Occurrence of the Enigmatic Bivalved FossilApistoconchain the Lower Cambrian of Southeast Shaanxi, North China Platform

2014 ◽  
Vol 88 (2) ◽  
pp. 359-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guoxiang Li ◽  
Zhifei Zhang ◽  
Hong Hua ◽  
Huining Yang

The early Cambrian calcareous skeletal fossilApistoconchaConway Morris is characterized by its two valves having posterior teeth and internal umbonal cavities. It has been reported from lower Cambrian Botomian-equivalent carbonate rocks in Australia, Mongolia, and Greenland. Here we report a new occurrence ofApistoconchain the lower Cambrian Xinji Formation of Luonan, southeast Shaanxi Province, North China Platform. Based on material (five ventral and four dorsal valves) from the Xinji Formation,Apistoconchacf.aphelesis systematically described and the taxonomic affinity ofApistoconchais discussed. The shell ofApistoconchapossesses an ‘antero-posterior’ plane of bilateral symmetry, and its two valves apparently articulated in life, although the tooth-like structures and pits show little resemblance to the teeth and sockets, respectively, of bivalved shells of rhynchonelliform brachiopods or pelecypods.Apistoconchacannot be assigned to the crown groups of either brachiopods or mollusks, even though functional morphological analysis indicates thatApistoconchamay be a ‘stem-group brachiopod’. UnlikeApistoconcha, the morphologically similarTianzhushanellaLiu is known only from a single type of valve lacking posterior teeth and pits.Tianzhushanellamay represent either a univalved animal or a bivalved animal, the other valve of which has not yet been identified. Even though bothApistoconchaandTianzhushanellamay represent stem-group brachiopods, they probably correspond to different stages of brachiopod evolution. Thus assignment ofApistoconchaandTianzhushanellato the same family (Tianzhushanellidae) may obscure their phylogenic implications.

2017 ◽  
Vol 92 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bing Pan ◽  
Timothy P. Topper ◽  
Christian B. Skovsted ◽  
Lanyun Miao ◽  
Guoxiang Li

AbstractDisarticulated net-like plates of the lobopodMicrodictyonhad a near cosmopolitan distribution from the early to middle Cambrian but are yet to be documented from the North China Platform. Here we report isolated plates ofMicrodictyonfrom the lower Cambrian Xinji Formation (Stage 4, Series 2) of the North China Platform, extending the paleogeographic distribution ofMicrodictyonin the early Cambrian. The plates ofMicrodictyonfrom the Xinji Formation are similar to those of other species established on the basis of isolated plates but do bear some new characters, such as mushroom-shaped nodes with a single inclined platform-like apex and an upper surface that displays radial lines. However, the plates documented here are left under open nomenclature due to inadequate knowledge of intraspecific and ontogenetic variation and low specimen numbers. Through comparison of the node shapes of the isolated plates of differentMicrodictyonspecies, we consider that low mushroom-shaped nodes could be a primitive and conservative character ofMicrodictyonwhile tall mushroom-shaped nodes may be a derived character. Subtle differences in shape and number of node apices may also represent intraspecific or ontogenetic variation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haitao Zhang ◽  
Guangquan Xu ◽  
Mancai Liu ◽  
Minhua Wang

AbstractWith the reduction of oil and gas reserves and the increase of mining difficulty in Northern China, the carbonate rocks in Southern North China Basin are becoming a significant exploration target for carbonate reservoirs. However, the development characteristics, formation stages, formation environments and mechanisms of the carbonate reservoirs in Southern North China Basin are still unclear, which caused the failures of many oil and gas exploration wells. This study focused on addressing this unsolved issue from the Ordovician carbonate paleokarst in the Huai-Fu Basin, which is located in the southeast of Southern North China Basin and one of the key areas for oil and gas exploration. Based on petrology, mineralogy and geochemical data, pore types, distribution characteristics, and formation stages of the Ordovician paleokarst were analyzed. Then, in attempt to define the origins of porosity development, the formation environments and mechanisms were illustrated. The results of this study showed that pore types of the Ordovician carbonates in the Huai-Fu Basin are mainly composed of intragranular pores, intercrystalline (intergranular) pores, dissolution pores (vugs), fractures, channels, and caves, which are usually in fault and fold zones and paleoweathering crust. Furthermore, five stages and five formation environments of the Ordovician paleokarst were identified. Syngenetic karst, eogenetic karst, and paleoweathering crust karst were all developed in a relatively open near-surface environment, and their formations are mainly related to meteoric water dissolution. Mesogenetic karst was developed in a closed buried environment, and its formation is mainly related to the diagenesis of organic matters and thermochemical sulfate reduction in the Permian-Carboniferous strata. Hydrothermal (water) karst was developed in a deep-buried and high-temperature environment, where hydrothermal fluids (waters) migrated upward through structures such as faults and fractures to dissolve carbonate rocks and simultaneously deposited hydrothermal minerals and calcites. Lastly, a paleokarst evolution model, combined with the related porosity evolution processes, nicely revealed the Ordovician carbonate reservoir development. This study provides insights and guidance for further oil and gas exploration in the Southern North China Basin, and also advances our understanding of the genesis of carbonate paleokarst around the world.


Author(s):  
Artem Kouchinsky ◽  
Lars Holmer ◽  
Galina Ushatinskaya ◽  
Michael Steiner
Keyword(s):  

2013 ◽  
Vol 318 ◽  
pp. 447-452
Author(s):  
Shun She Luo ◽  
Zhen Zhong Gao ◽  
You Bin He ◽  
Qi Qi Lv ◽  
Ying Meng

The middle Ordovician of Pingliang area on the west margin of North-China platform is represented by a succession of deep-water sediments in which contourites are well-developed. Contour current deposits are well-developed. The contourites can be classified into:calcarenitic contourite, calcisiltitic contourite and calcilutitic contourite. Three typical contourite successions are recognized: complete contourite succession, incomplete contourite succession and contourite successions consisting only of calcarenitic contourites. According to the palaeocorrent and the palaeogeographic format analyse,carbonate contourite drift in the study area is unfolded crossing northwest-southeast, forwarding from southeast to northwest along the slope, and compared with other contourite drifts, it has some characteristics of coarser-grained sediment, thicker individual layers, and highly developed calcarenitic contourites and so on.


1991 ◽  
Vol 55 (379) ◽  
pp. 263-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sang Longkang

AbstractBased on geological studies, 141 rock analyses and 5 trace element analyses of metabasites, the present paper deals with the rock association, chemical features, protolith formation and the original tectonic settings upwards through the Lower Proterozoic metamorphic strata in the Dabieshan-Lianyungang area, in the south-east of the North China Platform. The results of the study indicate that the lower and middle parts of the metamorphic strata comprise terrigenous clastics, phosphoritic and aluminous sedimentary formations which formed under stable continental margin conditions. In the middle-upper part a calc-alkaline volcano-sedimentary formation under the active continental margin was developed. The Lower Proterozoic meta-strata of sedimentary-volcanosedimentary origin from bottom upwards suggest that the tectonic evolution of the south-eastern margin of the North China Platform is a process from stabilization to mobilization. This process suggests a northward subduction of the Yangtze Plate under the North China Plate during the later part of the early Proterozoic.


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