Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous Erg Deposits in the Mengyin Basin, Western Shandong Province, China: Inferences about the Wind Regime and Paleogeography

The Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous Santai Formation, sporadically distributed in western Shandong Province, comprises terrestrial alluvial-eolian successions, which records regional wind patterns and paleogeography in eastern North China. This paper conducts an analysis of eolian stratification, bounding surfaces, facies architecture and paleowind direction of the Santai Formation in the east of the Mengyin Basin, western Shandong Province. Three basic types of eolian stratification are recognized in the Santai Formation, including grainflow strata, wind ripple strata and adhesion strata, and have been grouped into eolian dune and interdune facies associations. The occurrences of reactivation surfaces and superimposition surfaces within eolian dune deposits indicate active compound dunes or draas. The association of adhesion strata with grainflow or windripple strata is the development of a wet eolian system. Cross-strata dip direction indicates different paleowind directions from the lower to the upper part of the Santai paleoerg. The lower part of the paleoerg was characterized by paleowinds blowing from northwest to northeast, whereas the upper part was under the influence of paleowinds consistently towards east to northeast. The identified changes in wind directions possibly suggest wind regime shifts from monsoon circulation to westlies of planetary wind system, which may be related with the collapse of the East China Plateau during the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous.

Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous Radiolarians from Zhilong,Gyangse,Tibet

Abundant well-preserved Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous radiolarian fossils were extracted from 31 bedded green chert samples collected from Zhilong section,Gyangse,southern Tibet.This

Changes of taxonomical composition of Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous palynofloras of Bureya Basin,Russia

The changes of taxonomical composition of the Late Jurassic- Early Cretaceous palynofloras are revealed, in the upper stream of Bureya River in Bureya Basin. The palynofloras are dominated as follows： the Berriasian one by ferns （Cyatheaceae, Dicksoniaceae, Osmundaceae）, Classopollis and bisaccate pollen; the Valanginiar-Hauterivian one by ferns （Cyatheaceae, Dicksoniaceae）, Ginkgocycadophytus and bisaccate pollen; the Barremian one by ferns （Cyatheaceae, Dicksoniaceae）; the Aptian one by ferns （Cyatheaceae, Dicksoniaceae, Gleicheniaceae） and Ginkgocycadophytus; and the Albian one by ferns （Schizaeaceae） and bisaccate pollen. In the Albian the floral diversity raises with the angiosperms appearing.

A Titanosaurian Sauropod Dinosaur with Opisthocoelous Caudal Vertebrae from the Early Late Cretaceous of Liaoning Province, China

We describe a new titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur, Borealosaurus wimani gen. et sp. nov., based on a distinctive mid-distal caudal vertebra from the early Late Cretaceous Sunjiawan Formation exposed in the Shuangmiao village of Beipiao in Liaoning, China. We provisionally refer an isolated tooth crown, a middle caudal vertebra, and a right humerus from the same locality and horizon to this taxon. Borealosaurus is distinguished from other sauropods in its possession of opisthocoelous mid-distal caudal vertebrae. The occurrence of opisthocoelous caudals in Borealosaurus and the Mongolian sauropod Opisthocoelicaudia raises the possibility that these taxa pertain to an as-yet unrecognized titanosaurian subclade endemic to the Cretaceous Asia.

A New Titanosauriform Sauropod from the Early Late Cretaceous of Dongyang,Zhejiang Province

A new titanosauriform sauropod Dongyangosaurus sinensis gen. et sp. nov. from the early Late Cretaceous of Dongyang County, Zhejiang Province, is erected based on a partial postcranial skeleton. It is characterized by complex laminae on the lateral surface of the neural spines and postzygapophyses of dorsal vertebrae, a distinct fossa on the ventral surfaces of the prezygapophyses of dorsal vertebrae, distinct fossae are also present on the lateral surface of the postzygapophysis of anterior caudal vertebrae; pubis is shorter than ischium, the small obturator foramen of pubis elongated, and nearly closed. The lamina complexity of dorsal vertebrae in Dongyangosaurus indicates that a higher diversity of titanosauriformes occurred during the early Late Cretaceous in China.

