Discovery of sponge body fossils from the late Meishucunian (Cambrian) at Jinsha, Guizhou, south China

Here we report discovery of a sponge body fossil Triticispongia sp. from the base of lower Cambrian Niutitang Formation at Jinsha, Guizhou. Stratigraphically, the fossil horizon is located below Ni-Mo ore layer with the Niutitang Biota above, and is equivalent to the late Meishucunian. The species is global in shape with skeletons composed of stauractins and monaxons. Triticispongia sp. reported here may be the earliest sponge body fossils of Cambrian, which provides new information for understanding early evolution and radiation of sponge animals.     

Discovery of hydrothermal venting community at the base of Cambrian barite in Guizhou Province, Western China: Implication for the Cambrian biological explosion

The barite deposit in the Niutitang Formation of Lower Cambrian, in Tianzhu County, Guizhou Province, western China, is a superlarge barite deposit with about 2 × 10^9 tons of reserves. Mineral, petrological and geochemical studies reveal that this barite deposit belongs to a hydrothermal sedimentary deposit. Microscopic observations indicate that a lot of algae, sponge spicules and tube-type fossils are well-preserved in this barite section, and moreover, those fossils share most characteristics of the deep-sea hydrothermal venting community in the modern Pacific. We suggest that the hydrothermal venting community was thriving in hydrothermal vent in early Cambrian, and it is of great significance for elucidating the geological background of the ＂Cambrian explosion＂.     

贵州遵义下寒武统牛蹄塘组生物群中的海绵化石

遵义松林中南村下寒武统牛蹄塘组中下部,特别是下部黑色泥岩中产有大量的海绵骨针,形态多样,初步研究有多达10属以上的海绵动物,与澄江生物群的海绵相比,牛蹄塘组的海绵动物化石其组合特征以六射海绵动物为主,它的发现增添了寒武纪生物组成的信息,为海绵动物从晚新元古代的发生以至穿越寒武纪的演化过程及寒武纪生物大爆发的定性,量度提供了重要信息及资料,描述了4属2个种。1个相似种和1个未定种。Hyalosinica sp.;Saetaspongia densa Mehl et Reitner,1993;Leptomitus teretiusculus CHen,Hou et Lu.1989;Crumillospongia cf.biporosa Righy,1986,它们分属于海绵动物的六射海绵纲和普通海绵纲。     

Early Cambrian eodiscoid trilobites of the Yangtze Platform and their stratigraphic implications

Analysis of the taxonomy and stratigraphic distribution of the Early Cambrian eodiscoid trilobites of the Yangtze Platform indicates that species of Tsunyidiscus and Hupeidiscus can be used for biostratigraphic correlation. T. aclis occurs only in the lower Qiongzhusian, T. armatus occurs in the lower and middle Qiongzhusian, while T. niutitangensis and T. tingi occur mainly in the middle and upper Qiongzhusian, with only T. tingi extending upward into the lower Canglangpuian. H. orientalis first appears in the upper Qiongzhusian, reaching peak abundance in the lower Canglangpuian and becoming extinct above the Drepanuroides Zone. Biostratigraphic and lithostratigraphic correlations indicate that the limestone in the lower part of the Mingxinsi Formation, the Upper Member of Jiumenchong Formation, and the upper part of the Middle Member of the Huangbailing Formation, can be correlated with each other as Hupediscus, an index fossil of the lower Canglangpuian, is abundant in all these units. The lower part of the Niutitang and Jiumenchong formations in eastern Guizhou, which mainly represent Qiongzhusian strata, can be correlated with the Lower Member of the Huangbailing Formation. The basal part of the Niutitang Formation, which may be equivalent to the Upper Meishucunian Shiyantou Formation in eastern Yunnan, is very condensed. Well-preserved sponge faunas and non-mineralized fossils in the lower part of the Niutitang and Hetang formations are not older than Qiongzhusian in age.     

Sponge fossil assemblage from the Early Cambrian Hetang Formation in southern Anhui

Abundant well-preserved large articulated sponge fossils and isolated spicules have been reported from the Early Cambrian Hetang Formation, southern Anhui Province. This unique epifaunal fossil assemblage dominated by articulated sponge fossils is called the Xidi Sponge Fauna. The sponge fauna lived in a quiet oxygenic environment below the storm wave base. Bloom of phytoplankton and rapid sedimentation rate resulted in the deposition of the black shales. Sufficient food supply, lack of other competitors, abundant ecological niches, and demand for oxygen during early Cambrian were in favor of the diversification and evolution of large sponges in the Early Cambrian.     

