"Siaohopa Formation" (Upper Unit) at Rongxi, Xiushan County, SE Sichuan Province (Silurian of China)

Where: Sichuan, China (28.6° N, 108.9° E: paleocoordinates 6.2° N, 126.6° E)

• coordinate based on political unit

• local area-level geographic resolution

When: "Siaohopa" Formation, Telychian (438.5 - 433.4 Ma)

• Except where otherwise stated, ref. 7624 uses Lower Silurian as equivalent to Llandovery, Middle Silurian as equivalent to Wenlock, and Upper Silurian as equivalent to Ludlow plus Pridoli. "The lower unit may be correltaed with the Siaohopa Formation. The upper unit was previously assigned to the Shamao Fm., but the typical Shamao Fm. has a lithology that is different..." "The presence of Pristiograptus xiushanensis and Petalolithus in the lower part of the formation indicates a correlation with the Leijiatun Fm. of early Upper Llandovery age. The presence of Monograptus enshiensis, which is close to M. undulatus of the British section, in the upper part of the formation suggests that this part is also of Upper Llandovery age. Therefore both lithologic and paleontologic evidence indicates that the "S. Fm." should be correlated with the Leijiatun and Majiaochong Fms. of Upper Llandovery age."

• member-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: marine; siltstone and calcareous shale

• Correlation chart indicates BA3 based on shelly fauna for this formation at this locality.
• Formation at Rongxi "consists of a lower unit of sandstone and silty sandstone overlain by an upper uhnit of siltstone, calcareous shale, and thin-bedded sandstone...The lower unit [has] a thickness of 182 m. The upper part...has a thickness of 161 m."

Primary reference: E.-z. Mu, A. J. Boucot, X. Chen and J.-y. Rong. 1986. Correlation of the Silurian rocks of China. In A. J. Boucot and W. B. N. Berry (eds.), Geological Society of America Special Paper 202:1-80 [M. Foote/M. Foote/P. Wagner]more details

Purpose of describing collection: biostratigraphic analysis

PaleoDB collection 27843: authorized by Michael Foote, entered by Michael Foote on 14.01.2003

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Pterobranchia
  - Cyclograptidae
 Graptoloidea - Monograptidae
Rhynchonellata
 Orthida - Dalmanellidae
Isorthis sp. Kozlowski 1929
 Athyridida - Nucleospiridae
 Atrypida - Atrypinidae