Lintian Fm

The type section of the Lintian Formation is the Lintian-Qiankeng section, near Lintian Village, about 25 km southeast of the seat of Changting, Longyan, Fujian Province (116°34’E, 25°45’N). The section was measured by Li Jianhai and others from the Fujian Regional Geological Survey Team in 1979. The Lintian Formation was first published by Li et al. (1983). The name is derived from Lintian Village in the Changting County, Longyan City, western Fujian Province, and was originally appeared in a 1982 manuscript by the Fujian Regional Geological Survey Team, originally it was called Lintian Group by Li et al. (1983), and was subsequently renamed Lintian Formation by Li J. (1997).

Synonym: （林田组）

The Lintian Formation is a metamorphic clastic sequence. In the type section the formation is divided into two informal members. Lower member, 1547.5 m thick, consists of medium- to thick-bedded, metamorphic, fine-grained quartzose sandstone (containing feldspar clasts), intercalated metamorphic siltstone, carbonaceous phyllite, and lenses of bone coal or lenses bearing bone coal. Upper member, over 749.8 m thick with the upper part cut off by fault, consists of thick- to mega-thick-bedded, metamorphic fine- to medium-grained quartzose sandstone, intercalated phyllitic sandy shale, phyllitic siltstone and phyllitic carbonaceous slate. In the type section, the formation is over 2295.5 m thick.

The Lintian Formation yields sponge spicule Protospongia sp., chitinozoans Desmochitina? sp. and Conochitina? sp., and micro-paleoplant fossils Boltisphaeridium sp., Leiominuscula sp., Protoleiosphaeridium sp., and Trachysphaeridium sp.