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Wugeshan Formation
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Wugeshan Fm base reconstruction

Wugeshan Fm

Period: 
Neoproterozoic

Age Interval: 
lower-middle Qingbaikouan (lower-middle Tonian), Qb (14)


Province: 
Qinghai, Gansu

Type Locality and Naming

Middle Qilian (north-central Gansu-Qinghai border region). The Wugeshan Fm was named by Qian Jiaqi et al. (1981). The naming section is located at Wugeshan southwest of Tulai pasture, Qilian County, Qinghai Province. Lower-middle formation in Gongcha Gr.

Synonym: （五个山组）


Lithology and Thickness

The lithology of the formation changes considerably, and consists of dark gray, gray and purple gray dolomitic limestone, siliceous limestone, crystalline limestone, oolitic or breccia limestone with siliciclastics, argillaceous limestone interbedded with gray-green to gray-purple silty slate and quartz sandstone with gypsum beds. There are several pure gypsum beds around Chaganburgas and Hudonggou area in Gansu that change into limestone along the strike. The formation is 1094 m thick in the naming section. In the Dashuigou area, it is a carbonate rock that is 1571 m thick. In Hongliugou in the west, the lower part consists of gray slate marble, and the upper part is gray thick-bedded marble and dark-green intermediate-basic tuff and lava with sedimentary meta-iron ore lenses. It is over 545 m thick, with the exposed thickness generally 473-2214 m.


Lithology Pattern: 
Dolomitic limestone


Relationships and Distribution

Lower contact

It is conformable onto the underlying Qitadaban Fm

Upper contact

It is conformably overlain by the Hashihaer Fm

Regional extent

Middle Qilian (north-central Gansu-Qinghai border region). The formation is mainly distributed in Dagongcha, Chaganburgas, Hudonggou of Subei County and Daliugou, Jingtie Mt., Guliangxia in Gansu Province; it extends southeastward to Wugeshan, Qilian County, Qinghai Province.


GeoJSON

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Fossils

The formation yields abundant stromatolites, such as: Gymnosolen furcatus, G. Leuis, G. cf. confragosus, G. cf. auis, Inzeria tjomusi, Baicalia capricornia, Tungussia nodosa, T. bassa, Scopulimorpha f., Plumaria compactila, Songjiella cf. leigiahuensis, Conophyton ocularoides, C. circulus etc. Microplants: Trachysphaeridium sp., Asperatopsophosphaera sp., Paleomorpha sp. and Dictyosphaera sp., Quadratimorpha etc.


Age 

lower-middle Qingbaikouan (lower-middle Tonian)

Age Span: 

    Beginning stage: 
Tonian

    Fraction up in beginning stage: 
0.2

    Beginning date (Ma): 
944.00

    Ending stage: 
Tonian

    Fraction up in the ending stage: 
0.4

    Ending date (Ma):  
888.00

Depositional setting


Depositional pattern:  


Additional Information

The paleolatitude is 0.4° with a paleomagnetic pole at -10.6°ψ, 178° λ.


Compiler:  

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