The latest Ordovician Hirnantia Fauna (Brachiopoda) in time and space

The diachronous temporal and spatial distribution of the Hirnantia brachiopod fauna and the complicated pattern of terminal Ordovician events are documented through biostratigraphical analysis of the Ordovician-Silurian boundary strata in S China, Sibumasu, Xizang and elsewhere. The duration of these events (longer than the half Myr derived from isotopic excursions) indicates that they were not abrupt and instantaneous. The presence of some core taxa of the Hirnantia fauna in the upper P. pacificus Biozone (known from their earliest occurrence in China) signals the start of increased water ventilation due to the invasion of cool water across the Yangtze Basin. Low- and higher-diversity Hirnantia faunas related to onshore, shallow-water and to offshore, deeper-water environments, respectively, developed first in the basal and upper N. extraordinarius-N. ojsuensis Biozone. Disappearance of most of the fauna in the early N. persculptus Biozone suggests that the glacial maximum started to decline. The presence of the Hirnantia fauna in the upper N. persculptus to the lower P. acuminatus biozones indicates the continuation of cool water environments in some places. The diachronous disappearance of deteriorating environments (earlier in later Hirnantian and finally in the early Rhuddanian) is associated with geographical heterogeneity. Occurrences of atrypids, pentamerids and spiriferids along with key elements of the Hirnantia fauna in N Guizhou provide a link between the Late Ordovician radiation and Early Silurian recovery of these major brachiopod groups.     

Pre-Hirnantian Ashgill climatically warm event in the Mediterranean region

Compilation of the marine, benthic megafossils from approximately the mid-Ashgill of the Mediterranean region, including much of Central and Southern Europe plus North Africa, and elsewhere indicates a warm interval featuring bioclastic limestone and a warm climate marine fauna. These mid-Ashgill faunas immediately precede the latest Ashgillian, Hirnantian, cool interval that featured widespread glaciation, and are underlain by typical, cold water, Mediterranean Realm, older Ordovician rocks and faunas. The cause or causes responsible for the brief warm interval are uncertain, but may have involved a warm water gateway that is geographically still not located. There is a possibility that South Africa was similarly affected by this roughly mid-Ashgillian marine situation. Early Paleozoic bauxite minerals and kaolins in northwestern Sudan and kaolins elsewhere in North Africa may represent the same time interval, which would suggest that there was a non-marine amelioration of the local climate as well as the marine effects.     

A relict Ordovician brachiopod fauna from the Parakidograptus acuminatus Biozone (lower Silurian) of the English Lake District

At Yewdale Beck in northern England, a brachiopod fauna dominated by species of Hindella, Kinnella, Mirorthis, Paromalomena and Plectothyrella , occurs interbedded with a graptolite fauna which includes Akidograptus ascensus , Atavograptus ceryx , Persculptograptus parvulus and Normalograptus spp. (including probable examples of N. normalis , N. angustus and N. medius ) within the lower part of the Skelgill Formation. This suggests that taxa of the terminal Ordovician Hirnantia fauna occur within the lower P. acuminatus Biozone, representing the youngest documented occurrence of the Hirnantia brachiopod fauna. Biostratigraphy, brachiopods, graptolites, Ordovician-Silurian boundary.     