湖南花垣中寒武世晚期开腔骨类化石

记述了湖南花垣县排碧剖面寒武系花桥组上部灰岩中的开腔骨类化石。40余块形态多样的化石标本,包括具6-7+1型的Chancelloria altaica;4＋0型Archiasterella sp.;和3＋0型Allonnia sp.;以及形态奇特的开腔骨针Chancelloria sp.,与三叶虫、牙形石、腕足动物、软舌螺类等共生,时代属中寒武世晚期。与其他研究比较证明,这是迄今我国中寒武世晚期开腔骨类最高产出层位,也是世界上少数几个开腔骨类较高的产出层位之一。通过对开腔骨类骨片构造、保存环境及其地史地理分布的分析,认为开腔骨类是一类与海绵类有密切关系、已绝灭的后生动物,是一类生活于浅海环境的底栖固着型生物。     

湘西北马金洞地区下寒武统牛蹄塘组含钒石煤矿产地质特征研究

本文以湘西北马金洞地区为研究区,采用地质填图、实测剖面、探槽揭露、实验测试及数学分析等方法研究了区内下寒武统牛蹄塘组含钒石煤的地质特征。研究结果表明区内下寒武统牛蹄塘组下段为主要的石煤赋存层位,石煤的厚度介于10.2~41.7 m,平均27.6 m,基本发育稳定;石煤的发热量与灰分、挥发份、水分及硫含量均有关系;石煤层顶底板的主要岩性均为黑色炭质页岩;伴生钒矿V₂O₅最高品位可达1.02%,达到工业品位,可与石煤共采。     

Sponge spicules in phosphorites of the Early Cambrian Gezhongwu Formation, Zhijin, Guizhou

Phosphorites occurring at the bottom of the Cambrian system contain abundant small shelly fossils, which are the product of the first episode of life explosion in the Cambrian. It was previously reported that the small shelly fossils are dominated by hyolithids, olivooids, zhijinitids, conodontomorphs, yubelichitids, camenitids and algae, with minor amounts of sponge fossils. Large amounts of sponge spicules, diverse in form, have been found for the first time in the Gezhongwu Formation phosphorites at Shixing, Zhijin County, Guizhou Province, of which such spicules as diaxon-triactins, diaxon-tetractins, pentaxon-pentactins and hexon-hexactins account for 30%. These spicules constitute the sponge clastic phosphorites made up of sponge clastics. Meanwhile, it is also expected that the radiation and diversity of sponge animals started as early as in the earliest Early Cambrian. Habit and burying environment of sponge animal are discussed in the paper.     

贵州遵义丁台镍钼矿床岩、矿石特征及其成因初探

遵义丁台镍外钼矿床产于松林穹窿西侧的下寒武统牛蹄塘组底部的黑色岩系中,矿体呈薄层及扁豆状产出,厚0.04-0.08 m,个别扁豆体厚达0.2 m左右.本文通过对矿区岩、矿石特征的研究,初步分析丁台镍钼矿床成因.     

Discovery of Corallina fossil from the Middle Cambrian of Taijiang County, Guizhou Province, China

Abundant and well-preserved macroalgae fossils have been discovered in silty mudstones and shales from the Middle Cambrian of Taijiang County, Guizhou Province, China. CorallinaParaamphiroa siniansis gen. et sp. nov. in the Kaili Fm., is the earliest Corallina fossil, which usually coexists with other carbonaceous macroalgae fossils on the bedding planes of mudstone and shale and is different from the calcareous and phosphatized Precambrian-Cambrian thallus discovered in the Lower Cambrian of Siberia and the Doushantou phosphate rocks of Weng’an County, Guizhou Province, China. The discovery of calcified thallus in the Kaili Fm. bears great importance on the study of phylogeny and evolution of early calcareous macroalgae.     

滇东地区早寒武世磷块岩的藻类化石

滇东早寒武世磷块岩薄片中发现大量藻类化石。本文所讨论的磷质藻类化石主要有:球状藻类、丝状藻类、疑源类、叠层石类、核形石类和花纹石类(凝块石类)等27个属种(或型),它们构成各种颗粒磷块岩、叠层石磷块岩、藻丘磷块岩,是磷块岩富矿的主要组分,P_2O_5可达30—37％。这些多门类的藻类化石,为生物成磷作用和成矿环境提供了主要依据,也为震旦—寒武系界线划分提供了新的资料。     

Trace element geochemistry of the Lower Cambrian black rock series from northwestern Hunan, South China

Samples of black rock series collected from the Lower Cambrian Niutitang Formation, northwestern Hunan Province, China, were analyzed for trace elements.The trace element geochemical characteristics of the ore layer (high enrichments of Ni, Mo, V, U, Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Tl and Ba; high U/Th ratios and LREE-enriched patterns with positive Eu and Y anomalies) support the assumption that the Ni-Mo polymetallic layer is of submarine hydrothermal origin.High field strength elements (HFSE) and lithophile elements such as Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf, Li, Be, Rb, Cs, Th and Sc are remarkably higher in the upper unit than those in the lower unit of the Niutitang Formation.These features may reflect that hydrothermal contributions were diminished, and terrigenous constituents were increased in the sediments of the upper unit of the Niutitang Formation.     

