喀喇昆仑岔路口地区二叠系哑地层中发现化石

20 0 3年的 1∶2 5万地质填图和实测剖面工作中 ,在新疆喀喇昆仑山地区岔路口一带原划二叠纪加温达坂组哑地层中首次采到了大量孢粉化石 ,鉴定为晚二叠世早期。同时 ,对该套地层进行了重新厘定 ,划定为上二叠统早期神仙湾组 ,并对其沉积环境进行了探讨。     

贵州台江凯里生物群中遗迹化石（Gordia）与水母状化石（Pararotadiscus）的关系及其意义

贵州台江凯里生物群中的遗迹化石Gordia marina Emmons常被保存在水母状化石Pararotadiscus guizhouensis Zhao and Zhu盘体的上下，构成凯里生物群生态特色之一。笔者认为，G．marina可能系蠕形类造迹动物在层面或近层面觅食或吞食富含有机物的沉积物所形成。生活于清澈陆棚环境一定水域的P.guizhouensis，由于突发性快速沉积事件的发生，改变了海水的物化条件，而被“毒死”，并随沉积物安静地沉落于弱氧化-还原环境的海底。在较为缓慢的腐烂过程中，营食沉积物的G．marina造迹生物觅食于P.guizhouensis盘体上下富含有机物的沉积物中。随着沉积物的增厚，P．guizhouensis生物尸体周围的微环境还原性增强，腐烂过程很快被终止，P．guizhouensis生物软体得以保存，浅层或层面觅食性造迹生物亦随即离去，留下其生活活动的潜穴。同时通过研究，还认为G．molassicd(Heer)与G．marina为同义名，可能为G．marina造迹生物的幼体。     

塔里木东南缘洛浦阿其克晚二叠世瓣鳃动物化石及其时代

本文系统研究了塔里木盆地东南缘洛浦阿其克普斯格组的瓣鳃动物化石，讨论了化石组合特点及地质时代。根据化石组合面貌、岩性和沉积特征，以及剖面结构，认为普斯格组的时代应为晚二叠世。     

Paleoenvironments indicated by the fossil mammalian assemblages from red clay-loess sequence in the Chinese Loess Plateau since 8.0 Ma B.P.

1 Introduction and methods Many geoscientists have agreed[1-29] that the wind blown dusty sediments appeared in China since about 8.0 Ma B.P. The eolian earthy deposits are the red clays of the middle-late of the Late Miocene and those of Pliocene as well as the loess-paleosol sequence of the Pleistocene and Holocene. These eolian earthydeposits are distributed chiefly in northwestern China, mostly corresponding in area to the modern Loess Plateau. The Neogene red clay was deposited unco…     

青海省曲麻莱地区巴颜喀拉山群浊积岩系识别的古遗迹学标志

青海南部曲麻莱-治多地区位于青藏高原东北部,广泛出露上三叠统巴颜喀拉山群砂板岩,地层厚度巨大,实体化石稀少,遗迹化石丰富.在1/25万区域地质调查过程中,我们收集了大量的基础资料,本文重点研究遗迹化石的保存状态、形态类型、生态习性及其在地层序列中的分布特征,结果表明:研究区内巴颜喀拉山群为半深海-深海环境下形成的浊积岩系,这与沉积学、岩石学的研究结果相一致.     

Phosphatized Punctatus with mouthparts and its embryo fossils from the Lower Cambrian of Ningqiang, south Shaanxi, China

The appearance of coelenterates marks the real beginning of metazoan evolution. It therefore has a prominent position in the origin and evolutionary history of organisms, and is also a pivotal question of evolutionary biology. Punctatus is an extinct, ancient marine animal from the early stage of the Cambrian explosion, occurring at the lowermost Cambrian of both Kuanchuanpu (Ningqiang, Shaanxi) and Maidiping (Emei, Sichuan) areas. Punctatus has been studied for many years since the discovery of its fragments. Systematic and phylogenetic analysis has long been limited because of the rarity of complete specimens. In order to improve research into Punctatus, more than ten thousand globular fossils were recovered by means of “Chemistry Retting”. On the basis of the study of these globular fossils, a series of Punctatus fossils with cone parts and finely preserved soft-tissue mouthparts and fossilized metazoan embryo were recovered. Through research on characteristics such as shape, modality and structure of these fossils symbiotic with Punctatus emeiensis, the author found many possible embryo fossils including the evidence of gastrula-stage animal fossils. The sequence of fetation might have appeared on the corolliform oral region of Punctatus emeiensis. A study of the soft tissues, functional morphology and the sequence of embryo fossils shows evidence that Punctatus resembles coelenterate polyps in systematic classification. Perhaps it also represents an ancestor of the coelenterate with an original tentacle. A comparison with the real “tentacle animal” found in the Chengjiang Fauna, shows that the original tentacle is very tiny and its function range is limited. This reveals the primitive nature of the animal. Although the original tentacle is so small, it does exist, representing the first big step towards the real flexible tentacle with a strong function from the early evolving tentacle. Translated from Journal of Acta Palaeontologica Sinica, 2006, 45(2): 182–194 [译自: 古生物学报]     