华南与缅甸奥陶纪末赫南特贝动物群中的无铰类腕足动物

在奥陶纪末生物大灭绝的两幕之间,海洋底域繁盛着赫南特贝腕足动物群（Hirnantia Fauna）。它数量丰富,分布广泛,历程短暂。以往国内外学者研究这个动物群时,常把有铰类腕足动物作为重点,而无铰类只被简单描述或列出名单,整体面貌不明。无铰类化石尽管材料有限、研究基础薄弱,但只就属的数目而言,占据了全球赫南特贝动物群总属数的近1/5,其群落、演化和环境意义不可小觑。文中专门记述上扬子区（华南古板块）观音桥层（赫南特早中期）与缅甸曼德勒地区（滇缅马苏古地体）Hwe Mawng紫色页岩段（赫南特中期）所产赫南特贝动物群的无铰类化石,计有3目、4超科[Linguloidea（舌形贝超科）、Discinoidea（平圆贝超科）、Craniopsoidea（似髑髅贝超科）和Cranioidea（髑髅贝超科）]的10属、12种,包括5个命名属种[Plectoglossa cf. davidsoni (Barrande),Schizotretinia cf. euxina (Havlí?ek), Pseudopholidops partibilis (Rong),Petrocrania cribrum (Temple),Xenocrania haimei (Reed)]和7个未定种（Trematis sp.,Paracraniops sp.,Acanthocrania sp.,Petrocrania? sp. 1,Petrocrania? sp. 2, Pseudolingula? sp. 和Orbiculoidea sp.）,其中,Pseudolingula? sp.和Orbiculoidea sp.两个未定名种因标本不佳,未正式描述。其中,以Pseudopholidops最为常见,其次是Xenocrania和Petrocrania。前两属是华南、滇缅马苏、波罗的卡、阿瓦隆尼亚、佩鲁尼卡等古板块或地体赫南特贝动物群的常见分子。它们已知限于南、北纬30°之间的低纬度地区,这可能与化石采集和研究程度有关,但更可能反映奥陶纪末全球气候仍存在分异现象。研究识别了奥陶纪晚期无铰类腕足动物7个目,可归为3个类群：灭绝目（仅神父贝目Paterinida）、消减目（多样性与丰度大幅衰减,尤其是三分贝目Trimerellida和乳孔贝目Acrotretida在Hirnantian销声匿迹）和延续目（适应能力强、忍耐阈值高,成功穿越大灾难的首幕）。这些分类单元对研究奥陶纪-志留纪交界期腕足动物群的多样性、群落生态、生物地理及宏演化等有重要意义。     

CAMBRIAN PALAEONTOLOGY OF FENNOSCANDIAN BASEMENT FISSURES

Fossils from two ecologically and palaeogeographically interesting Cambrian outliers in the Precambrian basement of Fennoscandia are described or discussed. One of the localities is a fissure system, filled with sandstone, at Långbergsöda-Öjen in Saltvik, Province of Aland, Finland. The occurrence of the brachiopod Ceratreta tanneri (Metzger 1922) indicates a Late Cambrian age rather than Early Cambrian as assumed hitherto. The other locality, about 1.5 km W of the Fortress of Bohus, at Kungälv, Province of Bohuslän, Sweden, consists of a fissure and a trench-like crevice bounded by joints, containing a sequence of calcareous sedimentary breccia, grey limestone with coarse sand, and a late Medial Cambrian fauna. The sequence continues with black shale and bituminous dark limestone, containing large fragments of older igneous and sedimentary rocks as well as a Late Cambrian fauna.     

Stromatoporen aus dem Schwelmer Kalk (Givet) des Sauerlandes (Stromatoporen aus dem deutschen Paläozoikum 1)

A stromatoporoid fauna is described from the uttermost eastern quarry south of the Lenne river in Letmathe (Sauerland). The fauna consists of 8 species which have been found during a biostatistical study on the upper surface of a single limestone bed of Givetian age. The fauna can be interpreted as genuine community. — Most stromatoporoid species described from the German Paleozoic have been found in deposits of Eifelian, Givetian, and Frasnian age. The latest stromatoporoids found in the Rheinisches Schiefergebirge occur in biostromes of lowermost Tournai age near Aachen.     

