Stratigraphy of the Triassic-Jurassic Boundary Successions of the Southern Margin of the Junggar Basin,Northwestern China

The Triassic-Jurassic （Tr-J） boundary marks a major extinction event, which （～200 Ma）resulted in global extinctions of fauna and flora both in the marine and terrestrial realms. There prevail great challenges in determining the exact location of the terrestrial Tr-J boundary, because of endemism of taxa and the scarcity of fossils in terrestrial settings leading to difficulties in linking marine and terrestrial sedimentary successions. Investigation based on palynology and bivalves has been carried out over a 1113 m thick section, which is subdivided into 132 beds, along the Haojiagou valley on the southern margin of the Junggar Basin of the northern Xinjiang, northwestern China. The terrestrial Lower Jurassic is conformably resting on the Upper Triassic strata. The Upper Triassic covers the Huangshanjie Formation overlaid by the Haojiagou Formation, while the Lower Jurassic comprises the Badaowan Formation followed by the Sangonghe Formation. Fifty six pollen and spore taxa and one algal taxon were identified from the sediments. Based on the key-species and abundance of spores and pollen, three zones were erected： the Late Triassic （Rhaetian） Aratrisporites-Alisporites Assemblage, the Early Jurassic （Hettangian） Perinopollenites-Pinuspollenites Assemblage, and the Sinemurian Perinopollenites-Cycadopites Assemblage. The Tr-J boundary is placed between bed 44and 45 coincident with the boundary between the Haojiagou and Badaowan formations. Beds with Ferganoconcha （？）, Unio-Ferganoconcha and Waagenoperna-Yananoconcha bivalve assemblages are recognized. The Ferganoconcha （？） bed is limited to the upper Haojiagou Formation,Unio- Ferganoconcha and Waagenoperna- Yananoconcha assemblages are present in the middle and upper members of the Badaowan Formation. The sedimentary succession is interpreted as terrestrial with two mainly lake deposit intervals within Haojiagou and Badaowan formations, yielding fresh water algae and bivalves. However, the presence of brackish water algae Tasmanites and the marine-littoral facies bivalve Waagenoperna from the Badaowan Formation indicate that the Junggar Basin was influenced by sea water caused by transgressions from the northern Tethys, during the Sinemurian.

南半球白垩纪-古近纪之交生物灭绝期孢粉地层学

白垩纪-古近纪(K-Pg)生物大灭绝事件前后的孢粉植物群的变化,可以详细揭示植被对一场全球环境危机(6550万年前小行星撞击现今的墨西哥)的响应。在K-Pg界线处有一些植物门类灭绝了,因此孢粉地层学是确定非海相序列中白垩纪-古近纪界线的主要工具。南半球包括以下植物区:热带至亚热带棕榈植物大区,高纬度Nothofagidites/Proteacidites大区,以及一个含有混合的植物组分的过渡区域。在棕榈植物大区,一些马斯特里赫特期的关键物种在白垩纪-古近纪界线处灭绝了,包括Aquilapollenites magnus、Buttinia andreevi、Crassitricolporites brasiliensis、Proteaci ditesdehaani和Gabonisporis vigourouxii。在Nothofagidites/Proteacidites大区,Tricolporite slilliei、Triporopollenites sectilis、Quadraplanus brossus、Nothofagidites kaitangata和Grapnelispora evansii等物种最后出现于白垩纪-古近纪界线处。由此可见,我们需要对南半球与中国的K-Pg界线处的孢粉信息进行更详尽的分析,才能更详细地了解不同纬度、不同地点的植被对墨西哥尤卡坦撞击事件的响应。

北半球白垩纪-古近纪之交生物灭绝期孢粉地层学

长期以来,科学家们对白垩纪-古近纪(K-Pg)之交陆地上生物大灭绝事件的趋势与灭绝速率争论不断。这些争论主要集中在脊椎动物上,尤其是非鸟恐龙。尽管如此,在理解K-Pg之交的生物响应以及相关的生态系统扰动时,植被的演化也是一个重要的组成部分。本文综述北半球内白垩纪晚期至古近纪Aquilapollenites古孢粉地理大区的孢粉地层学:在美国,晚白垩世生物组合以一系列关键门类的出现为标志,其中三冬期—坎潘期过渡期以Aquilapollenites以及相关的三突起型属的出现为标志,而马斯特里赫特阶的底界以睛形型的Wodehouseia属与Kurtzipitessp.的出现为标志;Wodehouseia spinata生物组合带以较大的个体与复杂的壁构造为特征,其中一系列的被子植物孢粉单元在K-Pg之交的记录中消失了,这使得K-Pg灭绝事件容易识别;具孔类花粉和Momipites与Caryapollenites两个属的关键种的出现,标志着古近纪孢粉植物群的复苏。近期的资料涵盖了北美大陆的大部分记录,而中国、欧洲和南半球的更多研究将更有助于理解全球陆地生物圈对K-Pg之交撞击事件的响应。

大灭绝庇护所的陷落

在澳大利亚一个夏日的日出时分,距离悉尼大约一小时车程的地方,我们沿着悬崖底部向北攀爬。事实上,我们身负一项任务:寻找岩层,因为其中可能存在我们星球历史上最黑暗篇章的线索。在过去40亿年中,地球上的生命曾经历过一些命悬-一线的往事。在那些灾难性事件中,灭绝物种的数量超过了幸存者。最严重的一场大灭绝事件发生于2.52亿年前的二叠纪末,那时动物们遭遇了最艰难的“寒冬”。陆地上野火,和干旱肆虐,海洋变得酷热难耐令生物窒息。