Abstract
SHRIMP U-Pb zircon dating was carried out for the Daohugou Biota near Ningcheng of Inner Mongolia and for lavas overlying or underlying salamander-bearing strata at Reshuitang in Lingyuan of West Liaoning. The results suggest that the Daohugou Biota occurred at an interval from 168 Ma to 164–152 Ma. Both the Daohugou Biota and the salamander-bearing fossil assemblage are the same biota and thus developed from 168 to 152 Ma, i.e. from late Middle Jurassic to the early Late Jurassic. The Daohugou Biota-bearing rocks, resting on the Jiulongshan Formation in disconformity and being overlain in unconformity by Late Jurassic Tuchengzi Formation and Early Cretaceous rocks containing the Jehol Biota, are mainly composed of volcanic-sedimentary rocks in a normal sequence. It is recommended that the Daohugou Biota and the related stratigraphy should be correlated with the Tiaojishan Formation (Lanqi Formation in West Liaoning) or its synchronous rocks. It is suggested that the Daohugou Biota and the Jehol Biota would be neither taken into one biota nor considered as the earliest elements of the Jehol Biota. The Daohugou Biota and the related rocks and the Yixian Formation were respectively formed in different periods of volcanic-sedimentary tectonics.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Wang X L, Wang Y Q, Zhang F C, et al. Vertebrate biostratigraphy of the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation in Lingyuan, Western Liaoning and its neighboring southern Nei Mongol (Inner Mongolia), China. Vert Pal Asiat (in Chinese with English abstract), 2000, 38(2): 81–99
Wang X L, Zhou Z H. Stratigraphy and age of the Daohugou Bed in Ningcheng, Inner Mongolia. Chin Sci Bull, 2005, 50(19): 2127–2133
Wang Y. A new salamander (Amphibia: Caudata) from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota. Vert Pal Asiat, 2000, 38(2): 100–103
Wang Y. A new Mesozoic caudate (Liaoxitriton daohugouensis sp. nov.) from Inner Mongolia, China. Chin Sci Bull, 2004, 49(8): 858–860
Shen Y B, Chen P J, Huang D Y. Age of fossil conchostracans from Daohugou of NIngcheng, Inner Mongolia. J Stratig (in Chinese with English abstract), 2003, 27(4): 311–313
Ren D, Gao K Q, Guo Z G, et al. Stratigraphic division of the Jurassic in the Daohugou area, Ningcheng, Inner Mongolia. Geol Bull Chin (in Chinese with English abstract), 2002, 21(8–9): 584–591
Ji Q, Yuan C X. Discovery of two kinds of protofeathered pterosaurs in the Mesozoic Daohugou Biota in the Ningcheng region and its stratigraphic and biologic significances. Geol Rev (in Chinese with English abstract), 2002, 48(2): 221–224
Zhang J F. Discovery of Daohugou Biota (pre-Jehol Biota) with a discussion on its geological age. J Stratig (in Chinese with English abstract), 2002, 26(3): 173–177
Liu Y Q, Jin X C. Mesozoic biota-bearing depositional successions in the Lingyuan basin Western Liaoning, and their ages: a discussion. Geol Bull Chin (in Chinese with English abstract), 2002, 21(8–9): 592–595
Gao K Q, Shubin N. Late Jurassic salamanders from Northern China. Nature, 2001, 410: 574–577
Gao K Q, Shubin N. Earliest known crown-group salamanders. Nature, 2003, 422: 424–428
Chen W, Ji Q, Liu D Y, et al. Isotope geochronology of the fossil-bearing beds in the Daohugou area, Ningcheng, Inner Mongolia. Geol Bull Chin (in Chinese with English abstract), 2004, 23(12): 1166–1169
Liu Y Q, Liu Y X, Zhang H, et al. Daohugou biota-bearing lithostratigraphic succession on the southeastern margin of the Ningcheng basin. Geol Bull Chin (in Chinese with English abstract), 2004, 23(12): 1181–1187
Liu Y Q, Liu Y X. Comment on 40Ar/39Ar dating of ignimbrite from Inner Mongolia, northeastern China, indicates a post-Middle Jurassic age for the overlying Daohugou Bed” by He H Y et al. Geophys Res Lett, 2005, 32: L12314
Yang W, Li S G. The chronological framework of the Mesozoic volcanic rocks of Western Liaoning and its implications for the Mesozoic lithosphere thinning in Eastern China. In: Petrol Comm of Chin Soc for Geol, ed. Abstracts of Symposium on National Petrology and Continental Geodynamics, Haikou, China (in Chinese), 2004. 326
