High-resolution CT-scan data reveals the tooth replacement pattern of the Late Jurassic tyrannosauroid Guanlong wucaii (Dinosauria, Theropoda)

The Tyrannosauridae,which is characterized by specialized pachydont dentition and putative bone-cracking predatory strategies,is one of the most extensively studied theropod lineages.Although tooth replacement patterns,crucial for understanding feeding behaviors,have been thoroughly studied in this group,studies on non-tyrannosaurid tyrannosauroids are relatively scarce.This study utilizes high-resolution CT data to investigate the tooth replacement pattern in two specimens of Guanlong wucaii,a Late Jurassic tyrannosauroid,and provides insights into the evolution of tooth replacement across Tyrannosauroidea.Second-generation replacement teeth,a rarity observed mainly in giant predatory theropods(e.g.some tyrannosaurids),were detected in the dentary dentition of the juvenile Guanlong.Zahnreihen reconstructions display a consistent cephalad alternating tooth replacement pattern in the maxilla and the dentary of both of the examined individuals,with Z-spacing values exceeding 2.0.As Guanlong grows,the Z-spacing value in the maxillary dentition increases,resembling the ontogenetic changes documented in the Tyrannosauridae.Additionally,like Tarbosaurus,Guanlong also displays a discontinuity between the tooth replacement waves at the premaxilla-maxilla boundary.This study thus demonstrates that some tyrannosaurid-like tooth replacement patterns were acquired before the origin of the Tyrannosauridae.

Geochronology,Petrogenesis and Tectonic Setting of the Late Jurassic I-type Granites in the North Qinling Orogenic Belt,Central China

The North Qinling Orogenic Belt(NQOB)is a composite orogenic belt in central China.It started evolving during the Meso-Neoproterozoic period and underwent multiple stages of plate subduction and collision before entering intra-continental orogeny in the Late Triassic.The Meso-Cenozoic intra-continental orogeny and tectonic evolution had different responses in various terranes of the belt,with the tectonic evolution of the middle part of the belt being particularly controversial.The granites distributed in the Dayu and Kuyu areas in the middle part of the NQOB can provide an important window for revealing the geodynamic mechanisms of the NQOB.The main lithology of Dayu and Kuyu granites is biotite monzogranite,and the zircon U-Pb dating yielded intrusive ages of 151.3±3.4 Ma and 147.7±1.5 Ma,respectively.The dates suggest that the biotite monzogranite were formed at the end of the Late Jurassic.The whole-rock geochemistry analysis shows that the granites in the study areas are characterized by slightly high SiO_(2)(64.50-68.88 wt%)and high Al_(2)O_(3)(15.12-16.24 wt%)and Na_(2)O(3.55-3.80 wt%)contents.They are also enriched in light rare earth elements,large ion lithophile elements(e.g.,Ba,K,La,Pb and Sr),and depleted in high field strength elements(HFSEs)(e.g.,Ta,Nb,P and Ti).Additionally,the granites have weakly negative-slightly positive Eu anomalies(δEu=0.91-1.19).Zircon Lu-Hf isotopic analysis showedε_(Hf)(t)=-6.1--3.8,and the two-stage model age is T_(2DM(crust))=1.5-1.6 Ga.The granites in the study areas are analyzed as weak peraluminous high-K calc-alkaline I-type granites.They formed by partial melting of the thickened ancient lower crust,accompanied by the addition of minor mantle-derived materials.During magma ascent,they experienced fractional crystallization,with residual garnet and amphibole for a certain proportion in the magma source region.Comprehensive the geotectonic data suggest that the end of the Late Jurassic granite magmatism in the Dayu and Kuyu areas represents a compression-extension transition regime.It may have been a response to multiple tectonic mechanisms,such as the late Mesozoic intra-continental southward subduction of the North China Craton and the remote effect of the Paleo-Pacific Plate subduction.

