Field Geology Course – Part Two
Evolution of Ancient Seas, Tropical Reefs,
and Life in the Nanpanjiang Basin of
Guizhou South China
Dan Lehrmann
University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh
Wan Yang
Wichita State University
Yu YouYi
Guizhou University
Department of Geology, University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Department of Geology, Wichita State University, Wichita, Kansas
May, 2009
Table of Contents
Table of contents ………………………………………………………………….
List of course participants
………………………………………………………
Itinerary ……………………………………………………………………………
Syllabi ....................................................................................................................
Preface ................................................................................................................….
I
II
III
VII
IX
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1
General geology of China
Triassic depositional history of the Yangtze platform and Great Bank of Guizhou and
accompanying field guide for geological traverses in the Nanpanjiang Basin of south
China…………………………………………………………………………
……..9
Geological descriptions of field stops
Leg 1 – Great Bank of Guizhou (GBG) ………………………………………..….. 43
Stop 1. NPJ basin overview. Yangtze platform architecture in Guiyang area…... 43
Stop 2. Nanpanjiang basin turbidites, Overview southern margin GBG……….. 48
Stop 3. Overview of Bianyang syncline and northern margin
escarpment………………………………………..…………………………… 50
Stop 4. P-T and Lower Triassic sections at Dawen and Dajiang ……………… 52
Stop 5. Basin margin slope traverse at Guandao ……………………………… 60
Stop 6. Northern reef margin traverse south of Guandao ………………............. 70
Stop 7. Platform interior traverse at Dajiang ………………………………… 73
Stop 8. Termination (drowning) sequence ……………………………………… 74
Stop 9. Ladinian patch reefs along the southern escarpment at Bangeng……… 76
Stop 10. Southern Reef margin and karst features at Dajing…………………… 76
Leg 2 –Yangtze Platform……………………………………………………………. 80
Stop 1. Karst features at Zhijin cave complex ………………………………… 98
Stop 2. Huanguoshu waterfall and overview of Yangtze Platform……………. 100
Stop 3. Platform margin (basin to interior) traverse at Hongyan………………. 102
Stop 4. Architecture of the Platform margin at Dabang….……………………. 113
Stop 5. Platform interior traverse at Yongingzhen…………………………….. 116
Stop 6. Crinoid and marine reptile lagerstätte at Xinpu………………………...118
Stop 7. Xingyi; Malinghe gorge plus Guizhousaurus lagerstätte……………… 124
Stop 8. Zhenfeng platform margin traverse: tectonic controls………………… 128
Stop 9. Cyclostratigraphy and sequence stratigraphy at Beila…………………. 135
Stop 10. Post termination fluvial formations at Longchan…………………….. 138
.
I
List of Course Participants
From University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, U.S.A.:
Dr. Dan Lehrmann (co-instructor)
Students to be listed.
Wichita State University, Wichita, Kansas, U.S.A.:
Dr. Wan Yang, co-instructor
Students to be listed.
From Guizhou University
Professor Yu Youyi, co-instructor
Students to be listed.
II
Itinerary
June 11 (Tuesday), depart U.S. (flight to Beijing, domestic flight to Guiyang)
June 12 (Wednesday)
Arrive Guiyang.
Overnight at: Jinri hotel, Beijing Road, Guiyang; phone: 86-851-6891600
June 13 (Thursday). Morning recovery from jet lag.
Afternoon Tour of Guiyang Huaxi Park and other attractions and geologic stops
surrounding Guiyang. Triassic Yangtze platform margin at Longtou Fm.-Qinyang
Guiyang-Mongguan-(Jurassic)-.Huaxi park. Dinner at Miao restaurant in evening.
Overnight at: Jinri hotel, Beijing Road, Guiyang; phone: 86-851-6891600
June 14 (Friday) Morning lectures on regional Geology of Guizhou., at Guizhou
University. Afternoon field preparation Dinner at dumpling house.
Overnight at: Jinri hotel, Beijing Road, Guiyang; phone: 86-851-6891600
Geological Field Traverse Leg 1 – Great Bank of Guizhou
June 15 (Saturday)
Morning Drive to Great Bank of Guizhou.
