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Hongliuyuan Formation

Hongliuyuan Fm


Period: 
Carboniferous

Age Interval: 
C21 (9), Visean (middle Early Carboniferous)


Province: 
Gansu

Type Locality and Naming

The type section is located 9.5 km southwest of the Liuyuan Station of the Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway, Anxi, Gansu. It was named by the No. 1 Gansu Party of Regional Geological Survey in 1966.


Lithology and Thickness

Sandstone, Limestone and Volcanics. It is formed by clastic rocks intercalated with limestone and volcanic rocks. The Lower part consists of gray-green and gray-purple conglomerate, pebbled coarse-grained sandstone and feldspar-rich greywacke. The Upper part is dominated by gray and gray-black limestone and calcareous sandstone, locally intercalated with rhyolite, basalt and tuff. Thickness 337−2661 m. From west to east, volcanic rocks are decreasing while limestones are increasing.


Lithology Pattern: 
Sandy limestone


Relationships and Distribution

Lower contact

Unconformity onto underlying granites. Coeval with Bashan Fm volcanics.

Upper contact

Disconformable contact with the overlying Shibanshan Fm

Regional extent

Distributed at places such as east of the Hongliu dried gully and Daqi Mt., south of Mazong Mt.


GeoJSON

null

Fossils

The Corals can be divided into two assemblage zones: a lower Arachnolasma sinense-Palaeosmilia murchisoni–Lophophyllum ashfellense assemblage zone, and an upper Gangamophyllum (Chienchangia) hamiense-Neoclisiophyllum assemblage zone. It also yields Brachiopods Gigantoproductus giganteus, G. latissimus, G. edelburgensis, Striatifera striata, Kansuella maxima, etc. and Ammonoid Eumorphoceras sp.


Age 

Visean (middle Early Carboniferous). [For graphic purposes to allow display of coeval Bashan volcanics, put in mid-Visean)

Age Span: 

    Beginning stage: 
Visean

    Fraction up in beginning stage: 
0.5

    Beginning date (Ma): 
338.54

    Ending stage: 
Visean

    Fraction up in the ending stage: 
1.0

    Ending date (Ma):  
330.34

Depositional setting

It is interpreted as neritic clastic and carbonate sediments


Depositional pattern:  


Additional Information


Compiler:  

Zhang Yan