Elsevier

Journal of Asian Earth Sciences

Volume 80, 5 February 2014, Pages 101-118
Journal of Asian Earth Sciences

Stratigraphy and facies development of the marine Late Devonian near the Boulongour Reservoir, northwest Xinjiang, China

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jseaes.2013.11.001Get rights and content

Highlights

  • The stratigraphy of the type-section of the Hongguleleng Formation (NW-Xinjiang) is described.

  • Based on biostratigraphy, the formation spans the Frasnian / Famennian boundary.

  • The Upper Kellwasser Event is recognized.

  • Biodiversity patterns of local marine faunas show a rapid rebound after the F/F Event.

Abstract

Late Devonian to Early Carboniferous stratigraphic units within the ‘Zhulumute’ Formation, Hongguleleng Formation (stratotype), ‘Hebukehe’ Formation and the Heishantou Formation near the Boulongour Reservoir in northwestern Xinjiang are fossil-rich. The Hongguleleng and ‘Hebukehe’ formations are biostratigraphically well constrained by microfossils from the latest Frasnian linguiformis to mid-Famennian trachytera conodont biozones. The Hongguleleng Formation (96.8 m) is characterized by bioclastic argillaceous limestones and marls (the dominant facies) intercalated with green spiculitic calcareous shales. It yields abundant and highly diverse faunas of bryozoans, brachiopods and crinoids with subordinate solitary rugose corals, ostracods, trilobites, conodonts and other fish teeth. The succeeding ‘Hebukehe’ Formation (95.7 m) consists of siltstones, mudstones, arenites and intervals of bioclastic limestone (e.g. ‘Blastoid Hill’) and cherts with radiolarians. A diverse ichnofauna, phacopid trilobites, echinoderms (crinoids and blastoids) together with brachiopods, ostracods, bryozoans and rare cephalopods have been collected from this interval. Analysis of geochemical data, microfacies and especially the distribution of marine organisms, which are not described in detail here, but used for facies analysis, indicate a deepening of the depositional environment at the Boulongour Reservoir section. Results presented here concern mainly the sedimentological and stratigraphical context of the investigated section. Additionally, one Late Devonian palaeo-oceanic and biotic event, the Upper Kellwasser Event is recognized near the section base.

Introduction

The Late Devonian sequence near the Boulongour Reservoir (Junggar area, Northwest Xinjiang) is characterized by an abundant and diversified fossil flora and fauna consisting of acritarchs, spores, radiolarians, sponges, corals, trilobites, ostracods, gastropods, cephalopods, brachiopods, bryozoans, echinoderms (blastoids and crinoids), conodonts and fish teeth. Most of the fossil groups listed above were collected from the Hongguleleng Formation. The Hongguleleng Formation was introduced in 1973 for the Famennian deposits of the West Junggar area during an expedition organized by the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences and the Research Group on Stratigraphy of Regional Geological Reconnaissance Brigade of Xinjiang. Fossils from the Hongguleleng Formation were first published in the Atlas of Paleontology of Northwest China (1983).

Major overviews of the stratigraphy of northern Xinjiang have been given by the Compiling Group for Regional Stratigraphic Scheme of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, 1981, Zeng and Xiao, 1991 for Devonian and Wu (1982) for Carboniferous units, but much information has been presented in smaller papers since these syntheses of 20 and 30 years ago. We draw attention to contributions on sedimentology by Gong and Liu (1993) and Wei et al. (2009), on microfauna (bryozoans, ostracods and microvertebrate remains) by Xia (1997a), and important papers on conodonts by Zhao (1986). Taxonomic papers on Devonian and presumed Early Carboniferous (Mississippian) faunas and floras have been contributed by nearly 70 palaeontologists. Their contributions can be summarized (in approximate chronologic sequence for each major group) as follows: macroflora (Sze, 1960, Dou, 1983, Cai and Qin, 1986, Cai, 1989, Cai and Wang, 1995, Cai and Chen, 1996, Wang et al., 2004, Wang and Xu, 2005, Fu et al., 2006, Xu, 2006, Wang, 2008, Xu and Wang, 2008, Xu et al., 2008, Xu et al., 2011, Fu et al., 2011), microflora (Lu and Wicander, 1988), corals (Wang and Zhao, 1987, Liao and Cai, 1987, Liao, 1987, Cai, 1988, Cai, 1996, Soto and Lin, 1997, Soto and Lin, 2000, Liao, 2001, Soto and Liao, 2002, Wang et al., 2004), bryozoans (Xia, 1997a), brachiopods (Zhang and Zhang, 1983, Zhang et al., 1983, Zhang, 1985, Zhang, 1987, Sartenaer and Xu, 1989, Xu et al., 1990, Xu, 1999, Zhao et al., 2000, Chen et al., 2002, Chen and Liao, 2006, Chen and Yang, 2011, Zong and Ma, 2012, Zong et al., 2012); cephalopods (Wang, 1983, Liang and Wang, 1991, Ruan, 1995), trilobites (Zhang, 1983), echinoderms (Waters et al., 1991, Waters et al., 1995, Waters et al., 2003, Waters et al., 2008, Hou et al., 1993, Lane et al., 1995, Lane et al., 1997, Waters and Webster, 2009, Webster and Waters, 2009), conodonts (Zhao, 1986, Xia, 1996, Xia, 1997a, Xia, 1997b, Zhao et al., 2000), and microvertebrates (Xia, 1997a).