Examination of Yangtze Margin architecture in Guiyang syncline (Gutang). Overview
stops in Bianyang Syncline to view and discuss Nanpanjiang Basin and Great Bank of
Guizhou.
Overnight at: Shen Quan Hotel, Luodian; phone: 86-854-7620880
June 16 (Sunday)
Morning Overview stop on southern Margin of Great Bank of Guizhou. Examination of
Basin Filling Turbidite Deposits of Bianyang Fm.
Permian Triassic boundary and Lower Triassic sections (Dawen, Heping, Dajiang,
Langbai)
Overnight at: Shen Quan Hotel, Luodian; phone: 86-854-7620880
June 17 (Monday)
Morning Basin Margin Traverse and section measuring exercises. Guandao section.
Escarpment and breccia apron. Afternoon: Platform margin Reef Traverse (Northern
margin of Great Bank of Guizhou).
Overnight at: Shen Quan Hotel, Luodian; phone: 86-854-7620880
June 18 (Tuesday)
Platform interior traverse Dajiang section.
Afternoon – drowning section termination of the platform in Bianyang syncline, visit
village town of Bangun and examine Ladinian patch reefs (escarpment).
Overnight at: Shen Quan Hotel, Luodian; phone: 86-854-7620880
III
June 19 (Wednesday) Dajing/ Xiaojing –Southern margin Reef and basin margin facies
of the Great bank of Guizhou, Karst features. Afternoon – Qiandao Lake south of
Luodian.
Overnight at: Shen Quan Hotel, Luodian; phone: 86-854-7620880
June 20 (Thursday) drive back to Guiyang
Evening visit to Guiyang Xiaohe Paleontology Museum, visit Quangjiafu Miao restaurant
and village.
Overnight at: Jinri hotel, Beijing Road, Guiyang; phone: 86-851-6891600
June 21 (Friday) day off in Guiyang, tour to Hongfenghu lake.
Overnight at: Jinri hotel, Beijing Road, Guiyang; phone: 86-851-6891600
Geological Field Traverse Leg 2 – Yangtze Platform
June 22 (Saturday) depart for western Guizhou.
Drive to Zhejin and visit Zhejin Caves. Evening arrive in Anshun, visit Anshun
traditional market.
Overnight: at Tianpu hotel; Guihuang road, Dianlichen, Anshun, phone: 86-853-3516888
June 23 (Sunday) Drive from Anshun and Huangguoshu.
Tourism: Huanggoushu waterfall and Longgong cave and Stone forest.
Overnight: Grand Valley Hotel Resort, Huangguoshu, phone:86-853-3595800
June 24 (Monday). Morning drive from Huangguoshu to Guanling. Yangtze platform
margin geology at Hongyan section: Lower Triassic ramp through Middle Triassic Reef
and platform interior traverse. Platform margin architecture at Dabang.
Overnight: Overnight at: QianLing hotel, Guanling; phone:86-853-7228888
June 25 (Tuesday) Morning: Yongningzhen section Yangtze platform interior and +
Xinpu lagerstätte.
Overnight: Overnight at: QianLing hotel, Guanling; phone:86-853-7228888
June 26 (Wednesday) Drive to Xingyi. Visit Huajiang gorge in route, platform margin
traverse, Keichousaurus lagerstätte, Malinghe George
Overnight: Qianshan Hotel, Xingyi. phone: 86-859-3116669
June 27 (Thursday) Drive to Zhenfeng. Zhenfeng Platform margin traverse; tectonic
controls on margin architecture. Carbonate cyclostratgraphy and sequence stratigraphy
exercises at Beila section. Platform termination in upper part of Longchang section.
Evening tour of Zhenfeng, + visit of Miao village (Mrs. Yang’s house / village).
Overnight at: Jinzhou Hotel, Zhenfeng; phone: 86-859-6618777
IV
June 28 (Friday) Return from Zhenfeng to Guiyang. Visit Archosaur trackway site at
Liuchang on the way. Tour stop at Tianlong old town and traditional market (2hour) in
route to Guiyang 9time permitting).