Geological significance of the discovery of Middle Triassic (Ladinian) radiolarians from the Hong Hoi Formation of the Lampang Group,Sukhothai Zone,northern Thailand

This paper presents a newly found fauna of Ladinian (Middle Triassic) radiolarians from the Hong Hoi Formation of the Lampang Group, Sukhothai Zone, northern Thailand. The Ladinian age determined by the radiolarian fauna concords with the age previously determined by mollusks. The study section consists of intercalated sandstone and shale in the lower part and a thick conglomerate in the upper part. The radiolarian-bearing siliceous beds are intercalated within the lower unit. The lithic sandstone of the lower unit consists mainly of volcanic rock fragments, quartz, and feldspar, whereas the thickly bedded conglomerate of the upper unit is characterized by abundant gravel-sized clasts of volcanic rock and limestone. These lithic features of the study section suggest that during deposition the Hong Hoi Formation was located near a supply of volcanic materials. A forearc basin close to the Sukhothai Arc would be the most suitable environment for the deposition. The Ladinian age determined by the radiolarian fauna supports the occurrence of intensive volcanic activity within the Sukhothai Arc during the Middle Triassic.     

贵州毕节发现古人类化石与哺乳动物群

2008年12月在贵州毕节团结乡首次发现麻窝口洞化石点,经2009年、2012年和2013年3次发掘,在麻窝口洞上部砂质黏土地层中共发现了四千余件哺乳动物牙齿化石。2013年7月发现的3枚古人类牙齿,分别为左上犬齿、左上第一臼齿和右上第二臼齿。人类牙齿尺寸偏小,臼齿咬合面沟纹简单,没有复杂的咬合面皱纹和附尖齿带结构,牙根短而不显粗壮,上述特点有别于我国已经发现的直立人和早期智人,可归入解剖学上的现代人。与人类相伴的哺乳动物化石,经初步鉴定共计8目20科43属53种,动物群组合反映出亚热带森林生态环境。根据动物群的时代特点,地貌地层及堆积物的光释光年代测定,指示毕节麻窝口洞古人类的时代可能为中更新世晚期,或者晚更新世早期,毕节古人类牙齿的发现为东亚地区现代人的起源及演化增添了新的证据。     

内蒙古西部额济纳旗晚奥陶世生物地理和奥陶-志留系分界

通过最近对内蒙古额济纳旗东南珠斯楞海尔罕一带(阿拉善地块)奥陶—志留系界线地层和生物群的野外调查和室内研究,首次在上奥陶统上部巴丹吉林组中发现阿什极尔中期(mid Ashgill)腕足动物化石巨大全嘴贝(Holorhymchus giganteus Kiaer),这是该属在我国奥陶系中的首次记录。根据未成年个体的切片所发现的腹壳顶端发育中隔板构造,修订该属定义,并证明研究小个体对识别物种特征、探讨个体发育和系统演化有重要意义。分析了全嘴贝属的群落生态、生物地理和演化意义后,发现它在奥陶纪末大灭绝过程中,因居群规模和分布范围极大地缩减,至今未发现其化石记录;但在志留纪初环境好转后继续存活,可暂视其为复活属。根据在拐子湖组近底部发现志留系最下部Akidograptus ascensus带的重要分子Normalograptus lubricus Chen et Lin,确定本区的奥陶—志留系分界。阿拉善地块因不发育Hirnantia动物群,表明奥陶纪末期它与扬子区、西藏、滇西等富含该动物群的地区属于不同的生物地理区系;在阿什极尔中期可能位于热带海域,与祁连山、中亚、乌拉尔等地有重要联系。文中描记H．giganteus种,评述正常笔石类(normalograptid)的系统分类位置并描记N．lubricus种。     

