Reconstruction of the Yangtze Ramp during Floian to Darriwilian(Ordovician)in South China:Its Morphology,Controlling Factors and Significances

A robust stratigraphic framework and a coherent depositional ramp model for the Zitai,Dawan,Meitan and Ningkuo formations of Floian–Darriwilian age(Early–Middle Ordovician)in the Yangtze(Daoba,Xiangshuidong,Daling,Gudongkou and Honghuayuan sections)and Jiangnan regions(Nanba section)was created based on lithofacies and major element analysis.Three siliciclastic(LF1–3)and six carbonate(LF4–9)lithofacies are recognized representing sediments that were deposited in mixed siliciclastic and carbonate ramp environment.The intensity of mixed sedimentation and terrigenous input were evaluated using the elemental proxies Intensity of Mixed sedimentation(IM)and Aluminum Accumulation Rate(Al AR),as well as their mean values during certain time intervals.Mixed sediments are most well-developed along the marginal Yangtze region,strongly impacted by recurrent influx of westerly derived terrigenous materials in response to global eustatic changes and regional tectonic movements,shaping the gently southeast-dipping morphology.Regular terrigenous influx resulted in periods of enhanced primary productivity on the Yangtze Ramp as evidenced by matching biodiversity peaks in planktonic organisms,i.e.,chitinozoans and acritarchs.Brachiopods and other shelly fauna were also able to proliferate as new niches developed along the gently dipping ramp floor with substrate changes.The biodiversification patterns suggest that terrigenous influx controlled in part by regional tectonics played a more important role than previously thought in the development of Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event in South China.

Temporal Distribution of Diagnostic Biofabrics in the Lower and Middle Ordovician in North China:Clues to the Geobiology of the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event

The temporal distribution of the diagnostic biofabrics in the Lower and Middle Ordovician in North China distinctly illustrates that the sedimentary systems on the paleoplate have been changed markedly as consequences of the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event （GOBE）. The pre-GOBE sedimentary systems deposited in Tremadoc display widespread microbialite and flat-pebble conglomerates, and a less extent of bioturbation. Through the transitional period of early Floian, the sedimentary systems in the rest of the Early and Mid- Ordovician change to GOBE type and are characterized by intensive bioturbation and vanishing flat-pebble conglomerates and subtidal microbial sediments. The irreversible changes in sedimentary systems in North China are linked to the GOBE, which conduced the increase in infaunal tiering, the expansion of infaunal ecospace, and the appearance of new burrowers related to the development of the Paleozoic Evolutionary Fauna during the Ordovician biodiversification. Thus, changes in sedimentary systems during the pivotal period of the GOBE were consequences of a steep diversification of benthic faunas rather than the GOBE＇s environmental background.

α-and β-diversity Change of Late Ordovician Hirnantia Fauna of Changning,Sichuan,Southwest China

A continuous Ordovician-Silurian boundary section from the upper Wufeng Formation through the Kuanyinchiao Formation to the lower Lungmachi Formation has been carefully measured and collected at Shuanghe of Changning, southern Sichuan Province. For the first time, the temporal changes of α- and β-diversities of the Hirnantia fauna have been discussed in great detail. The general trend of brachiopod diversity change, increasing upward, is consistent with the regional trend of the Yangtze Platform, which had been controlled by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. However, the sudden drop of diversity for a short period in the upper Kuanyinchiao Formation might have been controlled by environmental factors rather than normal faunal turnover. Synecological analysis using numerical methods recognizes two brachiopod-dominated associations of the Hirnantia fauna, the Dalmanella-Kinnella Association and the Mirorthis Association, both living in an offshore, deeper water environment corresponding to BA3-upper BA4, particularly lower BA3.

Meganodular Limestone Points South China Paleoplate to the Late Ordovician Equator

Objective Time-specific litho- and biofacies often holds important information about unique ancient ecosystems that no longer exist on Earth today. This report summarizes one of such time-specific facies--the 3-D network structure of the Upper Ordovician Pagoda Formation in South China, as investigated by Zhan et al. （Palaeogeography, Palaeocli-matology, Palaeoecology, DOI： 10.1016/j.palaeo.2015.07.039）.

Expansion of the Cathaysian Oldland through the Ordovician-Silurian transition:Emerging evidence and possible dynamics

Located northwest of the Jiangshan-Shaoxing Fault Zone,western and northwestern Zhejiang and northeastern Jiangxi provinces experienced major changes in bio-and litho-facies and paleogeography through the Ordovician-Silurian transition (late Katian,Hirnantian,and early Rhuddanian),as manifested by stratigraphic,paleontologic and synecologic records.Three geographic units under consideration are South,Central,and North areas.The western margin of the South area was occupied by the Huaiyu Mountains,whereas the other two parts were covered by the Zhe-Gan Sea during late Katian (Late Ordovician) time.In the early stage of the Changwu Formation deposition (late Katian),the sea was deepening northeastward,but with shallower conditions in the southwest and deeper conditions in the northeast.During mid to late stages of Changwu Formation deposition (latest Katian),the sea became much shallower and the sea bottom was uplifted substantially,which occurred somewhat prior to the global trend.During the Hirnantian (latest Ordovician) and early Rhuddanian (earliest Silurian),the study region became a shallow bay under expansion of the Cathaysian Oldland.There occurred a major drop of sea level and great changes in benthic biota with the occurrence of many new immigrants through the Ordovician-Silurian transition,which are closely related to a unique regional orogeny.The Yangtze and Cathaysian blocks may have amalgamated within the South China Paleoplate during this interval to cause the continuous uplifting and northwestward expansion of the Cathaysian Oldland.

