Miaogao Fm

It was proposed by Ding Wenjiang and Wang Yuelun (1937). The type section is located at Liaojiaoshan (i.e., Miaogaoshan), 15 km southwest of the Qujing County seat in eastern Yunnan Province. The name Malong Gr was created by Sun Yunzhu (1945), which covered both the Guandi Fm and the Miaogao Fm. But the Miaogao Fm had been proposed earlier with characteristic lithology and, hence, should not be replaced with the name Malong Fm (Yin Zanxun, 1949). Both the Spirifer tingi Bed and the S. bourgeoisi Bed) (Grabau 1926) are equivalent to the horizon bearing abundant Howellella tingi in the Miaogou Fm (Rong Jiayu and Yang Xuechang, 1980). The Yi’nong Limestone (Grabau, 1926) yields Spirifer tingi (=Howellella tingi) and probably also belongs to the Miaogou Fm.

Synonym: (妙高组)

The formation, 335 m in thickness, is dominated by thin-bedded dark gray to grayish black knotty limestone intercalated with yellow green pelite and pelitic siltstone.

The main fossils include: brachiopods Howellella tingi, Retziella minor, R. uniplicata, Protathyris cf. praecursor, Areostrophia delicata, Eoschizophoria hesta, etc., bivalves Actinopteria, Pracecardium, etc.; nautiloids Enthyocycloceras, Xiaoxinagoceras, etc.; trilobite Proetus, Warburgella; anthozoa Kyphophyllum, Squameofavosites and conodonts Ozarkodina crispa, Hindeodella pricilla, Frichonechella.

The brachiopod elements mostly belong to bottom-dwelling association and represent near-shore, normal neritic, plain-bottom bio-association (Rong Jiayu and Yang Xuechang, 1980; Rong Jiayu, 1986).