Late Jurassic Volcanism Deduced from Geochemical,Geochronological,and Sr-Nd-Hf Isotopic Composition Characteristics of the Nanyuan Formation,South China

The Nanyuan Formation contains information related to the Mesozoic tectonic transformation.In this study,three representative profiles were surveyed from the Nanyuan Formation,and multiple analyses were conducted.Zircon U-Pb dating yielded their ages as approximately 158–146 Ma.The volcanic rocks are enriched in Rb,Th,U,K,and Pb and depleted in Nb,Ta,P,and Ti,implying their affinity for I-type granites.TheεNd(t)values(-8.3 to-6.0),^(87)Sr/^(86)Sr)i values(0.7077–0.7094)of the volcanic rock,andεHf(t)values(-8.71 to 0.12)of the Mesozoic zircons suggest that the Nanyuan Formation magma originated in the lower crust with the involvement of depleted mantle materials.The parent rocks of the rhyolitic and dacitic volcanic rocks formed by partial melting of basement rocks in South China and the andesitic volcanic rocks were derived from partial melting of the metasomatites generated by slab-mantle interaction.The fractional crystallization also played an important role in later stage.Discrimination diagrams of the volcanic rocks indicated that they formed in a volcanic arc environment.Combined with previous data,the Nanyuan Formation recorded subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate before regional tectonic transformation.The compressive stress field endured until the end of the Late Jurassic.

Geochemistry and Genesis of the Late Jurassic Granitoids at Northern Great Hinggan Range:Implications for Exploration

The Longgouhe and Ershiyizhan intrusions of the Late Jurassic, located in the Upper Heilongjiang Basin of the northern Great Hinggan Range, are closely related to porphyry Cu-Au mineralizations. In lithology the intrusions are quartz diorite, quartz monzodiorite and granodiorite of high-K caIc-alkaline series, with minor aspects of shoshonite series. Their SiO2 and A1203 contents range from 61.37% to 66.59% and 15.35% to 17.06%, respectively. The MgO content ranges from 2.02 % to 3.47 %, with Mg# indices of 44-59. The （La/Yb）N and Eu/Eu＊ values range from 16.85 to 81.73 and 0.68 to 0.93, respectively, showing strong differentiation rare earth element （REE） patterns similar to those of adakites. The rocks are enriched in Ba, Sr and light REE （LREE）, obviously depleted in Nb and Ta, slightly depleted in Rb and Ti, and poor in Yb and Y, with Yb and Y contents of 0.31-1.32 ppm and 4.32-12.07 ppm, respectively. As indicated by Sr/Y ratios of 67.74-220.60, the rocks are characterized by low-Y and high-Sr contents, which characterize the adakites in the world. Holistically, geochemical tracers suggest that the interested intrusions are adakitic rocks. Given that the Paleo- Asian Ocean and Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean were closed in the Late Paleozoic and Permian-Middle Jurassic, respectively, the interested intrusions should be formed by partial melting of delaminated crust, which had been thickened during collisional orogeny between the Siberian and Mongolian- Sinokorean continents.

Zircon SHRIMP U–Pb age of Late Jurassic OIB-type volcanic rocks from the Tethyan Himalaya: constraints on the initial activity time of the Kerguelen mantle plume

This work presents zircon U–Pb age and wholerock geochemical data for the volcanic rocks from the Lakang Formation in the southeastern Tethyan Himalaya and represents the initial activity of the Kerguelen mantle plume. SHRIMP U–Pb dating of zircons from the volcanic rocks yielded a ^(206) Pb/^(238) U age of 147 ± 2 Ma that reflects the time of Late Jurassic magmatism. Whole rock analyses of major and trace elements show that the volcanic rocks are characterized by high content of Ti O_2(2.62 wt%–4.25 wt%) and P_2O_5(0.38 wt%–0.68 wt%), highly fractionated in LREE/HREE [(La/Yb)N= 5.35–8.31] with no obvious anomaly of Eu, and HFSE enrichment with no obvious anomaly of Nb and Ta, which are similar to those of ocean island basalts and tholeiitic basaltic andesites indicating a mantle plume origin. The Kerguelen mantle plume produced a massive amount of magmatic rocks from Early Cretaceous to the present, which widely dispersed from their original localities of emplacement due to the changing motions of the Antarctic, Australian, and Indian plates. However, our new geochronological and geochemical results indicate that the Kerguelen mantle plume started from the Late Jurassic. Furthermore, we suggest that the Kerguelen mantle plume may played a significant role in the breakup of eastern Gondwanaland according to the available geochronological, geochemical and paleomagnetic data.

