Shaofanggou Fm

The type section is located at Dalongkou in Jimusaer, Xinjiang. It was named as Shaofanggou Bed dating as Early Triassic by Yuan Fuli in 1935, and then republished as Middle Triassic in 1956. In 1957, Tang Zukui et al. called the lower part of Shaofanggou Bed as the Shaofangou Bed. In 1959, Xie Hong et al. changed the age of the strata to the Early and Middle Triassic. Yang Shizhong changed the bed to a formation status in 1960. The Shaofanggou Fm is published formally by the compilation group of regional stratigraphic tables of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region from 1977 to 1981, regarding as the Lower Triassic. The sections of the two wings of Dalong anticline were measured in detail by the Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences and the Research Institute of Xinjiang Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources from 1984 to 1986. Now it is the lower formation of the Shangcangfanggou Gr

This formation is mainly composed of purplish-red, grayish-purple with grayish green sandstone, siltstone, argillaceous siltstone intercalated with a few conglomerates. The significant marker of this formation is the massive sandstone ball. Lower part mainly consists of gray, purplish-gray sandstone and conglomerate, whereas Upper part is composed of grayish-purple, purplish-red siltstone and mudstone.

Microspores: Limatulasporites-Lundbladispora-Dictyotriletes-Taeniaesporites assemblage; Megaspores: Aneuletes acrochor-donodes-Pusulosporites inflatus assemblage; Vertebrates: Labyrinthodontia and? Lystrosaurus sp.; Ostracods: Darwinula breva.

It is interpreted as a fluvial-lacustrine environment.