Overnight at: Jinri hotel, Beijing Road, Guiyang; phone: 86-851-6891600
June 29 (Saturday) Depart Guiyang; arrive Beijing
Overnight in Beijing (Yuan Shan Hotel; address: 2 Yumin Road, Deshengmenwai,
Beijing).
June 30 (Sunday) Group tour to Great Wall and the Thirteen Ming Dynasty Tombs
Overnight in Beijing (Yuan Shan Hotel; address: 2 Yumin Road, Deshengmenwai,
Beijing).
July 1 (Monday) Free time in Beijing to visit such places as Tiananmen Square, the Great
Wall and the Forbidden City
Overnight in Beijing (Yuan Shan Hotel; address: 2 Yumin Road, Deshengmenwai,
Beijing).
July 2 (Tuesday) Free time in Beijing
Overnight in Beijing (Yuan Shan Hotel; address: 2 Yumin Road, Deshengmenwai,
Beijing).
July 3 (Wednesday) Depart Beijing; arrive U.S.
V
Syllabus for Wichita State University
Instructors:
Wan Yang, associate professor, Wichita State University, wan.yang@wichita.edu, 316978-7241 (office)
Dan Lehrmann, professor, University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh
Youyi Yu, professor, Guizhou University, China
Other instructors, to be determined
Course goal:
This course is designed for undergraduate and graduate students at all levels, who
are interested in geology but may or may not be geology majors. The main goal of this
course is to learn and practice skills of field observations of a variety of sedimentary
rocks, stratigraphy, paleontology, structural geology, and tectonics. Preliminary
interpretations of sedimentary environments, tectonics, paleontology, and paleoclimate,
and many other geologic features will be taught at different levels. Students should
master the basic skills of geologic field work, some basic concepts of sedimentology,
stratigraphy, petrology, structural geology, and tectonics.
The secondary goal of this course is to learn and comprehend the ancient and
modern Chinese history and culture, and relate and compare them to the western culture.
Textbook:
Lehrmann, D., Yang, W., Yu, Y. , 2009, Field Geology Course – Part Two: Evolution of
Ancient Seas, Tropical Reefs, and Life in the Nanpanjiang Basin of Guizhou South China:
University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh and Wichita State University.
Supplementary readings to be assigned.
Course Requirements and Grading:
Active participation in individual and team observations and discussions of
geological, archeological, and cultural features.
Field sketch and photograph geological, archeological, and cultural features.
Field measurement of stratigraphic sections and preliminary interpretations of
geological features. Complete required drafting of measured sections and required writeups of observations and interpretations.
Complete a short report on selected archeological and cultural subjects. The report
should be typed with 12-point font, double spaces, and not exceed 5 pages excluding
photos and figures.
Geological part of the course will count for ¾ of the course grade and
archeological and cultural part will count for ¼ of the course grade. The percentage of
grade assignment is as follows:
1. Course notebooks (geological, archeological, and cultural) will be graded for its
organization and content – 30%.
2. Geology field exercises – 40%.
3. Cultural report as specified above – 25%.
4. Class participation – 5%.
VI
Syllabus for the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
FIELD GEOLOGY IN CHINA, SUMMER 2009; 51-360: 3 CREDITS
Instructors: Dr. Dan Lehrmann, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh., Dr. Wan Yang,
Wichita State University, Dr. Yu Youyi, Guizhou University.
Emergency contact information:
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Dr. Lehrmann’s cell phone number within China_______________________.
Professor Yu Youyi’s cell phone within China: 13885047210.
