The Xining and the Minhe Basins bordering on each other around Ledu innorthwestern China cover a wide area from the west of Lanzhou in Gansuprovince to the east of Xining in Qinghai province.In these inland basins,Mes...The Xining and the Minhe Basins bordering on each other around Ledu innorthwestern China cover a wide area from the west of Lanzhou in Gansuprovince to the east of Xining in Qinghai province.In these inland basins,Meso-Cenozoic terrestrial deposits about 6000-7000 meters in thicknessand rich in mineral resources,such as coal,oi1 as well as salts,had beenaccumunated,which yield abundant organic remains comprising microfossils,such as nonmarine ostracods,charophytes,spores and pollen and macrofos-si1s including bivalves.gastropods,esthierians,fishes,reptiles and plants.展开更多
The Yangouxia dinosaur tracksites are well known for a diverse assemblage of tetrapod tracks preserved as natural impressions （concave epireliefs） on large bedding planes, representing a locally widespread surface m...The Yangouxia dinosaur tracksites are well known for a diverse assemblage of tetrapod tracks preserved as natural impressions （concave epireliefs） on large bedding planes, representing a locally widespread surface marking the transition from a sand- to a mud-dominated sequence in the Hekou Group. Previous ichnological studies at these large sites have focused on the morphology and ichnotaxonomy of the tracks, including a single trackway representing the first pterosaur tracks reported from China. Here, we report a distinctly different assemblage associated with minor sandstones in the mud-dominated sequence 20 m above the main tracksite level. This assemblage consists of at least 20 pterosaur manus track casts attributed to a single ichnotaxon （Pteraichnus）. No pes tracks have been identified. These tracks mostly occur in random orientations, although one possible trackway segment is inferred, to represent walking progression.Manus-only pterosaur track assemblages are common and likely reflect differential registration depths of manus and pes and/or sub optimal preservation conditions. The tracks are associated with distinctive invertebrate traces including Cochlichnus, Spongeliomorpha and Paleophycus and suggest the pterosaurs were likely feeding on the invertebrate tracemakers.展开更多
文摘The Xining and the Minhe Basins bordering on each other around Ledu innorthwestern China cover a wide area from the west of Lanzhou in Gansuprovince to the east of Xining in Qinghai province.In these inland basins,Meso-Cenozoic terrestrial deposits about 6000-7000 meters in thicknessand rich in mineral resources,such as coal,oi1 as well as salts,had beenaccumunated,which yield abundant organic remains comprising microfossils,such as nonmarine ostracods,charophytes,spores and pollen and macrofos-si1s including bivalves.gastropods,esthierians,fishes,reptiles and plants.
基金supported by the Liujiaxia Dinosaurs National Geoparkthe 2013 Supporting Fund for Graduate Student’s Science and Technology Innovation from China University of Geosciences(Beijing),China
文摘The Yangouxia dinosaur tracksites are well known for a diverse assemblage of tetrapod tracks preserved as natural impressions （concave epireliefs） on large bedding planes, representing a locally widespread surface marking the transition from a sand- to a mud-dominated sequence in the Hekou Group. Previous ichnological studies at these large sites have focused on the morphology and ichnotaxonomy of the tracks, including a single trackway representing the first pterosaur tracks reported from China. Here, we report a distinctly different assemblage associated with minor sandstones in the mud-dominated sequence 20 m above the main tracksite level. This assemblage consists of at least 20 pterosaur manus track casts attributed to a single ichnotaxon （Pteraichnus）. No pes tracks have been identified. These tracks mostly occur in random orientations, although one possible trackway segment is inferred, to represent walking progression.Manus-only pterosaur track assemblages are common and likely reflect differential registration depths of manus and pes and/or sub optimal preservation conditions. The tracks are associated with distinctive invertebrate traces including Cochlichnus, Spongeliomorpha and Paleophycus and suggest the pterosaurs were likely feeding on the invertebrate tracemakers.
