Tiaojishan Formation
| Tiaojishan Formation Stratigraphic range: Bathonian-Oxfordian, 165 to ~153 Ma |
|
|---|---|
| Type | Geological formation |
| Sub-units | Daohugou Beds? |
| Underlies | Daohugou Beds?, Tuchengzi Formation |
| Overlies | Haifanggou Formation |
| Thickness | 2420 meters |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Pyroclastic |
| Location | |
| Region | Hebei & Liaoning |
| Country |  China |
The Tiaojishan Formation is a geological formation in Hebei and Liaoning, People's Republic of China, dating to the middle-late Jurassic period (Bathonian-Oxfordian stage). It is known for its fossil plants, and is made up mainly of pyroclastic rock interspersed with basic volcanic and sedimentary rocks. Previously, the Tiaojishan Formation was grouped together with the underlying Haifanggou Formation (also known as the Jiulongshan Formation) as the single "Lanqui Formation."[1]
Contents |
[edit] Age
Using Argon–argon dating, Wang and colleagues in 2005 dated part of the Tiaojishan Formation to about 160 million years ago, the beginning of the Oxfordian stage, the first stage of the Upper Jurassic epoch.[2] In 2006, a study by Liu and colleagues used U-Pb zircon dating to conclude that the Tiaojishan Formation correlates with the Daohugou Beds, and the complete chronological range of this shared biota dates to between 168 and 164/152 Ma ago.[3] A subsequent study, published in 2008, refined the age range of the formation further, finding that the lower boundary of the Tiaojishan was formed 165 Ma ago, and the upper boundary somewhere between 156-153 Ma ago.[4]
[edit] Palaeoecology
Based on the plant life present in the Tiaojishan Formation, Wang Yongdong and colleagues determined that the climate in Liaoning during the mid Jurassic would have been subtropical to temperate, warm and humid.[1]
[edit] Fauna
[edit] Vertebrates
| Vertebrates of the Tiaojishan Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
|
A. huxleyi[5] |
Several specimens[6] |
An archaeopterygid or basal Deinonychosaur. |
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|
A. linglongtaensis[7] |
Liaoning |
An Istiodactylid pterosaur |
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|
C. pani[8] |
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|
D. modularis[9] |
Liaoning |
A rhamphorhynchoid pterosaur closely related to pterodactyloids |
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|
F. lii[10] |
Liaoning |
A rhamphorhynchoid pterosaur |
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|
J. robustus[11] |
Liaoning |
A rhamphorhynchoid pterosaur |
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|
J. zhaoianus[12] |
Liaoning |
A rhamphorhynchoid pterosaur |
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|
J. sinensis[13] |
Liaoning |
An eutherian mammal |
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|
Q. guoi[14] |
Liaoning |
A rhamphorhynchoid pterosaur |
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|
T. confuciusi |
Liaoning |
One specimen |
A heterodontosaurid dinosaur |
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|
X. zhengi[15] |
Liaoning |
One specimen |
An archaeopterygid or basal Deinonychosaur. |
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[edit] Invertebrates
An indeterminate aeschnoid (insect) species is known from Liaoning.[5]
| Genus | Species | Province | Stratigraphic Position | Abundance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
D. impudica[5] |
Liaoning |
An ostracod |
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|
D. magna[5] |
Liaoning |
An ostracod |
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|
D. sarytirmenensis[5] |
Liaoning |
An ostracod |
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|
S. cliovata[5] |
Liaoning |
A bivalve |
[edit] Flora
Survey based on Wang et al. 2006 unless otherwise noted.[1]
[edit] Bennettitales
Cycad-like plants, the most abundant plant group in the formation. 27 species in 11 genera.
| Plants of the Tiaojishan Formation. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
[edit] Ginkgoales
Prehistoric ginkgo trees, common, with 11 species present in 6 genera.
| Plants of the Tiaojishan Formation. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
[edit] Pinophyta
Conifers, 5 species present in 4 genera.
| Plants of the Tiaojishan Formation. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
[edit] Pteridophyta
Leptosporangiate ferns, represented by 17 species in 8 genera, are the second most abundant plant type in the formation.
| Plants of the Tiaojishan Formation. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
|
Cladophlebis spp. |
Ferns |
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|
D. changeyingziensis |
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|
D. charielsa |
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H. shebudaiensis |
Uncommon. |
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|
M. hoerenensis |
Uncommon. |
A marattiopsid fern. |
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|
R. stricta |
A fern. |
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|
T. denticulata |
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|
T. williamsonii |
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[edit] Other plants
Cycads, fairly diverse, with 10 species present in 2 genera.
| Plants of the Tiaojishan Formation. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
|
H. shebudaiensis |
Uncommon. |
A bryophyte. |
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|
Taeniopteris sp. |
Uncommon. |
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[edit] References
- ^ a b c Wang, Y.; Ken, S.; Zhang, W.; Zheng, S. (2006). "Biodiversity and palaeoclimate of the Middle Jurassic floras from the Tiaojishan Formation in western Liaoning, China". Progress in Natural Science 16 (1): 222–230. doi:10.1080/10020070612330087.
