Geochemistry of Permian Mafic Igneous Rocks from the Napo-Qinzhou Tectonic Belt in Southwest Guangxi, Southwest China: Implications for Arc-Back Arc Basin Magmatic Evolution

The Napo-Qinzhou Tectonic Belt （NQTB） lies at the junction of the Yangtze, Cathaysia and Indochina （North Vietnam） Blocks, which is composed of five major lithotectonic subunits： the Qinzhou-Fangcheng Suture Zone （QFSZ）, the Shiwandashan Basin （SB）, the Pingxiang-Nanning Suture Zone （PNSZ）, the Damingshan Block （DB） and the Babu-Lingma Suture Zone （BLSZ）. On the basis of geochemical compositions, the Permian mafic igneous rocks can be divided into three distinct groups： （1） mafic igneous rocks （Group 1） from the Longjing region in the PNSZ and Hurun region in the BLSZ, which are characterized by intermediate Ti, P and Zr with low Ni and Cr contents; （2） mafic igneous rocks （Group 2） from the Naxiao and Chongzuo region in the DB, characterized by low-intermediate Ti, P and Zr with high Ni and Cr concentrations; and （3） mafic igneous rocks （Group 3） from the Siming region in the Jingxi carbonate platform of the northwestern margin of the NQTB, with intermediate-high Ti, P and Zr and low Ni and Cr contents. The Group 1 rocks yield a weighted mean 206 Pb/ 238 U age of 250.5±2.8 Ma and are geochemically similar to basalts occurring in back-arc basin settings. The Group 2 rocks exhibit geochemical features to those basalts in island arcs, whereas the Group 3 rocks show geochemical similarity to that of ocean island basalts. All three groups are characterized by relatively low ε Nd （t） values （-2.61 to ＋1.10） and high initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr isotopic ratios （0.705309-0.707434）, indicating that they were derived from a subduction-modified lithospheric mantle and experienced assimilation, fractional crystallization, and crustal contamination or mixing during magmatic evolution. Accordingly, we propose the existence of an arc-back arc basin system that developed along the NQTB at the border of SW Guangxi Province （SW China） and northern Vietnam, and it was formed by continued northwestward subduction of the Cathaysian （or Yunkai） Block under the Yangtze Block, and northeastward subduction of the Indochina Block beneath the Yangtze Block during Permian time.

A New Carcharodontosauria(Theropoda) from the Early Cretaceous of Guangxi,Southern China

A new large-bodied theropod dinosaur, Datanglong guangxiensis gen. et sp. nov., was recovered from the Lower Cretaceous Xinlong Formation of the Datang Basin, Guangxi. It is unique in several features including： posteriormost dorsal vertebra with teardrop-shaped pneumatic foramen confined by enlarged pcdl, acpl and the centrum; posteriormost dorsal with well-developed, horizontal prpl; posteriormost dorsal with a parapophysis projecting more laterally than the diapophysis; brevis fossa shallow with short, ridge-like medial blade; and iliac pubic peduncle with posteroventrally expanded margin. Cladistic analysis supports the idea that this new taxon Datanglong guangxiensis is a primitive member of the Carcharodontosauria in possessing two unambiguous synapomorphies： large external pneumatic foramina and internal spaces present in the lateral surface of ilium, and a peg-and-socket ischiac articulation with the ilium. The presence of the new taxon from Guangxi further confirms that Carcharodontosauria were cosmopolitan large-bodied predators during the Early-mid Cretaceous.

Carbon isotopic record from Upper Devonian carbonates at Dongcun in Guilin, southern China, supporting the world- wide pattern of carbon isotope excursions during Frasnian-Famennian transition

Two positive d 13C excursions are presented in records from the Frasnian-Famennian (F-F) marine carbon-ate sediments in Europe, America, Africa, and Australia, having been considered as a worldwide pattern, and attrib-uted to enhanced organic carbon burial during the F-F biological mass extinction. However, this worldwide pattern has not been revealed from the well-deposited Late Devonian sequences in southern China. In this paper, a detailed inves-tigation has been made on the Late Devonian section at Dongcun, Guilin, southern China to constrain perturbations in d 13C of carbonates in the F-F deposited sequence. The result from this section also indicates two positive d 13C ex-cursions during the F-F transition. The first excursion with an amplitude of 1.5 occurred at the bottom of linguiformis Zone, later than the early excursion existing in the Late rhe-nana Zone of the Late Devonian profiles in other continents, especially, in central Europe. This difference has been ex-pected to be a result as conodont Palmatolepis linguiformis occurred earlier in southern China than other sites. The second excursion with an amplitude of 2.1 is located at the F-F boundary, same as the records from other continents. This result strongly supports the view that two carbon iso-tope positive excursions during the F-F transition are com-mon in carbonate sediments, resulting from worldwide in-creases of organic carbon burial intensity.