Fossil nothofagaceous leaves from the Eocene of western Antarctica and their bearing on the origin, dispersal and systematics of Nothofagus

Fossil leaves resembling Nothofagaceae have been investigated from the Eocene of western Antarctica and a new form genus Nothofagofolia is proposed for these kinds of fossils. Some new specimens belonging to this form genus are described. They were collected from the Fossil Hill locality of Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, South Shetland Islands, western Antarctica. Two new species, two new combinations and an unnamed species are reported. A number of published Nothofagus leaf fossils from the same locality are discussed and revised. As a result of these studies of Nothofagus leaf morphology, we conclude that (1) Nothofagus probably originated in high latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere during the middle-late Late Cretaceous and diversified, dispersed gradually to the lower latitudes of the same hemisphere; (2) leaf morphological characters are significant for the systematics of the family Nothofagaceae, especially at the intrageneric level; and (3) extant species of Nothofagus known from southern temperate areas have more primitive leaf morphological characters and lower leaf ranks than those from tropical mountains as well as those of the Fagaceae and Betulaceae. Supported by the Foundation of State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology & Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaoentology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. 013106), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 30670159) and the Fund of Innovation Program by Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences     

Cenozoic Sedimentary Sequence in the Kumkal Basin, Xinjiang and New Evidence for the Late Quaternary Uplift of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

1. IntroductionThe Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is an importantregion for the study of the global change andstructural evolution history). The in-depth knowledgeon its uplift process is the ke}' to understand theformation and development of temporary ph}'sicalenvironment of China or even East Asia. Therefore.a large quantity of researchers have given muchmore attention on this field (Burbank et al.. l982;Fang Xiaornin et al.. 1995f Ruddoman. ]997f AnZhisheng et al.. 1998). The macroscopic e\'o…     

贵州瓮安震旦纪陡山沱期磷酸盐化球状化石的新观察

我国贵州瓮安陡山沱期磷块岩中的磷酸盐化球状化石是近年来受到广泛关注的一类微体化石。对于它们的生物亲缘认识，长期以来存在着动植物之争，特别是近年来一些学者发现，部分磷酸盐化球状化石内部保存了2、4、8、16等几何级数增长的细胞特征，根据化石的大小、细胞排列方式和表面纹饰可与现生甲壳类动物的胚胎比较，认为它们很可能是运动胚胎化石，但另一些学者却持截然不同的观点，认为它们不是动物胚胎化石的观察与研究，同时结合相同层位岩石薄片所发现的大量同类化石微细结构的对比。特别是把磷块岩中的化石与燧石中发现的化石详细比较，对一些磷酸盐化球状化石的归属和亲缘关系进行探讨，研究表明贵州瓮安陡山沱期燧石中发现的化石详细比较，对一些磷酸盐化球状化石的归属和亲缘关系进行探讨。研究表明贵州瓮安陡山沱期磷酸盐化微体化石群具有多样性特征，包含不同门类，是迄今为止全球保存最好的晚新元古代磷酸盐化的化石库。     

中国的遗迹化石研究

中国的遗迹化石在20世纪后期取得了长足的进展，主要表现在三个方面：前寒武纪遗迹化石与后生动物的起源和演化研究，将后生动物遗迹化石记录追索到1500Ma甚至1800Ma左右的元古宙早期；遗迹化石和遗迹组构与沉积环境和层序地层的关系研究，描述了大量的遗迹化石，建立了多种地方性的遗迹相，遗迹组构研究开始渗透到遗迹学研究的众多方面；拓扑遗迹分析，将拓扑学与遗迹学紧密联系，创立了遗迹学研究的新方法。     

吉林省四平南部下二台群小壳化石的发现及其地质意义

吉林省四平南部1:5万半拉山门、石岭街、下二台子、叶赫站幅的吉林省境内区调,首次在经过修订的下二台群黄顶子组下部条带状硅质大理岩中,采获丰富的小壳化石,初步确定为3属6种,其中4新种。属于辽北地区新确立的清河镇动物群辐射演化而来的新的动物群。从而,为这套地层的划分对片、时代确定,提供了重要的古生物佐证。     

