Vase-shaped microfossils from the Ediacaran Weng'an biota, Guizhou, South China

Vase-shaped microfossils (VSMs) are described from the Ediacaran Doushantuo phosphorites (ca. 599–584 Ma) of Guizhou Province, South China. They are morphologically attributed to two genera and three species, and thus expand our knowledge of the Neoproterozoic protozoans in the Weng'an biota. They resemble to the VSMs from the Lower Cambrian pre-trilobitic Kuanchuanpu Formation of southern Shaanxi Province in terms of the microstructures and chemical composition of the fossil walls. Microscopic observations indicate that the VSMs from both the Weng'an biota and the Kuanchuanpu Formation are preserved in either single-layered or multi-layered walls, and composed of calcium phosphate in chemical composition. The present fossils also share similarities, in size and general contour, to the VSMs previously described from the Gaojiashan Member, middle part of the Dengying Formation (ca. 551–542 Ma) in southern Shaanxi. The discovery of the VSMs from the Doushantuo phosphorite is an important contribution to the Weng'an biota, and may throw much light on the early evolution and diversification of protozoans during Precambrian–Cambrian interval.     

中国“震旦生物群”

本文将以“震旦生物群”来总括中国境内所发现的震旦纪范围内的后生生物化石类群,避免更多具有同时代意义的地方特色的名词术语。本文归纲了“震旦生物群”各类群的主要组合面貌,强调其演化特征和地层对比意义,并总结了迄今为止中国“震旦生物群”的地理分布和地层分布。     

东亚古陆中生代晚期热河生物群的起源、发展、鼎盛与衰亡

本文探讨东亚古陆独特而著名的“热河生物群”的起源、发展、鼎盛与衰亡的规律;同时也提出其顶底的界限范围。总结和补充笔者于1983年首次提出的关于热河生物群起源于华北、以燕辽为中心,尔后向外扩散和迁移,形成独特的生物区系的观点。     

甘(肃)新(疆)交界地区的石炭系和二叠系——兼论金窝子金矿围岩地层的时代

通过对甘新交界地区 3条石炭系和二叠系代表剖面的观察 ,结合多年调查东疆地层的资料积累 ,认为 :1)因绿条山组岩性组合及所含生物群与东疆的东古鲁巴斯套组相同 ,甘新交界地区绿条山组分布区是北塔山地层小区石炭系的南延部分 ,应从黑鹰山地层小区分出 ,甘新交界地区的中南部普遍缺失杜内期沉积 ;　 2 )阿齐山—康古尔—雅满苏火山岛弧带与博格达—哈尔里克火山岛弧带的构造造山历程不同 ,彼此的兴衰转换存在一定的时间差 ;　 3)甘肃北山石炭纪生物群与天山一级地层区的生物群相似 ,具有特提斯区系和西伯利亚—北美区系相互交会、混生的过渡性质 ;　 4 )来自兴蒙海槽的早二叠世海侵 ,未波及北疆地区 ,而是经由北山、红柳河谷地 ,终止于库姆塔格沙垄以东的狭小区域 ,根据雅满苏西大沟阿瑟尔期类化石的发现 ,推断至今从未发现早二叠世类化石的北山 ,主要原因是调查程度较低 ;　 5 )在金窝子金矿、2 10金矿及 2 30矿脉附近找到许多早二叠世生物化石 ,对仅根据一个同位素年龄数据 ( 36 1.1Ma)建立的“金窝子组”提出质疑 ,否定区内存在泥盆纪地层 ,认为金窝子金矿围岩地层的时代是早二叠世 ,不是晚泥盆世。     

冀北滦平晚中生代火山碎屑（熔）岩中锆石SHRIMP U-Pb年龄及其地质意义

冀北滦平张家沟门村大北沟组上部首次发现凝灰岩和凝灰质砂岩层 ,其中单颗粒锆石SHRIMPU_Pb年龄为 133.9± 2 .5Ma、130 .1± 2 .5Ma,并新测得井上村东张家口组顶部流纹质强熔结凝灰岩单颗粒锆石SHRIMPU_Pb年龄为 135 .4± 1.6Ma。综合研究及对比表明 ,滦平盆地含热河生物群岩系层序较为齐全 ,热河生物群应萌发于135Ma ;大北沟组大店子组界线年代为 130Ma。该界线年代的确定有助于侏罗白垩系界线年代的研究。     

