In the
geologic timescale, the Wuchiapingian or Wujiapingian (from in the Liangshan area of
Hanzhong,
Shaanxi Province ) is an
age or
stage of the
Permian. It is also the lower or earlier of two subdivisions of the
Lopingian Epoch or
Series. The Wuchiapingian spans the time between and
million years ago (Ma). It was preceded by the
Capitanian and followed by the
Changhsingian.
Regional stages with which the Wuchiapingian is coeval or overlaps include the Djulfian or Dzhulfian, Longtanian, Rustlerian, Saladoan, and Castilian.
Stratigraphic definitions
The Wuchiapingian was first used in 1962, when the Lopingian Series of southwestern China was divided in the Changhsingian and Wuchiapingian Formations. In 1973 the Wuchiapingian was first used as a
chronostratigraphic unit (i.e. a stage, as opposed to a
formation, which is a
lithostratigraphic unit).
The base of the Wuchiapingian Stage is defined as the place in the stratigraphic record where the
conodont species ''
Clarkina postbitteri postbitteri'' first appears. A global reference profile for this boundary (a
GSSP) is located near
Laibin in the Chinese
province of Guangxi.
The top of the Wuchiapingian (the base of the Changhsingian) is at the first appearance of
conodont species ''
Clarkina wangi''.
The Wuchiapingian contains two
ammonoid biozones: that of the
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
''
Araxoceras'' and that of the genera ''
Roadoceras'' and ''
Doulingoceras''.
Wuchiapingian life
An extinction pulse occurred during the Wuchiapingian; faunas were recovering when another larger extinction pulse, the
Permian–Triassic extinction event devastated life.
A relatively diverse fish fauna is known from the coeval
Kupferschiefer (
Werra Formation, Germany),
Marl Slate Formation (England) and
Ravnefjeld Formation (Greenland), including, among others, the following
genera: ''
Acentrophorus'', ''
Acropholis'', ''
Boreolepis'', ''
Coelacanthus'', ''
Dorypterus'', ''
Janassa'', ''
Menaspis'', ''
Palaeoniscum'', ''
Platysomus'', ''
Pygopterus'' and ''
Wodnika''. The
Hambast Formation of Iran yielded
chondrichthyan faunas of Wuchiapingian to
Changhsingian age. The Wuchiapingian layers produced teeth of the
eugeneodontid ''
Bobbodus''.
Notable formations
*
Hambast Formation (
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
)
*
Marl Slate Formation (
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
)
*
Naobaogou Formation (
Inner Mongolia, China)
*
Ravnefjeld Formation (
Greenland)
*
Sunjiagou Formation (
Shanxi
Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...
, China)
*
''Tropidostoma'' Assemblage Zone* (South Africa)
*
Werra Formation (
Kupferschiefer,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
)
References
External links
GeoWhen Database - WuchiapingianUpper Paleozoic stratigraphic chartat the website of the subcommission for stratigraphic information of the ICS
{{Geological history, p, p
Permian geochronology
.
Lopingian
Hanzhong
Paleontology in Shaanxi
Permian Asia