Discovery of Fossil Charophytes from the Late Triassic Xujiahe Formation and Early Jurassic Lower Yimen Formation, Sichuan Province, and Its Significance

This paper describes the fossil charophytes collected from the Late Triassic Xujiahe Formation in Dazuand Early Jurassic Lower Yimen Formation in Xichang, Sichuan Province, and their significance. Up to now,papers dealing with fossil charophytes of the Late Triassic, especially of the Early Jurassic, have been rarelypublished. The description of the two new species of Porochara, P. dazuensis and P. xichangensis, and theirfossil assemblage not only provides an important basis for classification and correlation of red beds insouthwestern China but reveals for the first time the features of the charophyte flora of the Late Triassic-EarlyJurassic in the area, thus offering valuable data for the establishment of Triassic and Jurassic charophyte fossilzones in China.

Clay Minerals of the Middle Jurassic Through Lower Cretaceous in Guangyuan Area,Northern Sichuan:Implications to Paleoclimate

Clay mineral analyses of the Middle Jurassic through the Early Cretaceous sedimentary rocks from the Guangyuan-Jian’ge section,Sichuan Basin (southwestern China)were undertaken in this article, which is aiming to reconstruct the palaeoclimate of the area.Relative contents of the four clay minerals, smectite(25.8%-1.0%-46.8%),kaolinite(31.0%- 12.5%-12.6%),illite(31.3%-68.0%-28.0%)and chlorite(11.8%-8.5%-12.6%),as the target clay minerals,illite crystalline index(0.26-0.31-0.27)and chemical index(0.62-0.66-0.79)are used as indicator of paleoclimate.It is indicated that changes of

Early Cretaceous Tectonism and Diatoms in Korea

The Early Cretaceous Sindong Group, a non-marine molasse, unconformably overlies the folded earliest Cretaceous Myogok Formation. The tectonism that folded the Jaseong Synthem including the Myogok and other formations is here called the Nakdong-Jaeryeonggang （N-J） tectonism. The Oknyeobong and Dabokni Formations are discussed to show that they belong to the Jaseong Synthem. The Dabokni Formation yielded fossil diatoms whose age has been referred as the ＂earliest Cretaceous＂ based on the geologically constrained age of the fossil-bearing deposit. The age of the N-J tectonism appears Barremian as it is between the Hauterivian Myogok Formation and the Aptian Sindong Group with the TPN （Trigonioides-Plicatounio-Nippononaia） fauna. The N-J tectonism, an orogeny, quite deformed pre-Aptian strata in Korea, but can hardly find its reported equivalent in NE China. A revised correlation table shows that the Jaseong- Sindong sequence corresponds to the Jehol Group of China. The Sindong-Hayang transition was characterized by basin migration and dextral rotation probably caused by the Tan-Lu fault system in a broad sense.

Androecium of Archaefructus, the Late Jurassic Angiosperms from Western Liaoning, China

Androecium of the earliest known flowering plant Archaefructus liaoningensis was found from the Upper Jurassic Jianshangou Formation of western Liaoning, China. The androecium consists of numerous stamens bearing in pair on the reproductive axes below conduplicate carpels. The stamens are composed of a short filament and basifixed anther for each. Monosulcate pollen in situ are found from the anthers. The characters of the androecium reveals that Archaefructus are probably protandrous, and the paired stamens and monosulcate pollen appear to indicate that Archaefructus, as primitive angiosperms,might be derived from extinct seed -ferns during the Older Mesozoic. Archaefructus is considered Late Jurassic in age.

Late Jurassic to early Cretaceous magnetostratigraphy of scientific drilling core LK-1 in the Lingshan Island of Riqingwei Basin,eastern China

