OJGOpen Journal of Geology2161-7570Scientific Research Publishing10.4236/ojg.2019.910043OJG-95205ArticlesEarth&Environmental Sciences First Report of Redeposited Cretaceous Radiolarians in the Eocene Sand-Shale Member of Zhepure Formation, Tüna, Yadong, Tibet XinfaLi1*GuobiaoLi2School of Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Environmental Geology and Biogeology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, China20092019091056656815, August 201917, September 2019 20, September 2019© Copyright 2014 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. 2014This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Cretaceous radiolarians were firstly reported from the Eocene Sand-Shale Member of Zhepure Formation in the Gulupu section, Tüna, Yadong, Tibet. In spite of poor preservation, 24 species of 14 radiolarian genera have still been identified, clearly indicating an age, ranging from early Aptian–Maastrichtian, and therefore should have occurred in the Eocene as a result of redeposition. The study of the stratigraphic origin of these radiolarians will shed light on the paleoenvironment and late evolutionary history of the Tibet-Tethys.

Cretaceous Redeposited Radiolarians Eocene Zhepure Formation Paleoenvironment YadongRadiolarian Biostratigraphy

A certain number of radiolarians were obtained in the Eocene strata of Gulupu section, based on the previous studies on Cretaceous radiolarians in Tibet [1] [2] [3] [4] , and other areas [5] [6] , 24 species of 14 genera were identified, which provides an age of middle to late Cretaceous. The important elements (Figure 1) include Turbocapsula fugitive O’Dogherty, early Aptian to early Albian; Cryptamphorella conara (Foreman), Albian to late Maastrichtian; Pessagnobrachia irregularis (Squinabol), middle Albian to middle Cenomanian; Acaeniotyle umbilicate (Rust), late Campanian; Holocryptocanium tuberculatum Dumitrica, late Cenomanian; Xitus spicularius (Aliev), middle Albian; Stichomitra compsa Foreman, Maastrichtian; Pseudodictyomitra carpatica (Lozyniak),

early Aptian; P. nuda (Schaaf), early Aptian; P. pachicostata (Wu and Li), Turonian; Dictyomitra communis (Squinabol), late Aptian; middle Albian; D. multicostata Zittel, early Turonian; Lithostrobus litus Forman, late Cretaceous; Thanarla conica (Squinabol), Middle Albian; T. veneta (Squinabol), late Albian to Turonian; Amphipyndax stockii (Campbell and Clark), Campanian; Distylocapsa veneta (Squinabol), late Albian to middle Cenomanian and Praeconocaryomma californiaensis Pessagno, Coniacian-Santonian.

During Eocene, there was a residual basin in Yadong area [7] . According to the plate tectonic background and stratigraphic characteristics of Yadong and adjacent areas, it is inferred that the redeposited radiolarian should come from the underlying Cretaceous strata in the study area and adjacent areas, which redeposited in Eocene residual sea basin after weathering, erosion and transportation.

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41272030), UNESCO/IUGS/IGCP 679 and 608, and the National Basic Research Program of China (2012CB822001).

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.

Cite this paper

Li, X.F. and Li, G.B. (2019) First Report of Redeposited Cretaceous Radiolarians in the Eocene Sand-Shale Member of Zhepure Formation, Tüna, Yadong, Tibet. Open Journal of Geology, 9, 566-568. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojg.2019.910043

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