The Central Guizhou and Yi-chang uplifts, Upper Yangtze region,between Ordovician and Silurian

The Central Guizhou and Yichang Uplifts are present in central Guizhou to western Hubei. Biostrati-graphic evidences from more than 20 sections in 14 counties of this region provide the data about the duration of these uplifts. Although this duration differs from locality to locality, it is mainly from Ashgillian to Rhuddanian. The uplifts result from a horizontally driven movement to the South China Paleoplate from an uncertain block in southeast. Global sea-level drop during the end of the Ordovician made the uplifts obvious, particularly the Central Guizhou Uplift.It might have emerged above sea level in the short interval between the Ordovician and Silurian.

Paleoecological associations of middle Llandovery (Silurian) corals from Huaying Mountain, eastern Sichuan Province

Corals are comparatively abundant in the upper member of the Baiyun'an Formation (upper Aeronian to lowerest Telychian, Llandovery, Silurian) of Huaying, eastern Sichuan Province, Southwest China. Three coral associations have been recognized, i.e., in ascending order, the Mesofavosites Association, the Dentilasma Association, and the Paraceriaster Association. The Mesofavosites Association occurs at horizons indicating a shallow and high-energy environment. It is dominated by large favositids accompanied by a few broken pieces of halysitids and small solitary rugose corals. The Dentilasma Association has a pretty high coral diversity, dominated by the solitary rugose coral Dentilasma meitanense, together with some subordinative heliolitids and favositids. The sedimentary evidence shows that this association might live in a quiet and nutritive shallow water environment. The Paraceriaster Association yields in the grayish green calcareous mudstone indicating a comparatively deep water environment. Systematically it contains abundant fasciculate Paraceriaster micropora and a few favositids. The distinction among these three coral associations shows that corals could adopt different adaptive strategies under different environments, which provide some new data for the investigation on the ecology of Silurian corals and further study on the "Lower Red Beds".

Conodont diversification during the Ordovician:A perspective from North China and Tarim(Northwestern China)

Review of the literature on Ordovician conodont diversification in palaeoplates of North and Western China reveals that four diversity peaks are present in North China,occurring in the middle Tremadocian,early Floian,late Floian,and late Darriwilian,with three of these peaks(excepting that in the late Floian)also being recorded in Tarim.Three diversification intervals are present in North China,during the Tremadocian,late Floian,early and middle Darriwilian;comparable intervals are observed in the early and late Tremadocian,early Floian,and the Middle Ordovician in Tarim.The main conodont diversification episode in both palaeoplates took place in the Darriwilian,at the time of the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event.A comparison of conodont diversity patterns in different palaeoplates(North China,Tarim,and South China)demonstrates that conodont radiation events mainly occurred within the Tremadocian,Floian,and Darriwilian.Conodont diversifications in these paleoplates also display some differences.In contrasting with Tarim and South China,North China witnessed a rapid conodont diversification during late Floian time.Conodont diversity in North China and Tarim increased continually and reached a peak in the late Darriwilian,concurrent with a prominent decreasing trend in South China.Differences of conodont diversification in these three palaeoplates may be related to their palaeogeography and tectonic history.When conodont diversifications in North China and Tarim are analysed on the background of palaeoenvironments,the main episodes are seen to be partly coincident with second order sea-level changes,particularly in North China.In general,conodont radiation correlates with large scale transgressions.

Temporal distribution of piperocks in Cambrian and Ordovician: A coevolutionary process with changes of paleoenvironment

Piperock, a kind of characteristic ichnofabrics in Phanerozoic, was thought to decline gradually from Cambrian to Ordovician. A new compilation on the occurrences of the Cambrian and Ordovician piperocks of China and the world shows that piperocks generally flourished in Cambrian and declined in Ordovician, but a sharp decrease occurred during Middle and Late Cambrian. The case-study on the piperocks from the Lower-Middle Ordovician Hongshiya Formation at Dabaochang of Qiaojia, northern Yunnan Province, Southwest China indicates that the forming and preservation of piperocks were controlled by the depositional environment, the intensities of predation, competition, bioturbation, and the contents of nutrition and oxygen in watermass. A careful study on the development of the Cambrian and Ordovician piperocks suggests that the decrease of nearshore siliciclastic sediments and the low contents of oxygen and nutrition in the watermass may have contributed to the decline of piperocks in Middle and Late Cambrian.

Evolution and paleogeography of Eospirifer(Spiriferida,Brachiopoda) in Late Ordovician and Silurian

Eospirifer,the oldest known genus of the spiriferide group(Brachiopoda),first appeared on the Zhe-Gan Platform of South China paleoplate during late Katian(Late Ordovician) represented by E.praecursor.It survived the end-Ordovician mass extinction,and reappeared on the Upper Yangtze Platform of South China paleoplate by the end of Ordovician near the upper part of the Normalograptus persculptus Biozone.Starting from the beginning of Silurian,Eospirifer experienced some morphological innovations and expanded its geographical distribution substantially.It reached its species diversity acme and the widest geographic distribution in Wenlock(middle Silurian),with the diversity hotspots in Laurentia,Avalonia,and Baltica.Various shell size frequency curves of E.praecursor under different paleogeographic settings suggest that this pioneer species of Eospirifer,with several macroevolutionary novelties,adopted a range of life strategies to adapt to the changing environments during early spiriferide evolution.There are also some morphological macroevolutionary trends during the evolutionary history of Eospirifer from Late Ordovician to the end of Silurian,such as the ever enlarging shell sizes and the width/length ratios from late Katian to Wenlock,but decreasing apparently of both parameters from Wenlock to Pridoli.