Upper Changhsingian to lower Anisian conodont biostratigraphy of the Datuguan section, Nanpanjiang Basin, South China

Abstract

The Great Bank of Guizhou (GBG) of South China is an important area for the study of Lower Triassic conodont biostratigraphy, but few studies have concerned the clastic facies of this region. The Datuguan section in Luodian County, southern Guizhou Province, is a typical clastic ramp section, preserving a relatively complete conodont succession from the uppermost Permian to lower Middle Triassic. A total of nearly 4000 P1 elements were obtained from this section, and 48 conodont species belonging to 16 genera have been identified, including a new species, Gladigondolella luodianensis sp. nov. 12 conodont biozones have been recognized, namely, the Clarkina yini Zone, the C. meishanensis Zone, the Hindeodus postparvus Zone, the Novispathodus waageni Zone, the Discretella discreta Zone, the Nv. pingdingshanensis Zone, the Icriospathodus collinsoni Zone, the Triassospathodus homeri Zone, the Tr. symmetricus Zone, the Tr. triangularis Zone, the Tr. sosioensis Zone, and the Chiosella timorensis Zone in ascending order. These conodont zones improve the resolution of correlation with other sections in this region, as well as globally. Based on the conodont successions and correlation of lithology, the Permian–Triassic boundary (PTB) and the Griesbachian–Dienerian boundary (GDB) are temporarily placed at the middle of Bed 8, 7 m below the top of the Linghao Formation, and the top of Bed 12, 15 m above the bottom of the Luolou Formation, respectively. The Induan–Olenekian boundary (IOB), the Smithian–Spathian boundary (SSB), and the Olenekian–Anisian boundary (OAB) are drawn at Bed 15–1, Bed 27–1, and Bed 42–2, in terms of the first occurrences (FOs) of Nv. waageni sensu lato, Nv. pingdingshanensis, and Ch. timorensis sensu stricto respectively. The conodonts and ammonoids from the Datuguan section supplement the materials of the Guandao section, which is an important reference section for the definition of OAB. In addition, the distribution of segminiplanate conodonts from the platform margin to the basin center has been determined in the Nanpanjiang Basin, revealing that segminiplanates migrated to equatorial region four times and preferred a narrow mid-depth setting during relatively cooler periods of the Early Triassic, in addition to occupying the more oxygenated deep-water basin at other time.