Abstract
Two index fossils Shaanxilithes ningqiangensis and Cloudina hartmannae are selected as potential candidates for the biostratigraphic marker of the Terminal Stage of the Ediacaran System (551–538 Ma) due to their relative wide distribution. Among these two candidates, the first appearance datum of C. hartmanae in the Dengying Formation in the Gaojiashan section, southern Shaanxi Province, China coincides with 5.8‰ positive excursion of carbon isotope compositions (δ13C). The relationship between Cloudina and a significant positive excursion of carbon isotope is also evident among different studied basins, such as those in Namibia, Oman and Brazil. Given its worldwide distribution and unparalleled significance in biological innovation, the biomineralized C. hartmannae has excellent potential to be the stratigraphic marker for defining the Terminal Ediacaran Stage, and can be correlated with precision to different paleocontinents.
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