贵州毕节麻窝口洞与智人伴生的长鼻类化石

最近在贵州毕节麻窝口洞发现了3枚古人类牙齿化石和伴生的哺乳动物群。其中,古人类牙齿经初步研究可归入解剖学上的现代人,而与古人类相伴的大、小哺乳动物化石,经初步鉴定共计8目20科43属53种。本文系统记述了该动物群中大哺乳动物的典型代表——长鼻类化石,共2属2种:东方剑齿象(Stegodon orientalis)和亚洲象(Elephas maximus)。麻窝口洞的长鼻类缺失我国南方早更新世的典型种类——中华乳齿象(Sinomastodon)和华南剑齿象(Stegodon huananensis),具有从典型的中更新世大熊猫-剑齿象动物群(Ailuropoda-Stegodon fauna)向晚更新世亚洲象动物群(Asian elephant fauna)过渡的特征。依动物群的性质和地貌地层的特征,毕节麻窝口洞的智人及伴生动物群的地质时代很可能为中更新世晚期或晚更新世早期,这与堆积物的光释光年代测定的初步结果(距今约11.2-17.8万年)基本吻合。麻窝口洞东方剑齿象与亚洲象的组合明显具有东洋界亚热带动物群的特点,指示温暖潮湿的气候,这些长鼻类与智人等生存于近水的森林和灌丛中,并镶嵌了一些草地。     

Ordovician reefs of the Ural Mountains,Russia: A review

Summary The Upper Ordovician reefs of the Urals were formed at a subsiding shelf-margin during an early Late Ashgillian (Sur’ya time interval) regressive phase. Reefs of this age were studied in detail from the western slope of the Northern, the Subpolar and the Polar Urals with respect to lithofacies, biotic composition and paleogeographical patterns. The thickness of the reefs varies between 100 and 500 m. The backreef areas are characterized by lagoons with increased salinity and sabkha development. Microbial associations and a diverse algal flora (Cyanophyta, green and red algae and alga incertae sedis) are the main constituents of reefal boundstones. Tabulate and rugose corals, heliolitids, calcareous sponge-like fossils, bryozoans and problematic hydroids were also part of the reef communities. Each reef exhibits a characteristic framework-building association. Reef development was terminated by a rapid and abrupt sea-level rise at the end of the middle Upper Ashgillian connected with the global Late Ordovician glaciation.     

Late Pleistocene gastropods from the raised reefal limestone of Jeddah,Saudi Arabia: taxonomic and palaeoenvironmental implications

A temporarily exposed 6-m succession of raised reefal limestone terrace south of Sharm Obhur (Jeddah) was investigated with regard to macrofossil gastropods and their palaeoenvironmental implications. The studied succession consists of two distinct layers. The lower layer consists of white limestone (4 m thick) of Late Pleistocene age, while the upper layer consists of shell-rich calcareous clay (2 m thick) and belongs to the last interglacial marine isotope stage 5e (MIS 5e). Its lithology was correlated with a nearby temporarily exposed 3-m succession, indicating that the deposition of the MIS 5e was not continuous, as indicated by the occurrence of a 0.4-m-thick weathered layer between the lower white limestone and upper calcareous clay. The studied 6-m succession yielded a very rich gastropod fauna with 90 species belonging to 4 subclasses, 5 orders, 16 superfamilies, 33 families and 64 genera. The clayey layer showed higher species richness (65 species) than the limestone layer (18 species), indicating a rapid change in the coral reef environment during the deposition of the interval of MIS 5e. It is assumed that, after the weathering interval, the sea level could not rebound to the same level as it was during the deposition of the white limestone, leading to deposition of calcareous clay in a shallow platform or embayment, allowing proliferation of gastropod species. Littorinimorpha and Neogastropoda species represent about 75% of the total recorded gastropod taxa, whereas Vetigastropoda and Caenogastropoda represent only 25% of the total recorded taxa. Superfamilies Cerithioidea and Stromboidea dominated the clay layer, whereas no particular species dominated the limestone layer.     

桂西南柳桥地区二叠纪末期浅水相小有孔虫动物群

本文研究了广西扶绥县柳桥地区二叠纪末期的浅水相小有孔虫动物群。该动物群赋存于硅质岩相地层中的灰岩夹层里。动物群丰度和分异度均较高,共发现12属25种。其中包括长兴期的常见分子如Glomospira,No-dosaria,Colaniella等。此有孔虫组合与Colaniella组合大致相当,可以与类Paleofusulina带和Gallowayiella带相对比。     

