U–Pb zircon age of the Walloon Coal Measures in the Surat Basin,southeast Queensland: implications for paleogeography and basin subsidence

The Jurassic Walloon Coal Measures of the Surat Basin were previously estimated to be of Middle Jurassic age, ranging from Aalenian to Callovian, based on an uncalibrated eastern Australian biostratigraphic framework. New U–Pb dates of 162.55 ± 0.05 Ma and 158.86 ± 0.04 Ma obtained from zircons in ash-fall volcanic tuffs now place the Walloon Coal Measures of the Surat Basin in the Upper Jurassic Oxfordian. The new dates have several implications for the interpretation of the Jurassic strata in the Surat Basin. First-order subsidence rates of 61 m/Myr for the Walloon Coal Measures are more akin to those of foreland basins than the previously assumed intracratonic setting. The dates also imply deposition of the Walloon coals in substantially higher latitudes than previously assumed and that they accumulated as peats in mires that experienced more than three months’ continual darkness each winter. Zircon dating of tuffs and associated geochemistry should assist with the correlation of the laterally impersistent coals, fluvial sandstone and mudstone of the Walloon Coal Measures, which are currently difficult to correlate over distances of more than a few kilometres. Dating of the palynostratigraphic zones APJ4.2 to APJ5 (Aequitriradites norrisii Association Zone to Murospora florida Association Zone) will also need to be recalibrated.     

Quantitative Biostratigraphic Analysis upon the Upper Cretaceous in Tethyan Himalaya

Biostratigraphic analysis is an essential element for understanding global tectonics and the evolution of life on Earth. Quantitative analysis of sedimentary sequences provides the precise age constraints on timing of significant events in Earth’s history. This paper presents results from quantitative stratigraphic analysis of Upper Cretaceous Tethyan Himalayan sequences. This analysis resulted in a new composite stratigraphic section for the Cretaceous strata of Tibet (TIBETKCS). The eight Upper Cretaceous sections were analyzed in this study and 12 planktonic foraminifera zones were recognized based on available data. Quantitative measurements were made using a Graphic Correlation with Graphcor 3.0 software and correlated to the world standard Cretaceous Composite Section (MIDKCS). The sections were also examined using Constrained Optimization software by CONOP9. Level Penalty was applied as the rule to measure misfit among automatically correlated sections. The new TIBETKCS correlates well with planktonic foraminifera ages from previous work in southern Tibet. A fitting equation of y=?0.19x+305 with a correlation coefficient of 0.94 was obtained from this work. The ages of the first and last appearances of 64 planktonic foraminifera can be calculated with this equation with ± 0.3 Ma precision. This level of precision is approximately 10 times higher than age determinations with traditional methods. Two extinction events were resolved within this analysis at ~93.5 Ma and ~85.5 Ma corresponding to the Ocean Anoxic Events at Cenomanian–Turonian and Coniacian–Santonian boundaries respectively.     

Palynological characteristics of Kazakhstan Province of Carboniferous Euramerican Region

The paper presents results of palynological studies of the coal-bearing Carboniferous in Central Ka-zakhstan.A quantitative dynamics of major genera of miospores reflects an overall succession of the Carbonifer-ous miospore assemblages.Viséan Serpukhovian assemblages are dominanted by Lophozonotriletes fuscatus,Ac-anthozonotriletes cristifer,A.inclusus,Punctatisporites glabratus,Crassispora ignorata,C.scrupea,Cyclobacu-lisporites trichacanthus,Lycospora breviapiculata,L.echinata and Vallatisporites decrescens.Rare Punctatis-porites bertschoguriensis,Stenozonotriletes marginellus,Vallatisporites appilicatus,Verrucosisporites scrobiculatus,Reticulatisporites cancellatus,Granulatisporites arcuatus are recorded,which are not found in assemblages from overlying sediments.Bashkirian--Moscovian assemblages are dominated by Lycospora subtriquetra,L.pusilla,Vallatisporites ciliaris,Apiculatisporis mollis,Cyclogranisporites testiculatus,Calamospora microrugosa,Schopfi-pollenites principalis,Psilohymena psiloptera,Florinites grandis and Granulatisporites piroformis miospores.Cris-tatisporites latispinus,Angulisporites didymus,Thymospora obscura and Torispora securis are also present,as well as single Apiculatisporis curvispinus,Raistrickia inordinata,Marsupipollenites retroflexus,Entylissa caperata,Potonieisporites grandis and Cordaitina sp.A similar succession of miospore assemblages is recorded in the Carboniferous deposits of Europe and North America,which allows carrying out correlations,despite an endemic characters of many species of Paleozoic miospores from the coal-bearing Carboniferous of the Kazakh-stan Province in the Euramerian Paleofloristic Region.     

Increasing Resolution in Exploration Biostratigraphy—Part I

Crossplots with Ranking and Scaling (RASC) and Constrained Optimization (CONOP) zonal sequences increase stratigraphic resolution and correlation potential of biozonations. The crossplots reveal which events do and which do not deviate their stratigraphic position from well to well, and how well they track their average stratigraphic level. The methodology solves the problem that conventional fossil zonations do not rank taxa according to the degree of diachroneity of range endpoints in a correlation scheme. Part 1 of this study applies the crossplots method to a North Sea biostratigraphic data, and part 2 to a proprietary dataset from the Gulf of Mexico. This study is dedicated to the memory of our friend and colleague Garry Jones, a staunch supporter of quantitative stratigraphic methods in exploration micropaleontology.     

