Mahui Fm

The type section is located at exposures (E112°55′, N36°59′) between the villages of Nanmahui and Beimahui, about 10 km south of Yushe County, Shanxi Province. It was named by Qiu et al. (1987). Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources of Shanxi Province (BGMRS(Shanxi)P) (1989) named the Yushe Gr, which was divided into the Rejianao Fm, Zhangcun Fm, and Louzeyu Fm. Qiu et al. (1987) considered that the Mahui Fm can be correlated to the lower part of the Zhangcun Fm plus the Renjianao Fm.

Its bottom is formed by light brownish-red breccia. Lower part consists of moderately thick yellow and light orange sands interbedded with purplish- or brownish-red thin layers of clay. Middle part is characterized by thick gravels, and rather thick light orange sands interbedded with purplish-red clays. Upper part is formed by laminations of greyish-white or greyish-green motley calcareous clays and silts. It contains abundant mammalian and small amount sporopollen fossils. Its thickness is about 200 m.

Mammals: Soricidae indet., Talpidae indet., Ochotona lagrelli, Leporidae indet., Eutamias ertemtensis, Sciurus sp., ?Petinomys sp., Pliopetaurista rugosa, Hytrix sp., Dipoides anatolicus, Castor anderssoni, Sicista sp., Lophocricetus sp., Pseudomeriones abbreviatus, Prosiphneus murinus, Neoerieetodon granger, Karngnata hipparionum, Apodemus orientalis, Huaxiamys primitivus, Indarctos, Simocyon, Adcrocuta, Ictitherium, Thalassictis, Chasmaporthetes, Metailurus, Machairodus, Cleuastochoeurs, Microstonyx, Propotamochoeurs, Palaeotragus, Honanotherium, Cervocerus, Paracervulus, Platycemas, Procapreolus, Gazella, Sinohippus, Hipparion, Dicerorhinus, Acerorhinus, Zygolophodon, Stegodon, Gomphotherium, Choerolophodon (Tedford et al., 1991; Flynn et al., 1997).

It is interpreted as a river-lake environment.