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Xiawuna Formation

Xiawuna Fm


Period: 
Devonian

Age Interval: 
D2 (40), Middle Devonian


Province: 
Gansu

Type Locality and Naming

The type section is located at Dangduogou, 24 km northwest of Diebu County of Gansu Province.

It was named by Zhang Yan in 1961 and was published in 1976 by Regional Stratigraphic Scale, Volume Gansu.


Lithology and Thickness

The Formation, 300-400 m thick, is composed of two sedimentary cyclic sequences.

Calcareous sandstone. The lower part of the first cycle consists of gray medium- to thick-bedded calcareous quartz sandstone, clayey siltstone and shale; and the upper part is gray thick-bedded to massive sandstone and bioclastic limestone

Sandstone, limestone. The second cycle consists of a lower part of light-brownish-gray medium- to thick-bedded iron-bearing quartz sandstone and silty limestone with sandy shale, and an upper part of gray medium- to thick- bedded microcrystalline limestone, bioclastic limestone and stromatoporoid-bearing limestone with a few siltstone layers.


Lithology Pattern: 
Sandy limestone


Relationships and Distribution

Lower contact

It conformably overlies the Lure Fm limestone or the coeval Lubagou Fm dolomite

Upper contact

It conformably underlies the Pulai Fm.

Regional extent

The Formation is widely distributed in the western Qinling Mts. with relatively persistent lithology and thickness of 300-400 m.


GeoJSON

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Fossils

The upper part of the first cycle contains coral Dendrostella trigemma-Fasciphyllum crassithecum Assemblage Zone.

The upper part of the second cycle contains brachiopoda Geranocephalus xiawunaensis-Scharkovaelites sinensis Assemblage Zone, Strigocephalus Acme Zone, and conodont Icriodus arkoeensis in the upper part.


Age 

Middle Devonian

Age Span: 

    Beginning stage: 
Eifelian

    Fraction up in beginning stage: 
0.8

    Beginning date (Ma): 
387.10

    Ending stage: 
Frasnian

    Fraction up in the ending stage: 
0.2

    Ending date (Ma):  
377.34

Depositional setting

The upward trend of sedimentary environments of each cyclic deposit shows a shallowing from shallow shelf to a carbonate platform.


Depositional pattern:  


Additional Information


Compiler:  

(Cao Xuanduo)