Sedimentary Conditions of Evaporites in the Late Jurassic Xiali Formation,Qiangtang Basin：Evidence from Geochemistry Records

The Qiangtang Basin（QB）, located in the central Tibetan Plateau, is a Jurassic marine basin and one of the most important prospective salt resource belts in China. In recent decades, many outcrops of gypsiferous bed have been found in the Jurassic marine strata in the basin. Salt springs with abnormally high sodium（Na-＋） contents had been identified in the Late Jurassic Xiali Formation（Fm.） in the basin in the last years. However, to date, no potash or halite deposits have been identified in the QB. Gypsum outcrops and salt springs are very important signs in the investigation of halite and potash deposits. Therefore, the Xiali Fm. is a potentially valuable layer to evaluate for the possible presence of halite and potash deposits in the basin. However, few studies have explored the formation conditions of evaporites in the unit. Here, we present detailed geochemical records from the Yanshiping section related to the study of the formation conditions of evaporites in the Xiali Fm. of the QB. Climate proxies based on the obviously increased anion concentrations of SO4（2-） and Cl-- and the significant correlation coefficients of Ca2＋-SO42-（R = 0.985） and Na-＋-Cl--（R = 0.8974） reveal that the upper member of the Xiali Fm.（the upper Xiali Fm.） formed under an arid climate and evolved into the sulfate phase or early chloride phase. Provenance proxies based on the obviously increased K-＋ and Na-＋ ion concentrations and the significant correlation coefficient of Na-＋-Cl--（R = 0.8974） suggest that the upper Xiali Fm. featured optimal provenance conditions for the possible formation of halite deposits. The regression and the semi-closed tidal flat environment in the upper Xiali Fm. were favorable for the formation of potash and halite deposits. The low Mg-（2＋） /Ca-（2＋） values（mean value = 1.82） and significant Na-＋-Cl-- correlation coefficient（R = 0.8974） also suggest that the upper Xiali Fm. is the layer most likely to contain potential halite deposits. In addition, the macroscopic correlations of tectonism, provenance, paleoclimate, saliferous strata and sedimentary environment between the QB and the adjoining Amu Darya Basin in Central Asia reveal that the two basins shared similar geologic settings that were favorable for the formation of evaporites during the Late Jurassic. Therefore, the upper Xiali Fm. is a valuable layer to explore for halite deposit and may be potentially valuable in the future exploration for potash deposits in the QB.

A New Genus of Fossil Cycads Yixianophyllum gen. nov. from the Late Jurassic Yixian Formation, Western Liaoning, China

A new genus of fossil Cycads, Yixianophyllum gen. nov., is reported here. The specimens were collected from the southern hill of Jinjiagou village, Toudaohezi Town, Yixian County, western Liaoning Province, China. The fossil plant-beating bed belongs to the lower part, the Zhuanchengzi bed, of the Upper Jurassic Yixian Formation （Yixianian）. The new genus in leaf shape, venation and epidermal structure shows a transitional form between Mesozoic Cycads （Ctenis, Nilssonia） and modem Cycads （Stangeria and Encephalartos）. Since the features of these specimens differ from any known genera of Cycads, a new generic name Yixianophyllum is proposed for these leaves. Typical species, Yixianophyllum jinjiagouense gen. et sp. nov. is described here. A supposed evolutionary tendency of Cycadean leaf-forms with Taeniopteris-type is discussed.

An Updated Review of the Middle-Late Jurassic Yanliao Biota: Chronology,Taphonomy,Paleontology and Paleoecology

The northeastern Chinese Yanliao Biota （sometimes called the Daohugou Biota） comprises numerous, frequently spectacular fossils of non-marine organisms, occurring in Middle-Upper Jurassic strata in western Liaoning, northern Hebei, and southeastern Inner Mongolia. The biota lasted for about 10 million years, divided into two phases： the Bathonian-Callovian Daohugou phase （about 168-164 million years ago） and the Oxfordian Linglongta phase （164-159 million years ago）. The Yanliao fossils are often taphonomically exceptional （many vertebrate skeletons, for example, are complete and accompanied by preserved integumentary features）, and not only are taxonomically diverse but also include the oldest known representatives of many groups of plants, invertebrates, and vertebrates. These fossils have provided significant new information regarding the origins and early evolution of such clades as fleas, birds, and mammals, in addition to the evolution of some major biological structures such as feathers, and have demonstrated the existence of a complex terrestrial ecosystem in northeast China around the time of the Middle-Late Jurassic boundary.