Biostratigraphic Analysis of the Top Layer of Sediment Cores from the Reference and Test Sites of the INDEX Area

Abstract

Radiolarian fossil study in the sediment cores collected during the pre- and postdisturbance cruises of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Indian Ocean Experiment (INDEX) program of deep sea mining in the Central Indian Ocean Basin suggests a pronounced directional deposition of fossil radiolarians exhumed during the deep sea benthic disturbance experiment. The relative occurrences of the Stylatractus universus species that became extinct ～0.425 million years before present were mostly confined to the older and deeper strata of the sediment of the disturbance tract in the southwestern direction. This pattern is remarkable and suggests that the disturbance plume has been preferentially redeposited in the southwestern direction. This observation is in concurrence with the prevailing southwestern abyssal current during the disturbance experiment in the Central Indian Basin.     

An Asian origin for Sinomastodon (Proboscidea,Gomphotheriidae) inferred from a new Upper Miocene specimen from Gansu of China

We report a fossil specimen referable to Sinomastodontinae gen. et sp. indet. from the Neogene strata at Yanghecun locality, Xihe County, Gansu Province, China. The specimen is characterized by a brevirostrine mandible, complete pretrite trefoils, and relatively simple posttrite half lophids, showing typical features of Sinomastodon. It differs from the other known species of Sinomastodon by the following features: relatively short and wide m3 due to fewer lophid numbers, less inflated pretrite accessory central conules, poorly developed secondary trefoils and cementum, and relatively strong cingulid. All of these features indicate a bias towards pleisiomorphies of Sinomastodon, implying that this specimen is more ancestral than any known species of Sinomastodon. The symphysis of the new specimen is relatively long, which differs from the typical brevirostrine Sinomastodon, and thus we consider it a gen. et sp. indet. in the Subfamily Sinomastodontinae. In addition, the horizon in which the present specimen was found probably represents the Upper Miocene because it is lower than Pliocene strata yielding Hipparion (Proboscidipparon) pater. Generally, Sinomastodon is considered to have migrated from North America at about the time of the Miocene/Pliocene boundary, and to have been derived from a certain clade of American gomphotheres. However, the discovery of the Yanghecun specimen verifies that Sinomastodon lived in East Asia during the Late Miocene, and probably derived from Old World gomphotheres (e.g., G. wimani). The similarity between the members of the Subfamilies Sinomastodontinae and those of Cuvieroniinae is suggested to have been the result of parallel evolution.     

A Middle–Upper Devonian Boundary Section in the Open Platform,Platform Margin Facies of Guilin, South China

Abstract: The Caiziyan Middle and Upper Devonian boundary section is located approximately 30 km northeast of Guilin. It hosts relatively abundant benthic and common–rare pelagic fossils, including brachiopods, corals, tentaculites, and conodonts, which may serve as a better suitable section for pelagic and neritic stratigraphic correlation. In this section, 10 “standard” conodont zones are recognized across the Givetian–Frasnian boundary, including, in descending order, the Lower hassi Zone, punctata Zone, transitans Zone, the Upper falsiovalis Zone, the Lower falsiovalis Zone, disparilis Zone, the Upper hermanni–cristatus Zone, the Lower hermanni–cristatus Zone, the Upper varcus Zone, and the Middle varcus Zone, all of which are defined by the first occurrence of their defining conodont species. The Middle–Upper Devonian (Givetian–Frasnian) boundary is defined by the first occurrence of Ancyrodella pristina in accordance with the Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP), which is assigned at 6.2m above the base of bed 19 in the Caiziyan section.     

湖北宜昌志留系龙马溪组几丁虫及其年代和生物复苏意义

调查分析了位于湖北省宜昌市分乡的一口志留系钻孔,在龙马溪组下段至上段下部的进尺约100 m的岩芯中采取了313件样品进行几丁虫分离,其中165件炭质泥岩和泥岩样品中共发现保存完整的早志留世几丁虫化石917枚。自下而上识别出Belonechitina?postrobusta,Conochitina alargada,Armoricochitina sp.和Conochitina emmastensis生物带。几丁虫生物带的组合特征和时代意义,及其与全球其它地区同期几丁虫对比,暗示几丁虫Conochitina alargada的始限位置与笔石Monograptus triangularis的始限位置接近,可以作为埃隆期底界界线划分的生物化石参考标志之一。志留纪龙马溪组几丁虫多样性最早发生在鲁丹期末期,在埃隆期晚期出现丰度和分异度的明显升高。微量元素组成的环境意义研究显示龙马溪组下段下部黑色页岩与下段上部深灰色页岩和上段下部黄绿色页岩形成于氧化环境,龙马溪组下段下部黑色页岩中几丁虫属种稀少不是环境所致,而是奥陶纪生物大绝灭之后志留纪几丁虫生物复苏之前几丁虫生物残存复苏阶段的产物,暗示奥陶纪大绝灭之后志留纪几丁虫生物复苏开始于鲁丹期晚期,并在埃隆期中-晚期发生辐射。     

Expansion of the Cathaysian Oldland through the Ordovician-Silurian transition:Emerging evidence and possible dynamics

Located northwest of the Jiangshan-Shaoxing Fault Zone,western and northwestern Zhejiang and northeastern Jiangxi provinces experienced major changes in bio-and litho-facies and paleogeography through the Ordovician-Silurian transition (late Katian,Hirnantian,and early Rhuddanian),as manifested by stratigraphic,paleontologic and synecologic records.Three geographic units under consideration are South,Central,and North areas.The western margin of the South area was occupied by the Huaiyu Mountains,whereas th...