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Zaoshi Formation
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Zaoshi Fm base reconstruction

Zaoshi Fm

Period: 
Cretaceous, Paleogene

Age Interval: 
Late Maastrichtian - early Paleocene, K2z, (Cenoz24; Cret34)


Province: 
Hunan

Type Locality and Naming

Hengyang Basin. The Zaoshi Formation was erected by Gao Hongxiang (1975) in Zaoshi of Chaling County, Hunan. The section for the designation is the Xiamengtang section in Chaling (113º34', 26º45'). The naming section is located at Shangtang and Xiamengtang ~6 km southwest of Chaling County, eastern Hunan. Named by Gao Hongxiang in 1975.


Lithology and Thickness

Cretaceous entry: The Zaoshi Formation is composed of reddish siltstones, mudstones, intercalated with purple grey siltstones, fine-grained sandstones. Its base is a layer of thick-bedded feldspar quartz sandstone. The formation is locally intercalated with few mirabilite beds. It is 129~542 m thick.

Paleogene entry: Mainly purplish red sandy mudstone and mudstone with muddy sandstone, fine sandstone and grayish green marlstone, generally containing abundant calcareous concretions and sometimes intercalated with gypsum. The total thickness is ~50 m.

Synonym: The Zaoshi Formation was called as different names by different literatures like the Liushi Fm, Chejiang Fm (now separated as the underlying formation) or Dongtang Fm (as used by Dangpeng Xi, Xiaoqiao Wan, et al., 2019, Cretaceous integrative stratigraphy and timescale of China) and of Cretaceous or Paleogene age variously.


Lithology Pattern: 
Siltstone


Relationships and Distribution

Lower contact

It unconformably contacts with the underlying Chejiang Fm.

Upper contact

Next younger regional unit is the Lumpuing Fm (late Paleocene).

Regional extent

Cretaceous entry: The formation occurs in Chaling, Chayong, Hengyang, Changtao and Yuanma basins.

Paleocene entry: It is not widespread, mainly restricted at Xialong of Shangtang, Xiamengtang, Dingchiling, Nantang, Huamantang and Huamenlou of Zaoshi Township and Xiadong Township south of the seat of Chaling County in the basin center. Additionally, stratigraphic correlation shows that a similar horizon is probably distributed at Duko, Anren County.


GeoJSON

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Fossils

Besides crocodiles and turtles, the Zaoshi fauna also contains five general and nine species of mammals; the main elements are Stenanagale xiangensis, Meiostylodon zaoshiensis, Hypsilolambda chalingensis, H. impensa and Bemalambda nanhsiungensis. An integrated analysis of the characters of the mammal fossils and the horizon where they occur indicates that a number of genera and species, e.g. Hypsilolambda, Stenanagale and Meiostylodon, in this fauna have more advanced features than their contemporaneous analogues.


Age 

Gao Hongxiang et al. (1975) thought that this formation is Middle Paleocene or late Middle Paleocene in age and might be equivalent to the upper part of the Paleocene Wanghudun Fm in the Qianshan basin, Anhui. Zheng JiaJian et al. (1999) thought that this formation is Middle Paleocene and the possibility that the age of its upper part may be slightly younger is not ruled out. However, recent study assigns this formation to Early Paleocene (Wang et al., 2019). [Note: Cretaceous entry in Lexicon currently had placed base as upper Maastrichtian due to dinosaur fossils; therefore its span merges those two entries.]

Age Span: 

    Beginning stage: 
Maastrichtian

    Fraction up in beginning stage: 
0.7

    Beginning date (Ma): 
67.88

    Ending stage: 
Danian

    Fraction up in the ending stage: 
1.0

    Ending date (Ma):  
61.66

Depositional setting

The formation belongs to lacustrine deposits.


Depositional pattern:  


Additional Information


Compiler:  

Wan Xiaoqiao for Cretaceous portion

Tao Deng, Yuanqing Wang, Qian Li, et al. for Paleocene portion