丹东地区中生代地层-古生物

丹东地区小岭组植物化石共9属12种。动物化石腹足类4属6种,叶肢介1属2种。均为首次发现。这些化石的发现为小岭组应属早白垩世而不属侏罗纪,提出了令人信服的证据。同时,阐述了古地理环境和地层特征,并与邻区进行了对比。     

Implications of trace fossil assemblages from Late Paleozoic Glaciomarine Talchir Formation, Raniganj Basin, India

The trace fossil assemblages of the ice-marginal shallow marine sediments of the Talchir Formation (Permo-Carboniferous), Raniganj Basin, India, record the adverse effect of extreme climatic conditions on biota. The glaciomarine Talchir succession starts with glacial sediments near the base and gradually passes to storm-laid shallow marine sediments up-section. The fine-grained storm sediments host abundant trace fossils. Although the studied ichnites characteristically show marginal marine affinity, the ichnodiversity and bioturbation intensity suggest a lower than normal shallow marine trace fossil population. Further, endobenthic annelids, worms and crustaceans are identified as dominant trace-makers.

Sediment reworking near the ice-grounding line, extremely cold climate, high-energy storm sedimentation and anomalous water chemistry hindered organic colonization during the early phases of Talchir sedimentation. Later, climatic amelioration ushered in a favourable ambience for the benthic community to colonize within or beyond the storm weather wave-base in the outer shoreface–shelf environment. Fluctuating storm energy dominantly controlled the availability and influence of other environmental stimuli in the environment, and thus, governed the distribution, abundance and association of the studied ichnites. However, impoverished ichnodiversity, sporadic distribution of the traces, overall smaller burrow dimensions, absence of body fossils, dominance of worms and annelids as trace-makers all indicate a stressed environmental condition, induced by cold climate and lowered marine salinity due to influx of glacier melt-out freshwater during climatic amelioration, in the Permo-Carboniferous ice-marginal sea.     

柴达木盆地西缘阿尔金山南坡上干柴沟组大古植物化石的发现及其地质意义

阿尔金南坡干柴沟地区上干柴沟组新发现Podagonium-Quercus大古植物化石组合,该组合指示上干柴沟组中下部地层的时代为新近纪中新世,与我国华北板块、华南板块和青海乌兰、泽库等地区比较,显示出低分异度和低丰度的特点。从该植物组合相伴产出的Austrocypris分析,表明该地区纬向气候带属高温少雨、干湿交替的疏林草原环境,有利于柴西陆相成油盆地主力油源层的发育。     

渤海湾盆地早第三纪水平面升降和全球海平面升降的不一致性

本文通过对渤海湾盆地下第三系中半咸水化石纵向分布特点研究,并根据新的地层划分方案,利用古生物－岩相综合分析方法绘制了该地区早第三纪水平面升降曲线,发现半咸水生物出现在水进初期,在最大水进期消失,水平面升降曲线一全球海平面升降曲线无直接关系,即水平面的上升示受海平面上升的影响,从而证明此阶段无海侵发生,非海侵观点对于总结我国陆相地层的油气勘探理论及实践具有重要意义。     

遗迹化石与潮控滨线海泛面的识别及准层序相组合──以塔里木盆地下志留统塔塔埃尔塔格组为例

塔里木盆地下志留统塔塔埃尔塔格组主要由潮坪沉积组成。根据遗迹化石与沉积特征,固底控制的遗迹化石Ｇｙｒｏｌｉｔｈｅｓ常常与沉积性不连续面（海泛面）有关,潮控滨线中的准层序由三类岩相组成,其中含砾砂岩相（相Ａ）为潮道沉积,未见遗迹化石;含交错层理细砂岩相（相Ｂ）为砂坪沉积,仅见少量的遗迹化石Ｓｋｏｌｉｔｈｏｓ;强生物扰动粉砂岩、泥岩相（相Ｃ）为砂、泥混合坪沉积,发育有丰富的遗迹化石,代表Ｓｋｏｌｉｔｈｏｓ－Ｃｒｕｚｉａｎａ混合遗迹相。