Lehrmann’s e-mail address: lehrmann@uwosh.edu
Telephone code to the U.S: 001_
Primary UW Oshkosh Emergency Contact: University Police available 24-7; 920-424-1216 or
1212
Office of International Education: 1-920-424-0775 graff@uwosh.edu; mylreab@uwosh.edu ,
stukenbk@uwosh.edu; Triatikr@uwosh.edu
Office of the Provost & Vice Chancellor: 1-920-424-0300
U.S. Hotline for American Travelers: 1-202-647-5225
UW Oshkosh Counseling Center: 1-920-424-2061
Text:
Evolution of Ancient Seas, Tropical Reefs, and Life in the
Nanpanjiang Basin of Guizhou South China
Other Supplies:
Field book (hard-back, waterproof), Handlens, pencils, pens,
colored pencils, calculator, protractor, camera. (Also attached
packing list).
Grading:
Grades will be based on: a) evaluation of your field notebooks; b)
evaluation of your field exercises; and c) your overall
attitude and performance on the trip. You will be instructed on
how to keep a good field notebook in a meeting prior to our
departure for the trip.
Course Objectives: Your objectives for this course should, at a minimum, include the
following:
 To open your mind to Chinese culture, language, and way of life.
 To learn about history and archeological sites in China.
 To learn how to make and record geological observations in the field and to
systematically record them in notes and on a map.
 To learn how to interpret field observations in terms of the origins of rocks,
structures, landforms and the geological history that they represent.
 To accomplish the above objectives via written geological field book and
completed exercises (including small geological maps, geological sketches,
and geological problem sets)
 To gain an understanding of the tectonics, sedimentary environments, facies
and stratigraphy of the Nanpanjiang Basin of south China.
VII
Preface
Geologists are historians of the Earth. We decode, interpret, and reconstruct the
history of the Earth and the evolution of its systems by reading the geologic history book,
that is, the rock records. Thus, it is essential for students in geology to constantly practice
and sharpen their skills in field observations. This field course provides such an
opportunity by traversing the various environments of two shallow-marine carbonate
platforms (the Great Bank of Guizhou, and Yangtze Platform) and adjacent deep marine
facies of the Nanpanjiang Basin of south China.
Geologic records revealing the history of the Nanpanjiang basin and Yangtze
Platform spanning some 25 million years will be examined. Global, regional and local
controls on the evolution and architecture of the carbonate platforms -- such as tectonics,
sea level fluctuation, climate, volcanism, and detrital sediment flux will be evaluated
using field observations. The history of marine life in the shallow-marine reef ecosystems
as well as the causes and effects of the end-Permian mass extinction and subsequent
biotic recovery will also be examined. The fields of sedimentary geology, paleontology,
structural geology, tectonics, petroleum geology and geomorphology in diverse
geological settings will be covered. Course participants, beginning or experienced alike,
shall benefit from and be satisfied with the intriguing puzzles and histories presented by
the spectacular rock exposures.
Rocks do not have borders. A new generation of geoscientists shall be openminded to and take advantage of the globalization of world economy and culture in the
21st century. The skills to communicate with and learn from scientists and peers of
different academic, cultural, and ideological backgrounds are critical to a person’s
successful professional career. We hope that this international expedition will be a lifelong experience in geology, culture, and history for the participants.
This collaborative field course has been the fruit of cooperation among many
parties and individuals. We appreciate the support and hospitality from our host –
Department of Geology, Guizhou University, China. Professor Yu Youyi has been
instrumental in originating and logistical planning the field course. Student volunteers of
Guizhou University will made the trip enjoyable and memorable. We thank Wei Jiayong
who has facilitated the logistics and contributed to our many geologic field mapping
expeditions to Guizhou. We acknowledge Paul Enos for initiating the KU research
group’s work in south China and for his relentless drive for detailed studies of the
carbonate platforms and basin facies of the Nanpanjiang basin. Marcello Minzoni is
gratefully acknowleged for contributing key concepts, maps and unpublished results on
the geology of the Yangtze Platform in the Dabang and Zhenfeng areas—without his
support, leg 2 of this guidebook would not have been possible. We gratefully
acknowledge the support from the university administration, geology departments, and
fellow colleagues in University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh and Wichita State University.
Finally, it is the effort, determination, and curiosity of the student participants that made
this course possible, fruitful, and fun.