中国扬子海盆——世界上罕见寒武纪生命大爆发和辐射进化的化石库

在简要论述我国扬子地块或扬子海盆,包括现今云南、贵州、湖南和湖北等地,寒武纪地层中相继发现的以澄江生物群、凯里生物群、牛蹄塘生物群和清江生物群等为代表的特异埋藏群及其与加拿大布尔吉斯页岩生物群的对比的同时,讨论了最近发现的湖北清江生物群的产出时代和层位、组合特征,并对上述生物群的生态和埋藏环境进行了分析与对比.认为大规模两侧对称动物门类的出现和多门类后生动物骨骼化是构成寒武纪动物大爆发的最主要特征.以上生物群的发现和研究,不仅展示寒武纪大爆发的客观存在,也说明在漫长地质历史时期,生物进化并非都是沿着达尔文渐进论的进化轨迹,从低级向高级发展;只要环境许可,生物在相对短暂时间内,采用一种爆发式和多样性辐射进化的模式,也可以出现大量门一级生物,而且这种进化模式在生物进化的历程中具有划时代的重要意义.前寒武纪罗迪尼亚(Rodinia)超大陆裂解和聚合而引发的、并波及我国南方的距今10亿～8亿年左右的晋宁造山事件,以及雪球事件后因气候变暖,大气和水中有机质和氧及二氧化碳含量的急剧变化,尤其是大气和水中氧气含量的增加,为我国扬子海盆寒武纪大爆发提供了必要的前提,也为动物的繁衍和骨骼化创造了极好的生态条件.但只有那些生活在海水相对较深,表层水柱充氧而底层缺氧、古地理位置处于扬子碳酸盐岩台地陆棚或陆棚边缘或台缘斜坡或凹陷中的岩家河、澄江、牛蹄塘、清江、凯里等生物群,才有可能在缺氧的海底被保存下来,并形成深色和黑色页岩或泥岩特异埋藏群或化石库.     

An armoured Cambrian lobopodian from China with arthropod-like appendages

Cambrian fossil Lagerst?tten preserving soft-bodied organisms have contributed much towards our understanding of metazoan origins. Lobopodians are a particularly interesting group that diversified and flourished in the Cambrian seas. Resembling 'worms with legs', they have long attracted much attention in that they may have given rise to both Onychophora (velvet worms) and Tardigrada (water bears), as well as to arthropods in general. Here we describe Diania cactiformis gen. et sp. nov. as an 'armoured' lobopodian from the Chengjiang fossil Lagerst?tte (Cambrian Stage 3), Yunnan, southwestern China. Although sharing features with other typical lobopodians, it is remarkable for possessing robust and probably sclerotized appendages, with what appear to be articulated elements. In terms of limb morphology it is therefore closer to the arthropod condition, to our knowledge, than any lobopodian recorded until now. Phylogenetic analysis recovers it in a derived position, close to Arthropoda; thus, it seems to belong to a grade of organization close to the point of becoming a true arthropod. Further, D. cactiformis could imply that arthropodization (sclerotization of the limbs) preceded arthrodization (sclerotization of the body). Comparing our fossils with other lobopodian appendage morphologies--see Kerygmachela, Jianshanopodia and Megadictyon--reinforces the hypothesis that the group as a whole is paraphyletic, with different taxa expressing different grades of arthropodization.     

SHRIMP U-Pb zircon age of tuff at the bottom of the Lower Cambrian Niutitang Formation,Zunyi, South China

A SHRIMP U-Pb zircon geochronology study of the tuff at the bottom of the Lower Cambrian Niutitang Formation at Songlin, Zunyi, South China yielded a mean ^206Pb/^238U age of 518±5 Ma. It is significantly younger than the Re-Os ages of 537--542 Ma for the overlying polymetallic Ni-Mo-PGE-rich layer in the basal Niutitang Formation at Songlin, suggesting that the Re-Os ages might represent that of the original magma chamber for the Ni-Mo-PGE-rich layer rather than the formation age of the strata. The intra-basinal stratigraphic correlation also implies that the absolute age of the Chengjiang biota should be younger than 518±5 Ma. Our new result, together with the SHRIMP U-Pb zircon age for the K-bentonite in the Zhongyicun member of the Zhujiaqing Formation at the Meishucun section, Yunnan Province, provides a temporal constraint for the Lower Cambrian of the Yangtze Platform in South China.     