黔西北晚奥陶世Dalmanella testudinaria及Dorytreta longicrura(腕足类)居群动态学研究

对黔西北仁怀核桃湾、毕节燕子日晚奥陶世Ｈｉｒｎａｎｔｉａ动物群中Ｄａｌｍａｎｅｌｌａｔｅｓｔｕｄｉｎａｒｉａ及Ｄｏｒｙｔｒｅｔａｌｏｎｇｉｃｒｕｒａ居群的埋藏和时间均化的研究表明,两地居群均属原地埋藏的正常居群,且未遭受选择性破坏,这些化石居群的特征基本反映了原先生活居群长期变化的特征。它们的大小频率分布图是强烈的左偏斜,幼年期个体占很大比例。对各居群生存曲线的对比研究表明,生存曲线近似于Ｓ形（ｓｉｇｍｏｉｄａｌｔｙｎｅ）,反映出幼年期死亡率很高,成年期死亡率较低,而老年期死亡率又增高。同一环境中Ｄａｌｍａｎｅｌｌａｔｅｓｔｕｄｉｎａｒｉａ居群的幼年期死亡率高于Ｄｏｒｙｔｒｅｔａｌｏｎｇｉｃｒｕｒａ居群,反映了物种自身的不同特性;另一方面,前述两种居群在核桃湾的幼年期死亡率高于在燕子口的幼年期死亡率,说明两地生活环境存在差异;物种分异度分析及剖面的微相分析表明,核桃湾古海水深度浅于燕子口。从大小频率分布图获得生存曲线时,宜采用Ｌｅｖｉｎｔｏｎ和Ｂａｍｂａｃｈ（１９７）的方法,即根据公式Ｄ＝ｓ×ｉｎ（Ｔ＋１）将大小转化为生存时限,而不宜采用Ｔｈａｙｅｒ（１９７７）的方法,即直接对作为横坐标的大小取对数。     

新疆中天山汗吉尕组Helenifore robustum放射虫动物群及其年代地层学意义

汗吉尕组是新疆中天山温泉小区中泥盆统的一个地层单元,为海相碎屑岩夹火山碎屑岩沉积。过去在灰岩团块和灰岩砾石中发现较为丰富的中泥盆世珊瑚和腕足类化石。这次,我们在该组上部地层硅质岩透镜体中首次发现晚泥盆世弗拉晚期的放射虫Helenifore robustum动物群。对于温泉地区该组地层的时代归属,我们认为:由于已发现的中泥盆世珊瑚、腕足类化石主要产于灰岩砾石或外来块体中,因此,这些化石的时代并不代表该组形成的时代;而产于硅质岩透镜体中的晚泥盆世弗拉晚期的放射虫化石很可能代表该组的年代。全文共描述放射虫5属11种,归属3目4科。     

Late Ordovician brachiopods from eastern North Greenland: equatorial offshore migration of the Red River fauna

Abstract: Late Ordovician rhynchonelliformean brachiopods, typical of the North American Red River fauna, are found sporadically in the Børglum River Formation of the Centrum Sø area, Kronprins Christian Land, eastern North Greenland. The geographical distribution of this characteristic brachiopod fauna is thus extended to the easternmost extremity of the Laurentian craton. The assemblage compares specifically with the Hiscobeccus brachiopod fauna, based on key taxa such as notably Hiscobeccus gigas (Wang, 1949), and indicates a late Katian age for this part of the succession. For the first time, this typically inland, shallow‐water fauna is found associated with genera like Bimuria, suggesting a transitional marginal facies with outer shelf benthos. The current study describes a Hiscobeccus fauna that lived at the seaward edge of its preferred habitat. Furthermore, an unpublished Hiscobeccus fauna, from the Børglum River Formation of Peary Land, central North Greenland, as well as several occurrences from the Kap Jackson and Cape Calhoun formations in various parts of Washington Land, western North Greenland, are described here. These show a distinct shift from older strata containing H. capax (Conrad, 1842) to younger strata exclusively yielding specimens of H. gigas. As H. gigas occurs in the upper part of the Cape Calhoun Formation in Washington Land, it indicates that the upper boundary of the Cape Calhoun Formation is considerably younger than previous estimates, reaching into the uppermost Katian (middle Cautleyan–Rawtheyan). The Cape Calhoun Formation correlates with the upper member of the Børglum River Formation and further demonstrates that the Hiscobeccus fauna was widespread in Laurentian marginal settings of North Greenland. Even though the Hiscobeccus fauna was pan‐continental during the late Katian (Richmondian), it possesses a strong provincial signal during the later Ordovician. The new occurrences indicate that this fauna extended to the north‐eastern margin of the Laurentian Craton. It lived in close association with cosmopolitan faunal elements that may have been the earliest sign of the succeeding invasion of migrants from Baltica that arrived later during the Hirnantian. The offshore migration of this atypical Hiscobeccus fauna likely demonstrates the path of warm‐water currents as the Centrum Sø locality was located at the equator during the Late Ordovician.     

