Lower Devonian tempestites in western Yangtze, South China: insight from<i>Zoophycos</i>ichnofabrics

Zhang, Li‐Jun

doi:10.1002/gj.2507

Cited by 15 publications

(14 citation statements)

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“…The trace fossils described in this article occur in the upper part (Bed 90) of the Yangmaba Formation, which records a transition from open carbonate platform (beds 85–89) to storm‐affected neritic environments (beds 90–92) (Zhang ). The trace‐bearing interval starts with 1‐m‐thick medium‐bedded grey bioclastic limestone, overlain by 2‐m‐thick grey medium‐bedded sandstone with intercalated mudstones.…”

Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…). Above this bed, sandstone dominates and is accompanied by minor muddy siltstone and siltstone (Bed 91) interpreted as storm deposits (tempestites) (Zhang ). On the basis of the sedimentological evidence, the depositional environment of the interval with Zoophycos is interpreted as being in water depths between fair‐weather wave base and storm‐wave base (Hou et al .…”

Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Complex behavioural patterns and ethological analysis of the trace fossil Zoophycos : evidence from the Lower Devonian of South China

Zhang

Zhao

2016

LET

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The trace fossil Zoophycos is abundant in the shallow‐marine deposits (tempestites) of the Lower Devonian (Emsian) Yangmaba Formation in Ganxi of Sichuan, South China. It often occurs as part of complex trace fossils that comprise different integrated elements: scratch traces, simple to complex spreiten structures with marginal tubes (Zoophycos) and vertical tunnels. The complex Zoophycos burrows consist of spreiten with a marginal tube, preserved as convex hyporeliefs on the sole of an erosion surface. The exquisite, complex spreiten are interpreted to have been formed by deposit‐feeding behaviour, where the animal constructed the trace upwards without leaving faeces in the spreiten. The width of the marginal tube in different whorls is almost constant. The scratches are observed on the wall of the marginal tubes. The Zoophycos intergrades with Spongeliomorpha and Chondrites and was later cut by vertical shafts. All these features together indicate that the Zoophycos‐maker might have been a vermiform polychaete instead of a predator such as a decapod crustacean (Spongeliomorpha producer). Based on stratigraphical and ichnological features, the complex trace fossils resulted from the complex activity of different opportunistic organisms (r‐strategist) that quickly occupied and thrived within the quiet, nutrient‐rich environment after storm events.

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Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Complex behavioural patterns and ethological analysis of the trace fossil Zoophycos : evidence from the Lower Devonian of South China

Zhang

Zhao

2016

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“…Discussion: The constrictions and narrower blind branches are the main differences from Thalassinoides (Knaust, 2008;Jaglarz and Uchman, 2010). ?Balanoglossites cooccurs with Zoophycos, Chondrites, and Palaeophycus in the fine-grained sandstones (Bed 91) of the Yangmaba Formation and is considered to be formed in a relatively quiet offshore environment near a storm-wave base after several storm events in the Early Devonian (Zhang, 2014).…”

Section: Description Of Trace Fossilsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Swaley cross-stratification, erosion surface (Figure 4h), and horizontal lamination often occur in the underlying and overlying gray medium-bedded fine-grained sandstone. The association often occurs in the intervals of storm beds (Zhang, 2014).…”

Section: Diplocraterion-skolithosmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lower Devonian trace fossils and their paleoenvironmental significance from the western Yangtze Plate, South China