云南东部江川生物群中的香肠状疑难化石——Tawuia化石属性的新解释

云南东部伊迪卡拉（震旦）系顶部灯影组旧城段的江川生物群是华南又一大类丰富且多样化的宏体化石群,其以碳质压膜的方式保存。在该生物群中,我们发现大量香肠状碳质压膜的宏体化石,与成冰(南华）纪全球大冰期之前中、新元古代地层中广泛分布的Tawuia碳膜化石的大小、形态非常相似。其最大宽度达4. 5 mm,最大长度可达4 cm,长宽比均>2,膜面光滑,未见其他稳定纹饰,有的化石标本边缘碳质保存较多,可见深黑色边缘环带。但部分化石保存的形态与常见的直棒状I形、U形、C形Tawuia化石相比却较为特殊,呈现直角L形、8字形、宽U形、环状O形等多种保存形态,个别标本弯折部位可见明显的碳质增厚和横脊纹残留,边缘残存有大小不一的刺状突起构造。这类特异形态保存的似Tawuia化石显然不能解释为以往较为公认的浮游型叶状体藻类,而可能与冰期前的新元古代早期鲁西、淮南宏体化石群中的疑似蠕形动物亲缘的化石有传承关系。上述新发现的化石形态表明：似Tawuia的碳膜宏体化石可能是多源属性的早期多细胞生物。其中短带至长带状叶状体,可见短柄突起及疑似固着器构造的化石可确认为底栖宏体藻类;多数的叶状体推测为香肠状或长囊状,生活史中包含远洋浮游的类型,可能归属于原始不分枝的多核体藻类或早期分化出的中空囊状的多细胞藻类;本文展示的部分规则变形的似Tawuia化石,更可能是两侧对称动物亲缘的,生活于近海的底栖生物体发生主动扭曲后,被特异埋藏所呈现出的特殊保存形态,而随机浮游或表栖的多细胞藻类死亡沉积时不会形成类似形态的化石。     

Inorganic and methylmercury: do they transfer along a tropical coastal food web?

Methylmercury (MeHg) and inorganic mercury (Hg_inorg) were evaluated in the water of a Brazilian estuary, with two size classes of plankton and seven fish species of different feeding habits. Water partition coefficients (PCs) in microplankton were fourfold higher for MeHg than for Hg_inorg; and water PCs in mesoplankton were 26 times higher for MeHg than Hg_inorg. Difference between microplankton and mesoplankton MeHg bioaccumulation factor (BAF) was higher (0.60 log units) than Hg_inorg BAF (0.24 log units), indicating that trophic transfer of MeHg between planktonic organisms is more efficient than Hg_inorg transference. MeHg concentrations, proportion of mercury as MeHg and its biotransference factors (BTFs) in the microplankton, mesoplankton and fish increased with increasing trophic level while biotic concentrations of Hg_inorg and proportion of mercury as Hg_inorg decreased thus indicating that MeHg was indeed the biomagnified species of mercury. MeHg reflected the vertical trophic guilds distribution, due to the fact that the top predator fish presented the highest concentration (0.77 μg g⁻¹ d.w.), followed by the less voracious species (0.43 μg g⁻¹ d.w.); while planktivorous fish presented the lowest concentrations (0.044 μg g⁻¹ d.w.). Hg_inorg did not present the same behavior. Results suggest that feeding habits and trophic guild are important parameters, influencing biotransference and biomagnification processes.     