A contribution to the herpetofauna from the late Miocene of Gritsev (Ukraine)

Excavations in the locality Gritsev (karstic fillings of the upper Miocene age in a limestone quarry in Shepetovsky District, Khmelnitsky Region, Ukraine) revealed, since 1983 when excavations started, a rich vertebrate fauna that includes also amphibians and lizards. The material is rich enough to assess individual and developmental variation within some taxa (e.g., Pseudopus pannonicus). Although the fragmentary nature of the disarticulated bones does not sometimes allow precise taxonomic assignment, morphological differences in, e.g., dental characteristics suggest the presence of some other ones, not formally named forms. Thus, the list of the amphibian and reptilian taxa from Gritsev is by far not complete, but their osteological characteristics are representative to such a degree that they can provide information for comparisons with other European Miocene herpetofaunas.     

Significance of Devonian-Carboniferous radiolarians from accretionary terranes of the New England orogen, eastern Australia

Radiolarians provide age constraints for many previously undated terranes in the New England Orogen (NEO), a tectonic collage developed along the eastern margin of Australia.Djungati terrane, the age range of which was previously unknown, contains two distinctive siliceous sedimentary lithofacies. The oldest is a thick sequence of red, ribbon-bedded cherts which probably accumulated in a deep ocean-floor setting far from land. Middle Silurian through Late Devonian radiolarians have been recovered from these cherts. Green tuffaceous cherts which contain a latest Devonian (Famennian) radiolarian fauna depositionally overlie the lower red ribbon-bedded chert sequence. These cherts are intercalated with volcaniclastic sediments and the fauna which they contain can be used to constrain the timing of accretion of older rocks into a subduction complex.Anaiwan terrane, which was also previously undated, contains thin ribbon-bedded cherts which are depositionally overlain by tuffaceous chert, siliceous siltstones and volcaniclastic sediments. Latest Devonian (?late Famennian) and Early Carboniferous radiolarians have been recovered from these cherts and tuffaceous siltstones.Radiolarians also occur in fine-grained siliceous sediments of the Yarrimie Formation, part of the Gamilaroi terrane. These radiolarians are of Late Devonian (Frasnian) affinity and their presence indicates that blocks of limestone, which contain Givetian conodonts and corals and were previously thought to indicate the age of the Yarrimie Formation, are allochthonous.     

西藏晚白垩世晚Campanian期至早Maastrichtian期菊石群——中国最年轻的菊石群

记述产自西藏南部仲巴县的一个中国目前所知最年轻的菊石群 ,含 2科 4属 6种 ,其中 4新种。据菊石群面貌和它们所产出的层位可以划分出上、下两个组合带 :上部Pachydiscuscf.hidakaensis Libycoceraszhongbaense组合带 ;下部Manambolitescujiangdingensis M .pivaeteaui组合带。产菊石的曲贝亚组的下段和上段的中、下部(82F5 0及其以下层位 )为晚Campanian期 ,上段上部 (即 82F5 2及其以上层位 )为早Maastrichtian期。