The latest Carboniferous–Early Permian Dorud Group of the eastern Alborz (Iran): biostratigraphy and taxonomy of smaller foraminifers

The latest Carboniferous–Early Permian Dorud Group in the Chaman‐Saver area of eastern Alborz, Iran is more than 222 m thick and includes thick sequences of oncolitic limestone, sandy limestone, sandstones and shales. The Emarat and Ghosnavi formations of this Group are dated here as latest Gzhelian to early Sakmarian Stages. During the Asselian Stage, the sea level fell abruptly and epeirogenic episodes occurred. These events generated a broad, shallow carbonate platform suitable for the growth and diversity of smaller foraminifers in the Chaman‐Saver area which, consequently, displays faunal differences with the rest of the Alborz Mountains. Three foraminiferal biozones are proposed: Nodosinelloides potievskayae–Vervilleina bradyi Zone (latest Gzhelian), Calcitornella heathi–Nodosinelloides sp. Zone (latest Gzhelian–Asselian), and Rectogordius iranicus n. gen. n. sp.–Hemigordius schlumbergeri Zone (early Sakmarian). The new taxa described herein include: Pseudovidalina iranica n. sp., P. damghanica n. sp., Rectogordius iranicus n. gen. n. sp. and Tezaquina sp. 1. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sequences and biofacies packages in the mid‐Cenozoic Gambier Limestone,South Australia: Reappraisal of foraminiferal evidence

The mid to outer neritic carbonates of the Gambier Limestone (Upper Eocene to lower Middle Miocene) can be divided into seven units by using criteria of sequence stratigraphy and foraminiferal biofacies. The boundaries fall mainly on erosional surfaces, even though the temporal duration of these surfaces appears to be largely beyond the resolution of foraminiferal biostratigraphy. The Eocene/Oligocene contact is distinctively unconformable in several sections, with at least part of the Upper Eocene sediments missing. Chert nodules, common to abundant in most sections, are associated with deep‐ or cool‐water benthic assemblages (> 100–200 m and <15°C), indicating cool, nutrient‐rich bottom conditions probably influenced by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current beginning during the Early Oligocene. The mid‐Oligocene fall in sea‐level was probably coupled with a major local uplift that removed at least part of the Lower Oligocene, an event widely recorded in the Australian‐New Zealand region. In areas weakly affected, this glacioeustatic lowstand is represented by chert‐free limestone and grey to pink dolomites in some sections, with a poorly preserved assemblage comprising few planktonic and deep‐water benthic species. Local unconformities separate regional unconformity‐bounded or allostratigraphic packages of strata to represent third‐order sequences. Although variations in local subsidence might have influenced accumulation space and sediment thickness, glacioeustatic influence on the packaging of the sequences and units of the Gambier Limestone was easily the more effective and concordant with the global patterns.     

Vines 1 revisited: are older Neoproterozoic glacial deposits preserved in Western Australia?

The stratigraphy in Vines 1, a 2017.5 m-deep cored stratigraphic hole drilled by the Geological Survey of Western Australia in 2001 near the Western Australian – South Australian border, has been reinterpreted with implications for the Neoproterozoic to Cambrian geological history of the Officer Basin. A previous interpretation considered the intersected succession as a conformable stratigraphic package, the Vines Formation. An assemblage of palynomorphs, found throughout the hole and previously used to infer an age of no older than earliest Cambrian, is now thought to consist of contaminants. An older assemblage, which is considered to be reworked and inherited from underlying rocks, provides a new maximum age constraint of mid-Neoproterozoic. Based on sedimentological interpretations and comparisons with other drillholes in the western Officer Basin, and the succession in the eastern Officer Basin, the Vines 1 succession is reinterpreted as four discrete sedimentary packages, the Pirrilyungka (new name), Wahlgu, Lungkarta and Vines (redefined) Formations, in ascending order. The Pirrilyungka and Wahlgu Formations include glacigenic sediments and may correlate with similar glacial successions in Supersequences 2 and 3 (mid to late Cryogenian) of the Centralian Superbasin, and the Sturt Tillite and Elatina Formation and their equivalents in the Adelaide Rift Complex of South Australia, respectively. The eolian Lungkarta Formation and fluvial Vines Formation are considered, on regional evidence, to be most likely of Ediacaran to earliest Cambrian age.     