Paleoceangraphic significance of redox-sensitive metals of black shales in the basal Lower Cambrian Niutitang Formation in Guizhou Province, South China

TheLowerCambrianblackshalesequenceoccursinSouthChinaalonganarc parallellinearbeltex tendingmorethan 16 0 0km .Theseorganic richblackshalesformedinvariousmarineenvironmentsandtypicallycontainhigheramountsofmolybdenum ,nickel,vanadium ,andanumberofothereconomical lyimportantmetalsthandoanyothersedimentaryrocks[1,2 ] .Therefore ,thestudyoftheseblackshaleshasnotonlypaleoceangraphicimplicationbutalsoe conomicsignificance .Marinesedimentssuchasblackshalearecom plexmixturesofdetritalphasesandseawat…     

贵州地区寒武系层序地层学研究

研究了贵州地区寒武系露头剖面的层序地层学，在寒武系识别出了１０个层序边界，划分出了９个（三级）层序及２５个体系域，其中，寒武系的底界面和顶界面，以及中下寒武统间的较大沉积间断面为Ⅰ类层序边界，其余为Ⅱ类层序边界，论述了该区的沉积演化史，指出金顶山期、高台期是同生断层剧烈活动的两个时期；牛蹄塘期（及明心寺早期）的南方海域基本上是统一的；台地、台地斜坡、广海盆地三大沉积区的格局形成于金顶山期，加强于高台期，稳定、发育于中晚寒武世。止于寒武纪末期，该区的两个沉积模式：一为巨大的坡缓底平的海域沉积模式；为牛蹄塘组层序及明心寺组层序发育时期的沉积模式；二为台地－（台地）斜坡－（广海）盆地沉积模式，为寒武纪金顶山期后沉积模式，研究结果表明，贵州省有比云南梅树村地区下寒武统渔户村组更老的地层，其东南海槽可能是浅海。     

Thermochemical sulfate reduction in fossil Ordovician deposits of the Majiang area: Evidence from a molecular-marker investigation

The main reservoirs of Majiang fossil deposits consist of the Silurian Wengxiang group, dominantly sandstones, and the Ordovician Honghuayuan formation, dominantly carbonate rocks, and the Lower Cambrian Niutitang Formation mudstones serve as the major source rocks. Thermochemical sulfate reduction (TSR) might have taken place in the Paleozoic marine carbonate oil pools, as indicated by high concentrations of dibenzothiophenes in the extracts (MDBT=0.27–4.32 μg/g extract, and MDBT/MPH= 0.71–1.38). Hydrocarbons in the Pojiaozhai Ordovician carbonate reservoirs have undergone severe TSR and are characterized by higher quantities of diamondoids and MDBT and heavier isotopic values (δ ¹³C=?28.4‰). The very large amounts of dibenzothiophenes might be products of reactions between biphenyls and sulfur species associated with TSR.     

湖南新晃贡溪重晶石矿床地质地球化学特征及成因分析

湖南新晃贡溪重晶石矿床赋存于下寒武统牛蹄塘组中。矿体呈层状、似层状和透镜状。矿石矿物为重晶石,脉石矿物主要有方解石、粘土矿物和石英等。矿石以镶嵌粒状变晶结构,块状和纹层状构造为主。地球化学特征表明成矿物质由含矿热卤水提供,属热水化学沉积型矿床。文章还提出了其成矿模式。     

贵州地区下寒武统牛蹄塘组黑色页岩地质特征及其油气资源意义

贵州地区下寒武统牛蹄塘组黑色页岩发育广泛,并受该区早寒武世岩相古地理类型的控制,主要发育在中、东部地区的页岩盆地相地区中,少部分发育在页岩盆地相和碎屑岩台地相的过渡相中,极少发育在西部的碎屑岩台地相中.研究区牛蹄塘组黑色页岩沉积环境为缺氧还原性沉积环境,有机质母源主要为水生低等菌藻类生物,并混有少部分陆源高等植物.研究区牛蹄塘组黑色页岩具有有机质丰度高、母质类型好、有机质转化为烃类能力强的特征,显示出较大的生烃潜力和油气资源意义.但其高演化阶段作为成油的烃源岩意义不明显,作为成页岩气的源岩则前景乐观.