- ^ Wang, X.L.; Zhou, Z.H.; He, H.Y.; Jin, F.; Wang, Y.; Wang, Y.Q.; Zhang, J.Y.; Xu, X. et al (2005). "Stratigraphy and age of the Daohugou Bed in Ningcheng, Inner Mongolia". Chinese Science Bulletin 50 (20): 2369–2376. doi:10.1007/BF03183749.
- ^ Liu, Y.; Liu, Y.; Ji, S.; Yang, Z. (2006). "U-Pb zircon age for the Daohugou Biota at Ningcheng of Inner Mongolia and comments on related issues". Chinese Science Bulletin 51 (21): 2634–2644. doi:10.1007/s11434-006-2165-2.
- ^ Zhang, H.; Wang, M.; Liu, X. (2008). "Constraints on the upper boundary age of the Tiaojishan Formation volcanic rocks in West Liaoning-North Hebei by LA-ICP-MS dating". Chinese Science Bulletin 53 (22): 3574–3584. doi:10.1007/s11434-008-0287-4.
- ^ a b c d e f Hu, D; Hou, L.; Zhang, L. & Xu, X. (2009). "A pre-Archaeopteryx troodontid theropod from China with long feathers on the metatarsus". Nature 461 (7264): 640–643. Bibcode 2009Natur.461..640H. doi:10.1038/nature08322. PMID 19794491
- ^ Li, Q., Gao, K.-Q., Vinther, J., Shawkey, M.D., Clarke, J.A., D'Alba, L., Meng, Q., Briggs, D.E.G. and Prum, R.O. "Plumage color patterns of an extinct dinosaur." Science, Published online 4 February 2010. doi:10.1126/science.1186290
- ^ Lü Junchang and Fucha Xiaohui (2011). "A new pterosaur (Pterosauria) from Middle Jurassic Tiaojishan Formation of western Liaoning, China". Global Geology Z1: 113–118.
- ^ Lü, J. (2009). "A new non-pterodactyloid pterosaur from Qinglong County, Hebei Province of China". Acta Geologica Sinica (English Edition) 83 (2): 189–199. doi:10.1111/j.1755-6724.2009.00062.x.
- ^ Lü, J.; Unwin, D.M.; Jin, X.; Liu, Y.; Ji, Q. (2010). "Evidence for modular evolution in a long-tailed pterosaur with a pterodactyloid skull". Proceedings of the Royal Society B 277 (1680): 383–389. doi:10.1098/rspb.2009.1603. PMC 2842655. PMID 19828548. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=2842655.
- ^ Lu, J.; Fucha, X.; Chen, J. (2010). "A new scaphognathine pterosaur from the Middle Jurassic of western Liaoning, China". Acta Geoscientica Sinica 31 (2): 263–266.
- ^ Xin Cheng, Xiaolin Wang, Shunxing Jiang and Alexander W.A. Kellner (2012). "A new scaphognathid pterosaur from western Liaoning, China". Historical Biology in press. doi:10.1080/08912963.2011.635423. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08912963.2011.635423.
- ^ Lü Junchang and Bo Xue (2011). "A New Rhamphorhynchid Pterosaur (Pterosauria) from the Middle Jurassic Tiaojishan Formation of Western Liaoning, China". Acta Geologica Sinica 85 (5): 977–983. http://www.geojournals.cn/dzxben/ch/reader/view_abstract.aspx?file_no=201105002&flag=1.
- ^ Luo Z., Yuan C., Meng Q. and Ji Q. (2011). "Jurassic eutherian mammal and divergence of marsupials and placentals." Nature, 476: 442–445. doi:10.1038/nature10291
- ^ Lü, J., Unwin, D.M., Zhao, B., Gao, C. and Shen, C. (2012). "A new rhamphorhynchid (Pterosauria: Rhamphorhynchidae) from the Middle/Upper Jurassic of Qinglong, Hebei Province, China". Zootaxa 3158: 1-19. http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2012/f/z03158p019f.pdf.
- ^ Xing Xu, Hailu You, Kai Du and Fenglu Han (28 July 2011). "An Archaeopteryx-like theropod from China and the origin of Avialae". Nature 475 (7357): 465–470. doi:10.1038/nature10288. PMID 21796204. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v475/n7357/full/nature10288.html.
