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Nanfen Formation
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Nanfen Fm base reconstruction

Nanfen Fm

Period: 
Neoproterozoic

Age Interval: 
Latest Qingbaikouan (late Tonian), Qb (23, 24)


Province: 
Liaoning, Jilin

Type Locality and Naming

Northeast Liaoning. The name Nanfen Fm derived from the Nanfen Shale named by Aoji, o. in 1928. The typical section is situated in Nanfen Town 25 km south of Benxi City and the reference section is in Qianjinling in Benxi City, Liaoning Province.

Synonym: （南芬组）


Lithology and Thickness

The Nanfen Fm is a suite of variegated marl and shale. Generally, the lower part is composed of purple and greenish gray pelitic limestone and marl, and the upper part is variegated shale and sandstone. Its thickness varies from 300 to 1040 m.


Lithology Pattern: 
Shallow-marine marl


Relationships and Distribution

Lower contact

It rests conformably on the underlying Diaoyutai Fm

Upper contact

It conformably underlies the Nanguanling Fm

Regional extent

This formation is distributed in Hunjiang River basin in south Jilin Province, in Taizihe River basin and Yingkou, Lushun and Fuxian area, east Liaoning Province.


GeoJSON

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Fossils

The Nanfen Formation yields microplants dominated by Leiopsophosphaera minor, L. infriata, L. aff. effusa, L. aperta, L. pellucida, Trachysphaeridium rugosum, T. incrassatum, T. simplex, T. minor, T. cf. laminaritum, T. stipticum, T. cultum, T. hyalinum, Pseudozonosphaeridium sp., Pterospermopsis sp., Stictosphaeridium sp., Dictyosphaera sp., Synsphaeridium conglutinatum, Archaeofavosina sp., etc.; and macroscopic fossil algae Chuaria circularis, Shouhsienia shouhsiensis, Tawuia dalensesis etc.


Age 

The Ar-Ar age on illite is 777±7 Ma. Latest Qingbaikouan (late Tonian) on schematic stratigraphic section

Age Span: 

    Beginning stage: 
Tonian

    Fraction up in beginning stage: 
0.65

    Beginning date (Ma): 
818.00

    Ending stage: 
Tonian

    Fraction up in the ending stage: 
0.8

    Ending date (Ma):  
776.00

Depositional setting

The sandy shale increases in the Fuxian-Dalian area.


Depositional pattern:  


Additional Information


Compiler:  

Extracts from The Neoproterozoic Erathem (chapter in Stratigraphic Lexicon of China, draft of 2022) by Gao Linzhi, Ding Xiaozhong, Zhang Chuanheng, Zhang Heng.