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

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.

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.

Tooth Plates of Ceratodus(Dipnoi,Ceratodontidae)from the Upper Jurassic Shaximiao Formation of Guang’an,Sichuan Province,China

Ceratodus is a form genus of ceratodontid lungfishes.Until now,only 14 specimens have been reported from the Mesozoic of China.Detailed measurements and characteristic comparisons based on 15 well-preserved lungfish tooth plates of Ceratodus type,uncovered from the upper member of the Upper Jurassic Shaximiao Formation at Luojiashan,Qianfeng District,Guang'an,Sichuan Province in 2019,allow us to establish a new species,Ceratodus guanganensis sp.nov.,on the basis of its small swollen irregular triangular tooth plate with four low and swollen radial crests on the occlusal surface without denticles.Other specimens from the same locality can be referred to C.szechuanensis and C.youngi.This is the first discovery of Ceratodus in the Guang'an region and represents the fifth Ceratodus fossil site in the Sichuan Basin.The discovery indicates that the climate was hot and arid in the Sichuan Basin during the Late Jurassic,and reveals a tectonic paleogeographic relationship between the Yangtze block in southwestern China and the Kola Basin in northern Thailand.

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.

Micropalaeontological and Geochemical Evidence of the Late Jurassic Radiolarians Cherts of Naga Ophiolite Hill, Nagaland, Northeast-India

We analyzed the radiolarian assemblages (pelagic sediments) and geochemical studies of 15 samples collected from Meluri district Nagaland, Naga Hills Ophiolite belt (NHO) and it consists of the Flysch Naga-Arakan-Yoma trough beyond the Indo-Myanmar border. It reflects one of the many components of the Himalayan Orogenic systems of Tethyan oceanic crust discovered in Nagaland at Meluri district of India and they have very well-preserved studies and can be identified to Upper Jurassic (Kimmeridgian-mid-Tithonian). As well as a continuous sequence of Kimmeridgian-mid-Tithonian, five radiolarian assemblages have been identified in this study. This is so far the first recovery of pelagic sediment assemblages (Radiolarians) from the Naga Hills Ophiolite complex. Samples of Naga Hills Ophiolite belts fell in the Sublitharenite, Litharenite, and Fe-shale Fe-sand area, and the A-CN-K diagram indicates that these sediments in the source region were exposed deep to moderate weathering conditions. In the discriminant plot, the Naga Hill-Ophiolite-Chert samples occupy the field of origin of the sediment quartzose, and the log (K2O/Na2O) versus SiO2 samples fall into the active continental marginal field, and only one sample falls into an island arch, suggesting that the tectonic framework of the Naga Hills-Chert samples was deposited in the active continental margin and the diagrams K2O/Al2O3 and MgO/Al2O3 illustrated the tectonic setting of the marine environment from Naga Hill Ophiolite Chert. Such findings have been consistent with the current geology of Naga Hills in the province of Nagaland.

U-Pb-Hf isotopes and petrogenesis of Late Jurassic akakitic quartz monzodiorite in Xingcheng area,western Liaoning Province

The petrogenesis and geodynamic setting of the Late Jurassic Baita porphyry quartz monzodiorite in Xingcheng-Liaoxi area provide information for understanding the Mesozoic tectonic evolution of the northeastern North China Craton.In this paper,geochronological,whole-rock geochemical,and in-situ zircon Hf isotopic analyses of Baita porphyry quartz monzodiorite were investigated to constrain the crystallization age and petrogenesis.Zircons exhibit typical oscillatory zoning in cathodoluminescence images and show relatively high Th/U ratios(0.78-1.62),and U-Pb analyses indicate that these rocks were crystallized during the Late Jurassic(159±1 Ma).Geochemically,they are characterized by high contents of SiO 2(65.21wt%-65.31wt%),Al 2O 3(16.29wt%-16.31wt%),Sr(521×10^(-6)-539×10^(-6)),and Sr/Y ratio(45.1-47.8)but low Y(10.9×10^(-6)-12.0×10^(-6)),with obvious adakitic geochemical affinities.These above-mentioned findings,combined with their negativeε_(Hf)(t)values(-21.7 to-20.2),corresponding two-stage model age(T_( DM2))of 2579-2484 Ma,as well as low MgO(1.38wt%-1.39wt%),Cr(18.5×10^(-6)-19.5×10^(-6))and Ni(9.45×10^(-6)-9.46×10^(-6))values,indicate that Baita porphyry quartz monzodiorite may be generated by partial melting of the Neoarchean-Paleoproterozoic thickened basaltic lower crust.Based on the results from this study and pre-vious regional studies,it is concluded that Baita porphyry quartz monzodiorite was spatially related to the westward subduction of the Paleo-Pacific plate.