He H Y, Wang X L, Zhou Z H, et al. 40Ar/39Ar dating of ignimbrite from Inner Mongolia, northeastern China, indicates a post-Middle Jurassic age for the overlying Daohugou Bed. Geophys Res Lett, 2005, 31: L20609
He H Y, Wang X L, Zhou Z H, et al. Reply to comment by Liu and Liu on 40Ar/39Ar dating of ignimbrite from Inner Mongolia, northeastern China, indicates a post-Middle Jurassic age for the overlying Daohugou Bed”. Geophys Res Lett, 2005, 32: L12315
Ji Q, Liu Y Q, Chen W, et al. On the geological age of the Daohugou Biota. Geol Rev (in Chinese with English abstract), 2005, 48(2): 221–224
Song B, Zhang Y H, Wan Y S, et al. The mount making for and the procedure of SHRIMP dating. Geol Rev (in Chinese with English abstract), 2002, 48(suppl): 26–30
Gradstein F M, Ogg J G, Smith A G, et al. A new geologic time scale with special reference to Precambrian and Neogene. Episodes, 2004, 272: 83–100
Swisher C C, Wang X L, Zhou Z H, et al. New evidence of the Yixian Formation isotopic ages and the Tuchengzi Formation 40Ar/39Ar. Chin Sci Bull, 2002, 46(23): 2009–2012
Zhao Y, Zhang S H, Xu G, et al. The Jurassic major tectonic events of the Yanshan intraplate deformation belt. Geol Bull Chin (in Chinese with English abstract), 2004, 23(9–10): 854–863
Davis G A, Darby B J, Zheng Y D, et al. Mesozoic tectonic evolution oh the Yanshan fold and thrust belt, with emphasis on Hebei and Liaoning Provinces, Northern China. GSA Memoir, 2001, 194: 171–197
Zhang H, Yuan H L, Hu Z C, et al. U-Pb zircon dating of Mesozoic volcanic strata in Luanping of North Hebei and its significance. Earth Science—J China Univ Geos (in Chinese with English abstract), 2005, 30(6): 707–720
Zhang L J, Wang L X. Mesozoic salamander fossil-bearing strata in Reshuitang area near Lingyuan, Western Liaoning. Geol Resour (in Chinese with English abstract), 2004, 13(4): 202–206
Czerkas S A, Ji Q. A new rhamphorhynchoid with a headcrest and complex integumentary structures. In: Czerkas S J, ed. Feathered Dinosaurs and the Origin of Flight. The Dinosaur Museum of Blanding Journal, 2002, 1: 15–41
Wang X L, Zhou Z, Zhang F, et al. A nearly completely articulated rhamphorhynchoid pterosaur with exceptionally well preserved wing membranes and “hairs” from Inner Mongolia, northeast China. Chin Sci Bull, 2002, 47(1): 54–58
Zhang F C, Zhou Z H, Xu X, et al. A juvenile coelurosaurian theropod from China indicates arboreal habits. Naturwissenschaften, 2002, 89: 394–398
Xu X, Zhang F C. A new maniraptoran dinosaur from China with long feathers on the metatarsus. Naturwissenschaften, 2005, 92(4): 173–177
Unwin D M, Bakhurina N N. Pterosaurs from Russia, Middle Asia and Mongolia. In: Benton M J, Shiskin M, Unwin D M, et al, eds. The age of Dinosaurs in Russia and Mongolia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000. 420–433
Wellnhofer P. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Pterosaurs. London: Salamander Books Limited, 1991. 1–191
Ji S A, Ji Q. A new fossil pterosaur (Rhamphorhynchoidea) from Liaoning. Jiangsu Geol (in Chinese), 1998, 22(4): 199–206
Ji S A, Ji Q, Padian K. Biostratigraphy of new pterosaurs from China. Nature, 1999, 398: 563–574
Unwin D M, Lü J C, Bakhurina N N. On the systematic and stratigraphic significance of pterosaurs from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation (Jehol Group) of Liaoning, China. Mitteilungen Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, Geowissenschaftlichen, 2000, Reihe 3: 181–206
Wang X L, Lü J C. Discovery of a pterodactylid pterosaur from the Yixian Formation of western Liaoning, China. Chin Sci Bull, 2001, 46(13): 1112–1117
Ji S A, Ji Q. Discovery of a new Pterosaur from Western Liaoning. Acta Geol Sin (in Chinese with English abstract), 1997, 71(1): 1–6
Niu B G, He Z J, Song B, et al. SHRIMP Geochronology of volcanics of Zhangjiakou. Geol Bull Chin (in Chinese with English abstract), 2003, 22(2): 140–141
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
About this article
Cite this article
Liu, Y., Liu, Y., Ji, S. et al. U-Pb zircon age for the Daohugou Biota at Ningcheng of Inner Mongolia and comments on related issues. CHINESE SCI BULL 51, 2634–2644 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-006-2165-2
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-006-2165-2