Early Permian fusulinids from the Baoshan Block, western Yunnan, China and their paleobiogeographic significance

Abstract

Early Permian fusulinids from both northern and southern parts of the Baoshan Block (western Yunnan, Southwest China) are illustrated and compared with coeval fusulinid faunas from other northern peri-Gondwana areas to disclose paleogeographic information. Systematic study of collected fusulinid materials and examination of published data from the Dingjiazhai area, northern Baoshan Block, show that fusulinids there includeEoparafusulina pseudosimplexandPseudofusulina macilenta.Fusulinids from the Aluotian Section, southern Baoshan Block, consist ofP. minitumidisculan. sp.,P. macilenta, P. tumidiscula, E. pseudo simplex, E.aff.E. laudoni, andE.sp. Early Permian fusulinids from both northern and southern Baoshan Blocks are dominated byPseudofusulinaandEoparafusulinaspecies and they are similar to those from Central Pamir, South Afghanistan, East-Central Iran, Central Oman, East Hindu Kush and northern Karakorum, revealing a Sakmarian to Artinskian age. Moreover, detailed comparison shows that the Early Permian fusulinid assemblage from the Baoshan Block is more similar to those from East-Central Iran, Central Pamir and South Afghanistan. This implies that the Baoshan Block may have been near those areas during the Early Permian.