Newsletter of the Subcommission on Permian Stratigraphy Number 46

Report <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> fieldtrip on <strong>the</strong> Carboniferous-Permian
sequences in central and sou<strong>the</strong>rn Mongolia in
Summer, 2005
Wenzhong Li
Nanjing Institute <strong>of</strong> Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy
<strong>of</strong> Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing, 210008, P.R. China
(Liwenzhong1999@sohu.com)
Ariunchimeg Yarinpil
Paleontological Center, Mongolia Academy <strong>of</strong> Sciences, B.D. Box
52, Ulaanbaatar 46, Mongolia (ariuna_ya@magicnet.mn)
Qinghua Shang
Institute <strong>of</strong> Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology,
Chinese Academy <strong>of</strong> Sciences, 142 Xizhimenwai Street, Beijing,
100044 China (shangqinghua@pa.ivpp.ac.cn)
G.R. Shi
School <strong>of</strong> Ecology and Environment, Deakin University,
Melbourne Campus, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria
3125, Australia (grshi@deakin.edu.au)
Shuzhong Shen
Nanjing Institute <strong>of</strong> Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy
<strong>of</strong> Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing, 210008, P.R. China
(szshen@nigpas.ac.cn )
The Carboniferous-Permian faunas in <strong>the</strong> marine basins in
central and sou<strong>the</strong>rn Mongolia are Boreal or transitional in terms
Permophiles Issue #46 December 2005
<strong>of</strong> palaeobiogeographical affinities where cold-water or temperate/
cold-water mixed biotas are present (Pavlova et al., 1991;
Manankov, 1998, 1999, 2002). The biostratigraphical transitional
zone with <strong>the</strong> Boreal/Palaeoequatorial mixed faunas has been
regarded as an important gateway for global correlations between
<strong>the</strong> high-latitude faunas and rock sequences usually lacking highresolution
biostratigraphical information such as fusulinid and
conodont zonation and those in <strong>the</strong> palaeoequatorial regions with
detailed fusulinid and conodont zonation (Shi et al., 1995; 2002;
2003). To investigate <strong>the</strong> strata and faunas in <strong>the</strong> nor<strong>the</strong>rn
transitional zone and its evolutionary processes during <strong>the</strong>
Carboniferous and Permian, joint fieldwork was undertaken in
sou<strong>the</strong>astern Mongolia by an international research team organized
by Shuzhong Shen, G.R. Shi and Ariunchimeg Yarinpil. O<strong>the</strong>r
members <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> fieldwork team included Wenzhong Li (Nanjing
Institute <strong>of</strong> Geology and Palaeontology, Nanjing, China), Qinghua
Shang (Institute <strong>of</strong> Vertebrate Paleontology and
Paleoanthropology, Beijing, China), with <strong>the</strong> help <strong>of</strong> Bayardorj
Ganbaatav and Ochirsukh (Mongolia) (Figs. 1, 2). In <strong>the</strong> sixteenday
(June 25 to July 10, 2005) excursion, we investigated <strong>the</strong> marine
sequences from Carboniferous to Permian in Adatzag in central
Mongolia, Khovsgol in <strong>the</strong> Khovsgol-Berim-Obo Zone, and
Kharererdene and Dzirem-Ula areas in <strong>the</strong> Solonker Zone in
sou<strong>the</strong>rn Mongolia.
The Carboniferous-Permian strata at <strong>the</strong> Adatzag section
are mainly composed <strong>of</strong> conglomerate interbedded with sandstone
on volcanic rocks (Pavlova et al., 1991; Manankov, 1998b, 1999,
2002). The Permian fauna at this section is dominated by <strong>the</strong> typical
Boreal-type brachiopod Jakutoproductus and associated with
some bivalves and bryozoans. The Adatzag Horizon is also
Fig. 1. Shuzhong Shen (left), Qinghua Shang (right) and G.R. Shi (middle) collecting fossils from <strong>the</strong> Kungurian deposits at Khovsgol
in sou<strong>the</strong>rn Mongolia.
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