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Wenchangshan Formation
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Wenchangshan Fm base reconstruction

Wenchangshan Fm

Period: 
Neoproterozoic

Age Interval: 
Nanhuan-Sinian (Cryogenian-Ediacaran), Nb-Z (16)


Province: 
Ningxia

Type Locality and Naming

North Qilian (central Gansu). The Wenchangshan Fm (Group) was named by Yan Zhiqiang et al. (1992). The type section is located at Wenchang Hills in the west part of Xihua Mountain, Haiyuan County, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

Synonym: Wenchangshan Gr


Lithology and Thickness

The Wenchangshan Fm is composed of a series of gray green to gray low-grade metamorphosed coarse- to fine-grained clastic rock, which consists of two members. Lower member (Dundunliang Member) is a gray-light gray green thick-massive breccia, with minor gray-green slightly metamorphosed fine-grained lithic feldspathic greywacke, arkosic lithic sandstone, with conglomerate and sandstone showing mutual transition, and 9-80.2 m thick. Upper member (Caojiashan Member) is comprised of light green-gray, yellowish-green-gray slightly metamorphosed medium-fine grained calcareous lithic sandstone, feldspathic calcareous lithic sandstone and calcareous lithic quartz sandstone, interbedded with minor green-gray thick-bedded mudstone and calcareous mudstone, 16-45.5 m thick. The total thickness if 70-120 m.


Lithology Pattern: 
Sandstone


Relationships and Distribution

Lower contact

The Wenchangshan Fm is disconformable onto the underlying metamorphosed Xihuashan Gr

Upper contact

It is disconformably overlain by Upper Silurian red clastic rocks.

Regional extent

Wenchang Hills in the west part of Xihua Mountain, Haiyuan County, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.


GeoJSON

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Fossils

Microplants: Pseudozonosphaera asperella, P. rugosa, P. nucleolata, Trachysphaeridium rude, T. cultum, T. cf. planum, Monotrematosphaeridium sp., Lophosphaeridium sp., Leiofusa digitata, Leiopsophosphaera infriata; trace fossils: Planolites uirgatus, P. stylatus, P. montanus. These indicate a Sinian age.


Age 

Nanhuan-Sinian (Cryogenian-Ediacaran) span on the schematic stratigraphic column.

Age Span: 

    Beginning stage: 
Cryogenian

    Fraction up in beginning stage: 
0.0

    Beginning date (Ma): 
720.00

    Ending stage: 
Ediacaran

    Fraction up in the ending stage: 
1.0

    Ending date (Ma):  
538.80

Depositional setting


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.