The Sulu orogenic belt is an uplift zone that was formed in the Late Triassic.Several Jurassic to Cretaceous sedimentary successions have been recognized within the Sulu orogenic belt in recent studies,including outcrops that are considered to be related to the newly discovered Riqingwei Basin.This basin has been the focus of extensive study due to its continuous Cretaceous rock sequence,geological location and petroleum resource potential.However,the lack of a consolidated chronology for the strata has precluded a better understanding of stratigraphy,tectonic evolution and resource potential of the Riqingwei Basin.Here,we present the results of a new magnetostratigraphic study of the continental scientific drilling borehole LK-1,which is located on Lingshan Island,offshore Shandong province,eastern China.The goals of this study are to(1)refine the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous chronostratigraphic framework of the Riqingwei Basin,and(2)investigate the location of the J/K boundary in the Borehole Core LK-1.The observed patterns of the paleomagnetic polarity zone in the LK-1 borehole correlate well with the geomagnetic polarity time scale(GPTS),and the continuous magnetostratigraphy profile defined in this core indicates an age ranging from 146.5 to 125.8 Ma for the samples interval.The sediment accumulation rates(SAR)of LK-1 show one period of high SAR(~10.5 cm kyr^(-1))at 135.3–130.6 Ma and two periods of low SAR(~4.8 and~2.2 cm kyr^(-1))at145.7–135.3 and 130.6–125.8 Ma,respectively.In addition,the magnetostratigraphic results suggest that the Jurassic-Cretaceous(J/K)boundary of the LK-1 is located within the magnetozone N21.2 n(~1254 m).This comprehensive geochronologic framework provides a good correlation of the marine Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous strata in the Riqingwei Basin to other marine strata and continental sequences,in addition to providing a foundation for the study of the structural evolution of eastern China.

Changes of Late Mesozoic Tectonic Regimes around the Ordos Basin(North China)and their Geodynamic Implications

A synthesis is given in this paper on late Mesozoic deformation pattern in the zones around the Ordos Basin based on lithostratigraphic and structural analyses. A relative chronology of the late Mesozoic tectonic stress evolution was established from the field analyses of fault kinematics and constrained by stratigraphic contact relationships. The results show alternation of tectonic compressional and extensional regimes. The Ordos Basin and its surroundings were in weak N-S to NNE-SSW extension during the Early to Middle Jurassic, which reactivated E-W-trending basement fractures. The tectonic regime changed to a multi-directional compressional one during the Late Jurassic, which resulted in crustal shortening deformation along the marginal zones of the Ordos Basin. Then it changed to an extensional one during the Early Cretaceous, which rifted the western, northwestern and southeastern margins of the Ordos Basin. A NW-SE compression occurred during the Late Cretaceous and caused the termination of sedimentation and uplift of the Ordos Basin. This phased evolution of the late Mesozoic tectonic stress regimes and associated deformation pattern around the Ordos Basin best records the changes in regional geodynamic settings in East Asia, from the Early to Middle Jurassic post-orogenic extension following the Triassic collision between the North and South China Blocks, to the Late Jurassic multi-directional compressions produced by synchronous convergence of the three plates （the Siberian Plate to the north, Paleo-Pacific Plate to the east and Lhasa Block to the west） towards the East Asian continent. Early Cretaceous extension might be the response to collapse and lithospheric thinning of the North China Craton.

Late Mesozoic Chresmodids with Forewing from Inner Mongolia, China (Polyneoptera: Archaeorthoptera)

Three new species of Chresmodidae are described. They belong to two different genera： Chresmoda multinervis sp. nov., Chresmoda shihi sp. nov. and Jurachresmoda sanyica sp. nov.. A study of the forewing venation is provided. Longitudinal veins are mostly parallel; costal area is broad at the basal and narrowing distally; ScP is probably extending close to the wing apex; R is parallel at length to ScP; MA is running close to R, with two long parallel branches; MA branched-off basally; while MP is not branched until the middle of the wing. However, the important basal part of MP and CuP is poorly preserved. In addition, unique fringing hairs on the mid legs of C. shihi sp. nov. and J. sanyica sp. nov. are described and compared with Jurachresmoda gaskelli Zhang, Ren and Shih, 2008.

Plants of Leptostrobus Heer （Czekanowskiales） from the Early Cretaceous and Late Triassic of China, with Discussion of the Genus

Investigation of the Mesozoic seed plant Leptostrobus Heer from the Yangcaogou Formation of the Late Triassic and the Yixian Formation of the Early Cretaceous, Liaoning Province, China, provides new Insight Into Its general morphology and geographical distribution. The materials of L. cancer from the Yixian Formation described herein are later than all the past findings of this species and add to the record of L. cancer during the Early Cretaceous. Based on well-preserved specimens, the specific diagnosis Is slightly emended and the reconstructlon of L. cancer Is perfected. The materials from the Yangcaogou Formation of the Late Triassic are placed in L. spheericus, in addition, we review the history of investigation of the genus Leptostrobus since its establishment in 1876 and discuss the main characteristics of each species.

