The Dengying Formation is an upper

Ediacaran The Ediacaran Period ( ) is a geological period that spans 96 million years from the end of the Cryogenian Period 635 million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Cambrian Period 538.8 Mya. It marks the end of the Proterozoic Eon, and t ...

(551-541 Ma) fossiliferous geologic

formation Formation may refer to: Linguistics * Back-formation, the process of creating a new lexeme by removing or affixes * Word formation, the creation of a new word by adding affixes Mathematics and science * Cave formation or speleothem, a secondary ...

found in South China. It was deposited on a shallow marine

carbonate A carbonate is a salt of carbonic acid (H2CO3), characterized by the presence of the carbonate ion, a polyatomic ion with the formula . The word ''carbonate'' may also refer to a carbonate ester, an organic compound containing the carbonat ...

platform.

Members

Listed by ascending age: * The Hamajing Member is characterized by light grey, medium- to thick-bedded

dolomite Dolomite may refer to: *Dolomite (mineral), a carbonate mineral *Dolomite (rock), also known as dolostone, a sedimentary carbonate rock *Dolomite, Alabama, United States, an unincorporated community *Dolomite, California, United States, an unincor ...

, intercalated with thin layers of

chert Chert () is a hard, fine-grained sedimentary rock composed of microcrystalline or cryptocrystalline quartz, the mineral form of silicon dioxide (SiO2). Chert is characteristically of biological origin, but may also occur inorganically as a ...

. * The Shibantan Member is interpreted to represent a subtidal environment and is composed of dark grey, thin-bedded

bituminous Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term ...

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms wh ...

. It is the most fossiliferous of the Dengying Formation members and has yielded several

trace fossils A trace fossil, also known as an ichnofossil (; from el, ἴχνος ''ikhnos'' "trace, track"), is a fossil record of biological activity but not the preserved remains of the plant or animal itself. Trace fossils contrast with body fossils, ...

, such as ''

Lamonte LaMonte, Lamonte or La Monte may refer to the following people: Surname * Bob LaMonte, American sports agent * Collene Lamonte, American politician from Michigan * Francesca LaMonte (1895–1982), American ichthyologist * Karen LaMonte (born 1967 ...

''. * The Baimatuo Member consists of light grey, thick-bedded dolomite. Traditionally, the Tianzhushan Member was considered to be the uppermost unit of the Dengying Formation. However, its

small shelly fossils The small shelly fauna, small shelly fossils (SSF), or early skeletal fossils (ESF) are mineralized fossils, many only a few millimetres long, with a nearly continuous record from the latest stages of the Ediacaran to the end of the Early Cambr ...

and '' Micrhystridium''-like

acritarchs Acritarchs are organic microfossils, known from approximately 1800 million years ago to the present. The classification is a catch all term used to refer to any organic microfossils that cannot be assigned to other groups. Their diversity refl ...

are a shared characteristic with the

Cambrian The Cambrian Period ( ; sometimes symbolized Ꞓ) was the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, and of the Phanerozoic Eon. The Cambrian lasted 53.4 million years from the end of the preceding Ediacaran Period 538.8 million years ag ...

Yanjiahe Formation The Yanjiahe Formation is a Cambrian fossiliferous geologic formation found in South China.Dong et al., 2009

Genera

* '' Cloudina'' * ''

Paracharnia ''Paracharnia'' is a reassessed genus of a fossil reported by Ding and Chen (1981). It is the first Ediacaran metazoan fossilized remains found in China, taken from the Shibantan Member, Dengying Formation, Sinian System in the Eastern Yangtze ...

'' * ''

Sinotubulites ''Sinotubulites'' is a genus of small, tube-shaped shelly fossils from the Ediacaran period. It is often found in association with '' Cloudina''. Its tube has a "tube-in-tube" structure composed of several thin layers. It bears prominent longit ...

'' * '' Yangtziramulus''

Ichnogenera

* '' Helminthoidichnites'' * ''

'' * '' Torrowangea''

References

{{reflist Geologic formations of China Phosphorite formations Cambrian northern paleotemperate deposits Paleontology in China

Members

Genera

Ichnogenera

See also

References