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.

Jurassic Tectonic Revolution in China and New Interpretation of the “Yanshan Movement”

With acquisition and accumulation of new data of structural geological investigations and high-resolution isotopic dating data, we have greatly improved our understanding of the tectonic events occurring in eastern China during the period from the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous and may give a new interpretation of the nature, timing and geodynamic settings of the “Yanshan Movement”. During the Mid-Late Jurassic （165±5 Ma）, great readjustment of plate amalgamation kinematics took place in East Asia and the tectonic regime underwent great transformation, thus initiating a new tectonic regime in which the North China Block was the center and different plates converged toward it from the north, east and southwest and forming the “East Asia convergent” tectonic system characterized by intracontinental subduction and orogeny. As a consequence, the crustal lithosphere of the East Asian continent thickened considerably during the Late Jurassic, followed immediately by Early Cretaceous substantial lithospheric thinning and craton destruction featured by drastic lithospheric extension and widespread volcano-magmatic activities, resulting in a major biotic turnover from the Yanliao biota to Jehol Biota. Such a tremendous tectonic event that took place in the continent of China and East Asia is the basic connotation of the “Yanshan Movement”. In the paper, according to the deformation patterns, geodynamic settings and deep processes, the “Yanshan Movement” is redefined as the Late Jurassic East Asian multi-directional plate convergent tectonic regime and its associated extensive intracontinental orogeny and great tectonic change that started at -165±5 Ma. The substantial lithospheric attenuation in East China is considered the post-effect of the Yanshanian intracontinental orogeny and deformation.

New Jurassic Fossil True Bugs of the Pachymeridiidae(Hemiptera:Pentatomomorpha)from Northeast China

Four new fossil genera and species of true bugs from the family Pachymeridiidae, Beipiaocoris multifurcus, Bellicoris mirabilis, Nitoculus regiUus, and Viriosinervis stolidus, are described. New specimens were collected from the Middle and Upper Jurassic non-marine sedimentary strata from the Jiulongshan and Yixian Formations of northeast China. The species Karatavocoris asiatica Becker-Migdisova, 1963, which was considered to be a member of the family Coreidae is transferred to the Pachymeridiidae. A new map of all known and newly discovered fossil pachymeridiid localities is given. The diagnosis of the family is modified.

New Jurassic Paleomagnetic Results from Southeastern China and Their Geological Implication

A paleomagnetic study was carried out on late Jurassic sediments in the Nanjing area. Stepwise thermal demagnetization was used to isolate the characteristic higher temperature component （HTC）（D=354.0°,I=48.5°,a95=7.8°）,which passes the reversal test.A 24.7±8.7°counter-clockwise rotation relative to the Sichuan area is detected through comparing this new pole（84.4°N,7.0°E, A95=7.7°）with other coeval poles reported from South China.This rotation was conducted by sinistral action of slip faults.These cases presenting in several areas of eastern China indicate that deformation of eastern China is under the effect of subduction from the Pacific Ocean plate.The difference on the paleolatitude of several areas across the Tan-Lu fault zone is calculated and suggests about at most 250 km offset distance after the later Jurassic.

Jurassic Amber in Lebanon

Reports of amber predating the Lower Cretaceous are unusual and scarce; they mostly refer to amber pieces of millimetric dimension. In the present study, we report the discovery of 10 new outcrops of Jurassic amber in Lebanon. Some of these had large centimetric-sized pieces of amber. The new localities are described, amber is characterized, and its infrared spectra given. Although the new Jurassic amber yielded to date no more than fungal inclusions, this material is significant and promising. The discovery, of several Jurassic outcrops provides crucial information on the prevailing paleoenvironment of that time.