Zhang¹,

Zhao²

2015

Turkish J Earth Sci

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Trace fossils are known to be good indicators of sedimentary environments (Knaust and Bromley, 2012). The type, morphology, and diversity of trace fossils are now known to be a proxy to paleoenvironmental factors, including energy level, substrate stability, salinity variations, and oxygenation levels (Curran, 1985;Ekdale, 1988;Knaust and Bromley, 2012). The most significant advantage of trace fossils is that they are autochthonous indicators of paleoecological conditions (Bromley, 1996). In most cases, trace fossil data contribute to a better understanding of the sediments from the perspective of organism-substrate interactions (Uchman et al., 2004).The Lower Devonian sediments of the western Yangtze Plate are divided into the Pingyipu, Ganxi, Ertaizi, and Yangmaba formations, known for their well-exposed and complete stratigraphic record and long history of investigations (Hou et al., 1988). Several aspects of the sedimentology, paleontology, sequence stratigraphy, and isotope geochemistry of the mentioned formations in the Ganxi section (Figures 1a and 1b) were studied over the last fifty years (e.g., Xian et al., 1995;Zheng and Liu, 1997;Liao and Ma, 2007). Lower Devonian trace fossils of the region are poorly known. Lin et al. (1986) mentioned the presence of Diplocraterion and Thalassinoides in the Pingyipu Formation. Yang et al. (1988) listed some trace fossils from the studied units, including Arenicolites, Chondrites, Cruziana, Dimorphichnus, Helminthopsis, Phycodes, Planolites, Skolithos, Thalassinoides, and Zoophycos. Moreover, in recent years, a variety of wellpreserved trace fossils have been found and recorded in the Lower Devonian of the Ganxi section. The aim of the present paper is to provide a detailed ichnological and sedimentological analysis of the Ganxi section. Geological settingThe studied area is located in the northwestern part of the Upper Yangtze Plate and belongs to the Lower Paleozoic Longmenshan Basin (Figures 1c and 1d). The Devonian strata in this region were deposited on a continental margin Abstract: Abundant and diverse trace fossils occur in the littoral-neritic sediments recording an Early Devonian transgression in South China. The well-exposed Ganxi section is located in the Longmen Mountain 100 km northwest of Chendu, Sichuan. The Lower Devonian strata are dominated by sandstones, siltstones, muddy shales, limestones, bioclastic limestones, and muddy limestones. About thirteen ichnogenera were systematically described, including Arenicolites, ?Balanoglossites, Chondrites, Cylindrichnus, Diplocraterion, Planolites, Palaeophycus, Phycodes, Rhizocorallium, Rusophycus, Skolithos, Thalassinoides, and Zoophycos. Six trace fossil associations under different sedimentary environments have been recognized as follows: the Skolithos and Diplocraterion-Skolithos associations mainly consist of domichnia derived from a high-energy zone of the foreshore to upper shoreface; the Rusophycus-Phycodes association is characterized by fodinichnia and cubichnia generated in a lower-energy zone of...

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“…In South China, storm beds were extensively recorded during the Phanerozoic (Liu et al, 1986;Zhang et al, 1993;Li & Rong, 2007;Zhang, 2013). However, storm shell beds have been rarely documented and only a few cases were described in the early Silurian (Li & Rong, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gigantoproductid brachiopod storm shell beds in the Mississippian of South China: implications for their palaeoenvironmental and palaeogeographical significances

Yao¹,

Aretz²,

Li³

et al. 2016

Geol. Belg.

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ABSTRACT. Late Viséan to Serpukhovian (Mississippian, Carboniferous) storm shell beds of Gigantoproductus (Brachiopoda) are documented for the first time in South China. The shell beds are characterized by sharp and erosional base, internal accumulations of amalgamated shells with erosional structure, and parallel lamination and ripple bedding structures in the uppermost part, indicating obvious characteristics of tempestites. In the shell beds, three taphonomic and sedimentologic types have been distinguished, which are: type A: mostly articulated and convex-down shells in wackestone and packstone, which are developed in distal tempestites with weak water energy around the storm wave-base; type B: dominated disarticulated and convex-up shells in packstone that occur between distal and proximal tempestites in medium hydrodynamic force between the storm wave-base and fair-weather wave-base; and type C: highly fragmented shells in grainstone formed in proximal tempestites under strong hydrodynamic energy above the fair-weather wave-base. The occurrences of proximal and distal tempestites suggest that they were formed by winnowing and transporting under storm surges. During the late Viséan to Serpukhovian, the widely distributed storm shell beds in South China reflect that the South China Block was located in hurricane zone between latitude 10° and 30° during this time interval, when ice caps formed on the Gondwana continent.

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Lower Devonian tempestites in western Yangtze, South China: insight fromZoophycosichnofabrics

Cited by 15 publications

References 28 publications

Complex behavioural patterns and ethological analysis of the trace fossil Zoophycos : evidence from the Lower Devonian of South China

Complex behavioural patterns and ethological analysis of the trace fossil Zoophycos : evidence from the Lower Devonian of South China

Lower Devonian trace fossils and their paleoenvironmental significance from the western Yangtze Plate, South China

Gigantoproductid brachiopod storm shell beds in the Mississippian of South China: implications for their palaeoenvironmental and palaeogeographical significances

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