The Late Mesozoic Orogenic Processes of Mongolia-Okhotsk Orogen: Evidence from Field Investigations into Deformation of the Mohe Area, NE China

Based on field investigation in 1999, two deformational domains with d ifferent dynamics have been distinguished from the Jurassic geological outcrops in the Mohe area of NE China, i.e. northern ductile and southern plastic-brittl e ones. Their deformational features are stated in this paper. And then, three st ages of structural deformation of the area relative to the late Mesozoic orogeni c processes of Mongolian-Okhotsk orogen are reconstructed as follows, (1) south w ards thrusting in the middle-late Jurassic, (2) eastwards thrusting and strike -s lipping parallel to the orogen in the late Jurassic, and (3) southeastwards thru sting in the early Cretaceous.

New Fossil Beetles of the Family Elateridae from the Jehol Biota of China(Coleoptera:Polyphaga)

Two new species of elaterids assigned to two new genera with intriguing fossa on prosternum are described and illustrated： Bilineariselaterfoveatus gen. et sp. nov. and Curtelater wui gen. et sp. nov. from the Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of western Liaoning, China. The origin of the clicking mechanism in these beetles and the systematic position of the two genera are briefly discussed.

A paleoisthmus linking southern South America with the Antarctic Peninsula during Late Cretaceous and Early Tertiary

Paleontological and stratigraphical data indicate that a link between terminal southern South America and the Antarctic Peninsula probably was an irregularly narrow continuous land from Late Cretaceous (Campanian) through the Eocene period. In paleogeographical feature it is more like modern Isthmus of Panama. A paleoisthmus called the isthmus of Scotia is hypothesized as a type of connection between them. It lasted about 35 Ma and extended about 700–900 km long and 100–200 krn wide. This isthmus played an important role in biotic dispersal and migra-tion among South America, Antarctica, Australia and New Zealand blocks during this interval.

羌塘盆地中生代岩相古地理研究新进展

由于资料的欠缺和分布的不均衡,羌塘盆地构造-岩相古地理研究程度总体不高,不能为烃源岩和储层的分布预测提供依据。基于盆地属性、沉积体系及组合-耦合关系的研究,解决了资料丰富区域沉积相解释的多解性、资料缺少区域沉积相预测缺乏沉积模式指导的问题,取得以下3方面的成果和认识:(1)系统梳理了可可西里—金沙江洋、班公湖—怒江洋、龙木错-双湖洋的闭合史,明确了羌塘盆地属性,指出北羌塘地块在晚三叠世—早白垩世经历了复合前陆盆地、陆内弱挤压残留海盆地、褶皱-冲断快速抬升剥蚀3个构造演化阶段,南羌塘地块在晚三叠世—早白垩世经历了被动陆缘、活动陆缘、褶皱-冲断快速抬升剥蚀3个构造演化阶段,明确了8个关键沉积时期的盆地属性。(2)基于盆地属性、沉积体系及组合-耦合关系,系统恢复了羌塘盆地晚三叠世—早白垩世10个关键地质时期的构造-岩相古地理背景,揭示了构造对沉积的控制作用,提高了资料缺少区域沉积相预测的准确度。(3)明确了烃源岩和储层发育的构造-岩相古地理背景,认为上三叠统波里拉组—巴贡组烃源岩的分布受控于前陆坳陷、被动陆缘深水陆棚等构造单元,下侏罗统曲色组烃源岩的分布受控于弧后伸展盆地、陆内弱挤压残留海盆地等构造单元,中侏罗统布曲组白云岩储层分布于台缘带。上述成果将为羌塘盆地油气资源潜力的认识和评价提供依据。

西昆仑-塔西南坳陷晚古生代以来的沉积构造演化

自柯克亚深层油气勘探取得突破以来,塔西南坳陷一直受到各类地质学家的广泛关注,有关该盆地的形成和演化历史及其油气资源评价近年来更是成为人们的研究热点。本文在总结前人资料的基础上,探讨塔西南和西昆仑地区自晚古生代以来所经历的构造及沉积格架的演变过程,对塔西南坳陷性质及其演化阶段划分所存在的争议进行了归纳,分析了塔西南-西昆仑这一盆山体系形成和演化中的构造变形和沉积记录。总体来说,根据现有沉积和构造变形资料,中生代之前西昆仑和塔西南坳陷分别处于同一构造背景下的不同沉积单元;二者之间盆山体系的形成主要自晚侏罗世-早白垩世,中-上新世是造盆造山作用机制发生重大转折的时期,或者说早更新世末的构造运动基本上奠定了西昆仑-塔里木盆地南缘现今的盆-山构造格架。

