The Liushu Formation is a
geological formation
A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics (lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock expo ...
in
Gansu province
Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...
, China that spans up to 100 m thick and is widely distributed within the
Linxia Basin, with a
paleomagnetic
Paleomagnetism (occasionally palaeomagnetism) is the study of prehistoric Earth's magnetic fields recorded in rocks, sediment, or archeological materials. Geophysicists who specialize in paleomagnetism are called ''paleomagnetists.''
Certain ...
age between 11 and 6.4
mya (
Upper/Late Miocene).
Geology
The formation is divided into three parts representing three different ages, generally referred to as the "upper part" (youngest, at 6-7
mya), the "middle part" (intermediate, at 9 to 7.6 mya, also known as the Dashengou Fauna), and the "lower part" (oldest).
Paleobiota
Birds
Mammals
Artiodactyla
Carnivora
= Caniformia
=
= Feliformia
=
Perissodactyla
The Liushu formation displays a lineage of
Elasmotheriine rhinoceros
A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...
throughout its
stratigraphy
Stratigraphy is a branch of geology concerned with the study of rock layers (strata) and layering (stratification). It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks.
Stratigraphy has three related subfields: lithost ...
. ''
Iranotherium'' is restricted to the middle part of the
formation but remains absent in the overlying layers, the only Elasmotheriine that can be found in the upper layers is ''
Sinotherium''.
= Chalicotheres
=
= Equids
=
= Rhinocerotids
=
Rodents
Proboscidea
Reptiles
References
{{reflist
Geologic formations of China
Miocene Series