Observations relating the Hongguleleng Formation with strata above and below as well as its lateral extent and correlation have produced differing interpretations. A high-resolution stratigraphy and biostratigraphy remains lacking. During the fieldwork from 2000 on, our research group measured several bed-by-bed stratigraphic sections of the Hongguleleng Formation, especially the type section near the Boulongour Reservoir; other sections at Yidimaodaongbo, Genaren, Qiligoa, Emuha and Aoroa have been bed-by-bed sampled for conodonts.

Here we present the results of our study on bio- and chemostratigraphy and facies of the sequence near the Boulongour Reservoir ranging from the base of the Hongguleleng Formation to the base of the Heishantou Formation.

Section snippets

Tectonic setting of the West Junggar area

The West Junggar area of northwest Xinjiang-Uygur Autonomous Region belongs to the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), bordered on the north by the Siberian Craton and on the south by the North China–Tarim Craton (Jahn et al., 2000, Chen and Arakawa, 2005, Cocks and Torsvik, 2007, Windley et al., 2007). Buckman and Aitchison (2004) hypothesize a complex amalgamation-history of intra-oceanic island arcs and continental fragments to become part of the CAOB prior to the end of the latest

Material and methods

More than 150 rock samples for microfacies, biostratigraphic and geochemical analyses were collected by our working group in 2000, 2005, 2007 and 2011 from the Late Devonian sequence in the vicinity of the Boulongour Reservoir (formation-base: N 46°45′11″; E 86°08′20″). The collection of rock samples for microfacies analysis was carried out bed by bed with regard to lithological changes observed in field. All sample numbers with sample distance (measured in centimetres above the base of

Lithology and facies development

In the type-section near the Boulongour Reservoir four formations are discriminated: ‘Zhulumute’, Hongguleleng, ‘Hebukehe’ and Heishantou formations (Fig. 2, Fig. 3, Fig. 4, and panoramic view in Fig. 7). A bed-by-bed profile (Fig. 5, Fig. 6) documents lithology and fossil content (Fig. 8). Several temporary trenches were dug to obtain exposures of in-situ beds across intervals, especially where covered by soil and scree. The boundary of the ‘Zhulumute’ Formation with the Hongguleleng Formation

Lithostratigraphy, boundaries and correlation

In our interpretion, the Hongguleleng Formation is composed of two units with a total thickness of approximately 97 m. The contact between the ‘Zhulumute’ and the Hongguleleng formations and between the Hongguleleng and the ‘Hebukehe’ formations seem to be conformable. Minor faults were observed crossing the ‘Zhulumute’–Hongguleleng formation boundary with stepwise displacement of the basal-most limestone beds at metre-scale; none of the beds appear sheared off by low angle faults. The lowest

Conclusions

  • 1.

    The Late Devonian sequence near the Boulongour Reservoir is assigned to the ‘Zhulumute’, Hongguleleng, ‘Hebukehe’ and Heishantou formations in ascending order. Total thickness from the base of the Hongguleleng Formation to the top of the ‘Hebukehe’ Formation is approximately 192 m.

  • 2.

    The contact between the ‘Zhulumute’ and Hongguleleng Formations is conformable as is the contact between the Honguleleng and ‘Hebukehe’ Formations. The ‘Hebukehe’ Formation is conformably overlain by the Heishantou

Acknowledgements

This research was funded from project grants of NAP0001 (subproject of IGCP 497), NAP0017 (subproject of IGCP 580), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.: 40472007), the Major Basic Research Projects of the Ministry of Sciences and Technology, China (No.: 2006CB806404), and the Czech Science Foundation nu. P210/11/1891 (Devonian–Carboniferous boundary: a multidisciplinary approach). We are grateful for financial support of Xiuqin Chen’s stay at the University of Graz (Austria)

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