冈底斯中北部晚侏罗世—早白垩世地球动力学环境:火山岩约束

利用新近完成的1∶25万区域地质调查资料和笔者分析数据,初步研究了西藏冈底斯带晚侏罗世—早白垩世火山岩的分布特点及地层古生物、同位素年代学约束的火山活动时代以及冈底斯中北部火山岩的性质、构造环境、岩石成因和俯冲极性。冈底斯带晚侏罗世—早白垩世火山岩主要分布于南冈底斯、中冈底斯、北冈底斯和班公湖-怒江缝合带南缘,基本同期开始于早白垩世(大约120～130 Ma)并可能延续到晚白垩世,以冈底斯中北部地区规模最大为特征。已有数据显示中冈底斯则弄群火山岩包括部分中钾钙碱性系列的中基性岩石和占优势的高钾钙碱性系列的中酸性火山岩,不同于传统岛弧火山岩,但与中安第斯厚地壳背景下的岛弧火山岩相似,北冈底斯主要为与传统岛弧火山岩相似的中钾钙碱性系列火山岩。中冈底斯则弄群中基性火山岩很可能与来自消减沉积物和/或蚀变玄武质洋壳的含水流体引起上覆地幔楔物质的部分熔融有关,并在岩浆上升过程中经历了明显的分离结晶作用和中上部地壳物质的同化混染(即AFC过程),长英质火山岩很可能主要与地壳重熔有关,但并不能完全排除镁铁质岩浆的分离结晶作用。目前冈底斯中北部晚侏罗世—早白垩世火山岩地球化学数据揭示的成分变化、地壳厚度、与俯冲带的距离以及冈底斯带同期火山岩的分布特点暗示冈底斯中北部火山岩很可能与班公湖-怒江特提斯洋壳向南的俯冲作用有关。

黑龙江杂岩的碎屑锆石年代及其大地构造意义

黑龙江杂岩带位于佳木斯地体西缘,为佳木斯地体向西与松嫩地体之间俯冲、拼贴、碰撞而形成的高压变质带。黑龙江杂岩沿牡丹江断裂分布,其构造-岩石组合、变质变形特征等显示其为佳木斯地体向松嫩地体俯冲拼帖的过程中形成的增生杂岩,目前保存下来的杂岩带应为大规模增生楔仰冲到佳木斯地体之上的残余部分。88颗碎屑锆石的全部样品SHRIMPU-Pb年代学测试结果显示三个主要年龄区间:170～220Ma,峰值年龄为183Ma;240～338Ma,峰值年龄为256Ma;450～520Ma,峰值年龄为470Ma。而28个碎屑锆石谐和年龄的年龄谱为两组:240～338Ma,峰值年龄为256Ma;450～500Ma,峰值年龄为470Ma。碎屑锆石年龄数据分析得到,240～338Ma峰期年龄为256Ma的年龄应代表黑龙江杂岩主体岩石的沉积年龄上限;而450～500Ma的年龄谱对应于佳木斯地体的基底变质岩年龄,显示佳木斯地体的基底变质岩曾为黑龙江杂岩的物源区;而170～210Ma,峰期年龄为183Ma的不谐和年龄应为受印支期-早侏罗世构造热事件的扰动年龄,与该区变质单矿物的Ar-Ar年龄相一致,应代表了该区陆-陆碰撞的时代。上述年龄为黑龙江杂岩的形成与演化提供了重要的地质年代学制约,即黑龙江杂岩的原岩成岩时代上限为早三叠世,佳木斯地体向西的俯冲时代主体为印支期,而陆-陆拼贴及碰撞过程主要为晚印支期并可能持续到早侏罗世。这些结果将为揭示我国东北地区构造演化的年代学格架以及三叠纪古亚洲构造域向环太平洋构造域叠加和转换的动力学背景研究提供新的基本地质事实依据。