Palaeontology and Biostratigraphy of the Lower Cretaceous Qihulin
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Dissertation Submitted to the Combined Faculties for the Natural Sciences and for Mathematics of the Ruperto-Carola University of Heidelberg, Germany for the degree of Doctor of Natural Sciences presented by Master of Science: Gang Li Born in: Heilongjiang, China Oral examination: 30 November 2001 Gedruckt mit Unterstützung des Deutschen Akademischen Austauschdienstes (Printed with the support of German Academic Exchange Service) Palaeontology and biostratigraphy of the Lower Cretaceous Qihulin Formation in eastern Heilongjiang, northeastern China Referees: Prof. Dr. Peter Bengtson Prof. Pei-ji Chen This manuscript is produced only for examination as a doctoral dissertation and is not intended as a permanent scientific record. It is therefore not a publication in the sense of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. Abstract The purpose of the study was to provide conclusive evidence for a chronostratigraphical assignment of the Qihulin Formation of the Longzhaogou Group exposed in Mishan and Hulin counties of eastern Heilongjiang, northeastern China. To develop an integrated view of the formation, all collected fossil groups, i.e. the macrofossils (ammonites and bivalves) and microfossils (agglutinated foraminifers and radiolarians) have been studied. The low-diversity ammonite fauna consists of Pseudohaploceras Hyatt, 1900, and Eogaudryceras Spath, 1927, which indicate a Barremian–Aptian age. The bivalve fauna consists of eight genera and 16 species. The occurrence of Thracia rotundata (J. de C: Sowerby) suggests an Aptian age. The agglutinated foraminifers comprise ten genera and 16 species, including common Lower Cretaceous species such as Ammodiscus rotalarius Loeblich & Tappan, 1949, Cribrostomoides? nonioninoides (Reuss, 1836), Haplophragmoides concavus (Chapman, 1892), Trochommina depressa Lozo, 1944. The radiolarians comprise ten genera and 17 species, where Novixitus sp., Xitus cf. spicularius (Aliev, 1965), Archaeodictyomitra cf. vulgaris Pessagno, 1977, Stichomitra cf. tosaensis Nakaseko & Nishimura, 1981 all indicate an Early Cretaceous age. Thus the Qihulin Formation is assigned to the Barremian–Aptian. Key words: Barremian, Aptian, Qihulin Formation, Longzhaogou Group, Heilongjiang, China, ammonites, bivalves, agglutinated foraminifers, radiolarians. Contents 1. Introduction.................................................................................................................1 2. Geological setting........................................................................................................3 3. Previous work..............................................................................................................7 3.1. Lithostratigraphy. .....................................................................................................7 3.2. Palaeontology and biostratigraphy ..........................................................................10 3.2.1. Ammonites ..........................................................................................................10 3.2.2. Bivalves...............................................................................................................12 3.2.3. Ostracods.............................................................................................................21 3.2.4. Brachiopods.........................................................................................................22 3.2.5.Gastropods............................................................................................................22 3.2.6. Flora....................................................................................................................23 4. Material and methods ................................................................................................25 4.1. Fieldwork ...............................................................................................................25 4.2. Material..................................................................................................................25 4.3.Laboratory techniques .............................................................................................26 4.3.1. Microfossils.........................................................................................................26 4.3.2. Nannofossils........................................................................................................26 4.3.3. Palynomorphs and dinoflagellates........................................................................27 5. Localities...................................................................................................................28 5.1. Dongsheng section..................................................................................................29 5.2. Longzhaogou section..............................................................................................30 5.3. Section south of Qianjin village..............................................................................32 5.4. Team No. 4 of Farm 850.........................................................................................32 5.5. Chaoyang section....................................................................................................32 5.6. Yunshan sections....................................................................................................33 6. Biostratigraphy..........................................................................................................34 6.1. Ammonites.............................................................................................................34 6.2. Bivalves..................................................................................................................34 6.3. Agglutinated foraminifers.......................................................................................35 6.4. Radiolarians............................................................................................................35 7. Taxonomy .................................................................................................................37 7.1. Ammonites.............................................................................................................37 7.2. Bivalves..................................................................................................................47 7.3. Radiolarians............................................................................................................70 7.4. Agglutinated foraminifers.......................................................................................85 8. Conclusions............................................................................................................. 100 9. Acknowledgements ................................................................................................. 101 10. References............................................................................................................. 102 11. Explanation of plates ............................................................................................. 116 12. Appendix............................................................................................................... 124 12.1. Dongsheng section.............................................................................................. 124 12.2. Longzhaogou section.......................................................................................... 124 12.3. Chaoyang section................................................................................................ 125 12.4. Yunshan sections................................................................................................ 125 Résumé ....................................................................................................................... 128 1. Introduction 1 1. Introduction Baoqing Yunshan 4 2 Longzhaogou 6 7 5 3 Dongsheng Hulin Boli Qitaihe 1 Xingkai Peide Key Tertiary Mishan Huashan Group Jixi Group N Longzhaogou Group Jixi Pre-Mesozoic rocks 0 20 km Localities Figure 1.1. Simplified geological map of the Jixi and Hulin areas, eastern Heilongjiang, China (based on data from the Research team on the Mesozoic coal-bearing formations in eastern Heilongjiang, 1986). 1. Dongsheng village. 2. Longzhaogou valley. 3. South of Qianjin village. 4. Chaoyang village. 5. Team No. 4 of Farm 850. 6. Test trench No. 1 of Yunshan Farm. 7. Test trench No. 2 of Yunshan Farm. In the eastern part of Heilongjiang Province, a succession of Lower Cretaceous coal- bearing, alternating marine and nonmarine rocks is exposed. It comprises the Jixi Group in the west and the Longzhaogou Group in the east (figure 1.1). Geologists and palaeontologists have extensively studied the succession over the past decades, not only because of its richness in coal, but also because fossils found in the marine intercalations may provide a reliable age to the succession. In addition, attention is focused on correlation with the nonmarine Jehol Group (table 2.1) to establish the position of the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary, which in 1. Introduction 2 China is developed in nonmarine facies. The Jehol Group is widely known for the nonmarine Jehol fauna (Gu, 1962; Chen, 1988). In recent years the Jehol Group becomes more famous as an abundant source of remains of early birds (Hou et al., 1995; Hou et al., 1999; Hou & Chen, 1999) and theropod dinosaur with integumentary structures (Chen et al.,