Revised stratigraphy of the Xiazhen Formation (Upper Ordovician) at Zhuzhai, South China, based on palaeontological and lithological data

Abstract

Lee, D.-C., Park, J., Woo, J., Kwon, Y.K., Lee, J.-G., Guan, L., Sun, N., Lee, S.-B., Liang, K., Liu, L., Rhee, C.-W., Choh, S.-J., Kim, B.-S. & Lee, D.-J., September 2012. Revised stratigraphy of the Xiazhen Formation (Upper Ordovician) at Zhuzhai, South China, based on palaeontological and lithological data. Alcheringa 36, 393–412. ISSN 0311-5518.

Three exposures of the Upper Ordovician Xiazhen Formation at Zhuzhai, Yushan, Jiangxi Province, China are re-measured and described in detail. Comparison of palaeontological and lithological data from the exposures (designated sub-sections ZU1, ZU2 and ZU3) reveals that the sub-sections overlap stratigraphically. Nearly identical assemblages of trilobites and brachiopods occur in mudstones of ZU1 and ZU3, whereas a different assemblage occurs in those of ZU2. Identical coral species occur in the overlapped intervals of ZU1 and ZU2, and ZU1 and ZU3, respectively. In addition, a distinctive identical lithological succession consisting of brachiopod-bearing nodular limestone at the base to coral floatstone at the top is evident in the overlapped interval of ZU1 and ZU2; prism-cracked algal laminites are found in the same interval; and bioclastic limestone beds, which represent bioherms consisting mainly of corals and stromatoporoids, occur in both ZU1 and ZU3. A thrust fault system appears to be responsible for the repetition in the subsections, and the faulting was probably due to the major post-Ordovician structural movements exerted on the Zhe-Gan Platform of the Jiangnan Region of the South China Block.

Dong-Chan Lee [[email protected]], Department of Heritage Studies, Daejeon Health Sciences College, 300-711, Daejeon, Republic of Korea; Jino Park [[email protected]], Suk-Joo Choh [[email protected]], Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Korea University, 136-701, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Jusun Woo [[email protected]], Division of Polar Earth-System Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, 406-840, Incheon, Republic of Korea; Yi Kyun Kwon [[email protected]], Marine and Petroleum Division, Korea Institutue of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, 305-350, Daejeon, Republic of Korea; Jeong-Gu Lee [[email protected]], Seung-Bae Lee [[email protected]], Exhibition Planning and Coordination Division, Gwacheon National Science Museum, 427-060, Gwacheon, Republic of Korea; Liming Guan [[email protected]], Ning Sun [[email protected]], Kun Liang [[email protected]], Lu Liu [[email protected]], Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Andong National University, 760-749, Andong, Republic of Korea; Dong-Jin Lee [[email protected]], Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Andong National University, 760-749, Andong, Republic of Korea and College of Earth Science, Jilin University, Changchun 130061, PR China; Chul-Woo Rhee [[email protected]], Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Chungbuk National University, 361-763, Cheongju, Republic of Korea; Byong-Song Kim [[email protected]], Department of Resources Exploration Engineering, Kim Chaek University of Technology, Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea and College of Earth Science, Jilin University, Changchun 130061, PR China. Received 16.10.2011, revised 4.1.2012, accepted 16.1.2012.

Key words:

• Xiazhen Formation
• stratigraphy
• Upper Ordovician
• invertebrate palaeontology
• South China
• palaeogeography

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Ian Percival and an anonymous reviewer for providing constructive comments on the manuscript. This work was supported by the Energy Resources R&D program of the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP) grant funded by the Korea government Ministry of Knowledge Economy (No. 2009T100 200058) to Lee, D.-C. and Choh, S.-J., and National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant (No. K20902001128-10D010001010) to Lee, D.-J.