辽西—冀北地区土城子组的地质时代、年龄及其国际地层对比

辽西—冀北地区土城子组(后城组)含有各类化石,包括植物、孢粉、介形类、叶肢介、昆虫及恐龙类等,各门类化石都对土城子组的时代提出归属与生物演化依据。通过与国内外相关生物群(组合)的研究与对比,尤其是孢粉、介形类微体化石大区域的国际对比,将土城子组的地质时代划归为晚侏罗世早—中期(Oxfordian-Kimmeridgian)。土城子组的地磁年代学研究,也得出大致相同的时代结论。笔者在辽西金岭寺—羊山盆地土城子组剖面中,采用SHRIMP锆石U-Th-Pb同位测定技术,对凝灰岩中的锆石进行了年龄测定,获得的206Pb/238U年龄为:第22层140.2Ma±1.3Ma(N=13,13个数据加权平均值);第30层139.6Ma±1.9Ma(N=12);小刘家沟剖面土城子组上部凝灰岩139.6Ma±0.7Ma(N=11);第83层137.3Ma±1.0Ma(N=13)。由于第22层距土城子组底界369m,据沉积速率推算约为1.5Ma。因此,土城子组底界年龄应为141.7Ma±1.3Ma。第83层接近土城子组顶界,137.3Ma±1.0Ma年龄值可大致视为土城子组顶界的年龄。如此推断,上侏罗统牛津阶(Oxfordian)底界年龄应接近141.7Ma±1.3Ma,基默里奇阶(Kimmeridgian)上界年龄应为137.3Ma±1.0Ma左右,而国际地质年表中推导、标注的两者年龄分别为163.5Ma±1.0Ma和152.1Ma±0.9Ma,与笔者实测的年龄值分别相差21Ma和15Ma,对此进行了深入的探讨。     

Middle Permian radiolarians from Anmenkou, Chaohu, Northeastern Yangtze platform, China

The biostratigraphy of the Middle Permian Gufeng Formation in the northeastern Yangtze platform is examined based on radiolarians. This study is concentrated on the Anmenkou section in the Chaohu area of Anhui Province, China. The Gufeng Formation is divided into the Phosphate Nodule-bearing Mudstone Member (PNMM) and the Siliceous Rock Member (SRM) in ascending order. The former primarily consists of mudstone including abundant phosphate nodules, and the latter consists mainly of alternating beds of chert, siliceous mudstone and mudstone, with intercalations of porous chert. Ammonoids in the mudstone of the lower PNMM are Wordian. Chert, siliceous mudstone and mudstone of the SRM include abundant radiolarians with sponge spicule assemblages suggestive of the Wordian–Capitanian. Albaillellaria are predominant in the lower SRM, while Entactinaria and Spumellaria are predominant in the middle and upper SRM. These radiolarians correspond to three radiolarian assemblage zones: Pseudoalbaillella longtanensis – Pseudoalbaillella fusiformis , Follicucullus monacanthus , and Follicucullus scholasticus – Ruzhencevispongus uralicus . The assemblage of radiolarians and sponge spicule fauna suggests a depositional depth of 150–500 m. The radiolarian fauna of the Gufeng Formation is considered to be representative of the relatively shallow, tropical radiolarian fauna of the Middle Permian eastern Paleotethys.     

山东张夏期(中寒武世晚期)三叶虫生物地层

根据山东长清张夏虎头山至黄草顶、淄博市淄川区峨庄乡黑石寨谢家峪及新泰县九龙村九龙山的中寒武世晚期地层剖面的新材料 ,分析了山东张夏期三叶虫的地层分布 ,讨论了张夏组的顶底界线 ,扼要地比较了张夏期的 6个多节类三叶虫带与华南过渡区的 4个球接子带。     