Re-envisioning the structure of last glacial vegetation in New Zealand using beetle fossils

A series of 18 fossil beetle assemblages are used to reconstruct the paleoenvironment of the northwest West Coast, New Zealand, over the period of the last interstadial-stadial transition (ca. 37,000-21,300 cal yr BP). The samples were recovered from an in-filled hollow within a dune field ca. 9 km south west of Westport (41°47′S, 171°30′E). This fossil beetle reconstruction is compared to an existing palynological reconstruction from the same site. The beetle assemblages indicate an environment of marshy shrubland interspersed with closed canopy coastal vegetation prior to glacial onset, and a mosaic of closed canopy patches and open tussock grassland during full glacial conditions. These interpretations, contrast with the palynologically based interpretation which indicates subalpine shrubland prior to glacial onset and widespread grassland with little woody vegetation during the period of maximum glacial cooling. This study is consistent with other non-pollen studies in New Zealand and indicates that the palynological interpretation of the paleoenvironment of the Westport region downplays the importance of closed canopy vegetation in the area during the transition from interstadial to full glacial (stadial) conditions. It challenges the interpretation of open vegetation at low elevations during glacial periods from pollen studies.     

Genesis of Silica-phosphatic Nodules with Small Shelly Fossils Preserved in the Lowermost Cambrian of South China

Silica-phosphatic nodules are abundant in black shales of the Yanjiahe Formation in the Three Gorges Area of South China, which is correlated to the Fortunian Stage, Terreneuvian Series, Cambrian System. The nodules are rich in small shelly fossils and hence attract the attention of numerous paleontologists and sedimentary geologists. However, the genesis of the nodules and the preservation of the small shelly fossils are poorly understood. Here we analyze morphological, structural, mineralogical and chemical features of the nodules in multiscale using a combination of micro-X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and confocal laser Raman spectroscopy. Results reveal that nodules are concentric in chemical and mineralogical compositions, comprising a silica-phosphatic core encrusted sequentially by a phosphatic zone, a siliceous zone and a very thin pyrite outer rim. The black shales hosting the nodules demonstrate a laminated texture of alternating clayey and silty laminae, which were respectively deposited in sulfidic/less sulfidic, high/low production, intense/weak chemical weathering conditions. The phosphogenesis of the nodules resulted in the phosphatization of small shelly fossils, which prevented the fossils from being dissolved during diagenesis, whereas the silica encrustation sealed the fossils within the nodules and thus protected the fossils from alteration by deep burial and surface weathering.     

豫西济源地区中下三叠统遗迹网络分析

豫西济源地区下三叠统和尚沟组和中三叠统二马营组均为陆相河湖相沉积,本研究在和尚沟组和上覆二马营组中下段分别识别出遗迹化石5属6种和7属9种,这些化石材料成为探究大灭绝事件后陆地造迹生物复苏的良好材料。运用遗迹网络分析方法构建了和尚沟组和二马营组中下段遗迹网络,相关参数显示自早三叠世和尚沟组沉积期至中三叠世二马营组中下段沉积期,遗迹网络节点增加,平均度、平均加权度和图密度有所降低,网络直径、平均聚类系数和平均路径长度呈明显增加趋势,遗迹网络复杂化以及造迹生物对恶劣环境适应性的增强,这些可能是二叠纪—三叠纪之交灭绝事件(Permian-Triassic Mass Extinction, PTME)后生物复苏的潜在标志。推测PTME后华北地区生物复苏和生态恢复可能遵循着类似的模式,但后续研究仍需陆相实体化石证据的佐证与补充。