pores, fractures, lithofacies, tectonic elements and dissolution pores. Moreover, compaction, fracture filling and cementation were the primary sources of reservoir densification. The reservoir was progressively formed through the influence of different geological and diagenetic events. The present study provides significant information and references for hydrocarbon exploration and development in the Nanpu Sag.     

Sedimentary characteristics of large‐scale lacustrine beach‐bars and their formation in the Eocene Boxing Sag of Bohai Bay Basin,East China

The beach‐bar reservoir play has become an important exploration target within the Bohai Bay Basin, especially in the Boxing Sag within the Dongying Depression, where a large‐scale lacustrine beach‐bar oil pool has been discovered recently. The sedimentary characteristics, distribution patterns and formation mechanisms of beach‐bar sand bodies in the upper fourth member of the Eocene Shahejie Formation (Es4s) in the Boxing Sag were studied in detail based on seismic, well log data and core data. The Es4s in the Boxing Sag is composed of a third‐order sequence consisting of three systems tracts, i.e. a lowstand systems tract, a transgressive systems tract and a highstand systems tract. Beach‐bar sand bodies were deposited widely in the basin during the lowstand systems tract period. The sandy beach‐bars are characterized by siltstones, fine‐grained silty sandstones interbedded with thin mudstone units. The presence of well‐developed sedimentary structures, such as swash bedding, parting lineation, parallel bedding, ellipsoidal mud clasts, ripples, terrestrial plant debris and vertical burrows, suggests that beach‐bars were deposited in a relatively shallow water environment under the influence of strong hydrodynamics. Laterally, the sandy beach facies occurred as a more continuous sheet‐like body around the sandy bar in most parts of the sag. Stratigraphically, beach‐bars were distributed mainly in the lowstand systems tract and they were less well‐developed in the transgressive systems tract and highstand systems tract. Several factors were probably responsible for the occurrence of the large‐scale beach‐bars during the lowstand systems tract period, including: (i) a gentle palaeoslope and relatively weak structural activities; (ii) a shallow‐water condition with a strong hydrodynamic environment; (iii) high‐frequency oscillations of the lake level; and (iv) an abundant terrigenous clastic feeding system with multiple‐point and linear sediment sources.