贵州紫云扁平剖面早二叠世非筵有孔虫动物群

贵州紫云扁平剖面紫松阶上部一罗甸阶非筵有孔虫动物群由25属82种（含相似种、亚种而不含未定种）构成，其中7属（Cribrogenerina、Nodosaria、Glomospira、Tetrataxis、Palaeotextularia、Climacammina及Globival-vulina）的物种分异度最高，合计占总种数的71％；该动物群自紫松期开始发育，在隆林期类群构成发生显著变化并繁盛至罗甸早期，在罗甸中晚期明显衰落。研究剖面由下至上可划分为Cr拍rogPnP-nncelebrata-C．hemispaera间隔带、Glomospira-Nodosaria富集带（又可进而分为Geinitzina postcarbonica-Globivalvulina cyprica间隔亚带、Climacammina elegantula延限亚带）、Lasiodiscus-Eotuberitina间隔带。     

龙门山的石炭系

四川江油马角坝、北川沙窝子是龙门山上泥盆统、下石炭统区域性主要岩石地层单位的命名地,对这两地及前龙门山北段地区的调查发现:1)前人关于马角坝地区下石炭统的层序和马角坝组主要化石群的记载有与实际不符之处,当地实际缺失杜内期至维宪早、中期地层,总长沟群的时代应属晚维宪—谢尔普霍夫期,重新厘定马角坝组含义,新指定北川桂溪沙窝子的长滩子剖面为该组的参考剖面;2)在长滩子剖面长滩子组顶部Beichuano-phyllum与Cystophrentis珊瑚化石富集层之上、马角坝组Pseudouralinia富集层之下的大套厚层白云岩层组合的中上部层位,发现Cystophrentis等化石,基于这套厚层白云岩组合的岩性特征明显、顶底接触关系清楚、区域展布广泛,建议引用前人提出的黑岩窝组,同时对黑岩窝组的岩性、岩层组合与古生物组合特征、厚度和时代归属等作了补充和修正,根据其中所含生物群认为黑岩窝组时代为晚泥盆世法门晚期;3)通过与周边地区的地层对比,探讨了龙门山石炭纪的古地理格局及环境演变,认为除前龙门山中部的桂溪—沙窝子等狭窄地区因长期地处泥盆纪海水入侵通道,地势低洼,出现了残存式的杜内期沉积外,前龙门山南、北段广大地区杜内期至维宪早、中期已大部抬升露出水面,直到维宪晚期的全球性海侵,前龙门山遂再度没于水下,出现准平原化浅滩相沉积环境,并延续至石炭纪末。     

安徽巢湖地区下三叠统牙形石生物地层分带及其全球对比

安徽巢湖地区早三叠世处于下扬子碳酸盐岩缓坡较深水区域,地层序列完整、清晰,各类化石是区域乃至全球最为丰富、序列最为完整的,是研究国际早三叠世年代地层最经典地区之一．对安徽巢湖平顶山西坡剖面、平顶山北坡剖面、马家山南剖面系统采样和精细的牙形石生物地层研究结果表明,下三叠统至少可以划分为8个牙形石带,建立了在华南具有代表性的下三叠统牙形石生物地层序列,自下而上为（1）Hindeodus typicalis带;（2）Neogondolella krystyni-Neogondolella planata带;（3）Neospathodus kummeli带;（4）Neospathodus dieneri带;（5）Neospathodus iaageni带;（6）Neospathodus pingdingshanensis带;（7）Neospathodus homeri带;（8）Neospathodus anhuinensis带．并与世界其他地区同期地层进行精确对比,为建立下三叠统印度阶与奥伦尼克阶界线的全球层型（GSSP）提供可靠依据．     

中太平洋海山区富钴结壳的钙质超微化石地层学研究

对“大洋一号”调查船在中太平洋采集的N1-15和N5E-06 2个富钴结壳样品进行了钙质超微化石及其生物地层学的研究与分析.这2个结壳从结构上分为3层: 致密型上层、疏松型中层和致密型下层.在研究中对各结构层和各层中有颜色或细微结构变化的层位都进行了详细的取样和分析.在识别了12个新生代钙质超微化石事件的基础上, 确定了2个结壳致密型上层结壳都为晚更新世以来的沉积, 它们的疏松型中层结壳为上新世到中更新世的沉积.对N5E-06富钴结壳来说, 其致密型下层结壳下部形成于中晚古新世到早渐新世的59.7~ 32.8 Ma期间.N1-15富钴结壳致密型下层的形成时代目前暂时定为中新世.研究注意到在2个结壳中都没有发现可信的晚渐新世到中新世的化石记录, 在个别层位之间存在着沉积间断.