Biotic evolution and its relation with geological events in the Proterozoic Yanshan Basin,North China

The Yanshan Basin,located in northern North China,underwent three primary stages in the Mesoproterozoic,and corresponding biotas have been summarized for each stage in the present study.The three stages are stage A(the lower part of the Changcheng Group which dominated by clastic sediments),stage B(the upper part of the Changcheng Group to the Jixian Group which characterized by carbonate sediments),and stage C(the upper part of the Jixian Group which dominated by clastic sediments).This paper will focus on the evolution of biota during stage B.Microbiota of the stage B exhibits a high level of diversity and abundance.Planktonic microfossils have various forms and complex decorations.Most microfossils are small.In stage B,there was great variation in the biotic abundance and diversity,the average diameter of spherical benthic microfossils,and the maximum diameter of the spherical microfossils.We analyzed these parameters and identified two typical biotic events,and both biotic events were corresponded with geological events.The first event occurred in the third member of the Dahongyu Formation.In this era,the maximum diameter of the silicified microfossils significantly increased,and large,spherical planktonic specimens are abundant.The flourishing of large organisms in the strata is presumably related to volcanic activity.The second event occurred in the third member of the Gaoyuzhuang Formation.During this era,the microfossil assemblage changed significantly.The changes correspond with a decline in stromatolites as well as the transformations of the carbon isotope ratios and the elemental geochemistry.     

关岭生物群的生活环境与演化

产于贵州关岭县新铺乡的上三叠统小凹组底部的关岭生物群,主要由海生爬行类（鱼龙、海龙、鳍龙、盾齿龙等）、海百合、菊石、双壳、腕足、牙形刺、鱼类和植物组成,以保存完整精美、数量巨大的海生爬行类和棘皮动物海百合为标志。通过岩相和古地理分析,对关岭生物群的生活环境和演化可以得出两点结论。①关岭生物群生活在水流强度小、相对贫氧的凹向北西的陆缘海湾,离海岸最近的地方约10km。②关岭生物群发生、发展、消亡和环境的变化关系密切。关岭生物群演化经历了几个演化阶段：离岸稍远的稳定碳酸盐台地环境,沉积形成竹杆坡组顶部;一次规模较大的海退,形成了竹杆坡组与小凹组岩层之间的突变;离岸较近的海水深浅变化频繁的海湾环境,沉积形成小凹组底部灰岩和含陆源碎屑灰岩互层段;离岸相对不远的比较稳定的海湾环境时期,关岭生物群就生活在这个时期;强烈动荡的海洋环境,沉积形成的是中厚厚层的具大量滑塌、搅动构造的灰岩层,关岭生物群受突如其来的灾难的影响,迁移到其他地方生息繁衍,结束了关岭生物群在该区的生活。     

Distribution and facies patterns of Lower Cretaceous sediments in northern Germany: a review

Marine sediments of Early Cretaceous age (Berriasian–Albian) have a widespread distribution in the Lower Saxony Basin of northern Germany. This basin, which is about 400 km long and 100 km wide, formed the southernmost extension of the North Sea Basin. Sediments attaining a maximum thickness of up to several hundred metres are represented by shallow marine siliciclastics in the west, south and easternmost part of the basin. These interfinger with the basin facies represented by dark mudstones up to 2000 m thick. The distribution and facies patterns of the sediments as well as thicknesses are related to three factors: differential subsidence, local tectonics and sea-level changes. For various parts of the basin and certain stratigraphic intervals it is possible to distinguish between these causes. Sedimentary thicknesses are clearly a result of differential subsidence from Kimmeridgian to Albian times onwards, being controlled by tectonic movements along northwest–southeast trending faults. These result in an asymmetric trough, bound to the north and south by synsedimentary faults with sedimentation rates highest in the north. Local tectonics are clearly caused by salt diapirs mainly in the eastern part of the basin and along the western, southern and eastern margins. These areas in particular include parts of the western Emsland and the Salzgitter area. Sedimentary patterns vary considerably over less than a kilometre, showing an extreme range of different lithologies. This is ideally observed in the Salzgitter area. Sea-level changes finally are reflected by widespread facies patterns and particularly by fossils of different provenance. The following sea-level-related events can be followed throughout the basin: the Wealden regressive phase, the Early Valanginian transgression, the early Late Valanginian transgression, the mid Hauterivian transgression, the Barremian regression, deposition of the Early Aptian anoxic sediments, and accumulation of the mid Albian hemipelagic marls.