Dan Lehrmann
Wan Yang
May, 2009
VIII
General Geology of China
One of the fundamental differences between the geology of China and that of North America is
that China is made up of numerous smaller continental blocks (or plates) that many researchers
refer to as a “tectonic collage” (cf. Sengor, 1987), whereas North America contains a very large
continental nucleus or craton that has been tectonically stable throughout the Phanerozoic.
Therefore in considering the geology of China, a large part of the discussion focuses on the
continental blocks (plates), the various basins that reside within and between these blocks, the
orogenic belts (mountain belts) that occur between the blocks and mark collisions (suture zones)
and the provenance and timing of amalgamation of the blocks to form China.
Before summarizing the lay out of the geology of China it is useful to begin with a global
perspective. Global plate arrangements during the Late Paleozoic were dominated by the
supercontinent Pangea bounded to the west by the Panthalassa Ocean and to the east by the
tropical Tethys seaway (Fig. 1). During the Late Paleozoic and Triassic, China consisted of
several isolated small continents that existed in the Tethys seaway and were part of a group of
small continents (also referred to as Cimeria; Sengor, 1987) which rifted from Gondwanna along
the southern margin of the Tethys and migrated northward across the Tethys to eventually collide
with and accrete to Asia (Fig. 2).
Continental blocks that make up China include the North China block (Sino-Korean Craton) the
South China Block (Yangtze Craton), Tarim, and several smaller continental blocks such as
Lhasa, Qiangtang etc. (Fig. 3). To the west is the Indian plate and to the southwest there are
several additional plates (such as Siamo and Indochnina) that comprise southeast Asia (Fig. 3).
Many of the continental blocks contain Archean and Proterozoic basement and contain
Neoproterozoic sedimentary cover demonstrating that these blocks became stable cratonic
elements during the Precambrian. For example the North China block contains Archean
metamorphic complexes 2.5BY to as much as 3.1BY overlain by weakly deformed Proterozoic
sedimentary cover (Ma et al., 2002), whereas the basement rocks of the south China block are
primarily Mesoproterozoic and Neoproterozoic complexes (1150-780Ma and 860-720ma)
overlain by Neoproterozoic and Paleozoic sedimentary strata (Liu and Xu, 1994; Xu et al., 1996;
Chang, 1996).
Plate reconstructions have been made using the timing of deformation and magmatism in
orogenic belts, paleomagnetism, and stratigraphy / paleobiogeography (Klimetz, 1983; Sengor,
1987; Enkin, 1993 and Metcalf, 1999, among many others). The reconstructions generally depict
progressive collision and amalgamation of tectonic blocks in a “conveyor belt” fashion with
earlier docking of northerly blocks (such as the Tarim and North China blocks) followed by
successively later docking of southerly blocks (e.g. South China, followed by several blocks in
Tibet and south east Asia, and followed finally by the India collision). Enkin et al’s (1993)
paleomagnetic reconstructions (Fig. 4) indicate Late Paleozoic docking of the North China block
with Mongolia, followed by Triassic collision of the South China block with North China,
Permian and Triassic collisions of south east Asian terranes along the southern border of the
south China block and Jurassic and Cretaceous collision of the Lhasa and Qiangtang blocks in
front of India, and ultimately the collision of India with Asia in the Cenozoic.
1
The geological map of China dramatically reveals that the continent is subdivided by several
long orogenic belts many of which can be characterized as suture zones marking the collisional
plate boundary between continental blocks. Suture zones are characterized by deformation,
ophiolite complexes (ultramafics, basalts, deep sea sediments), metamorphism sometimes
characterized by paired high- and low-pressure metamorphic belts, and granitic magmatism.
These suture zones include the Erenhot-Hegen (Late Paleozoic; Variscan age) boundary between
North China and Mongolia, the Kunlun-Altun-Qilian (bordering the southern Tarim), the Qinling
(Triassic, Indosinian age) boundary between the North and South China blocks, the Ailaoshan
and Songma sutures between south China and the Siamo and Indochina blocks of southeast Asia,
and the Himalaya (Cenozoic, Himalayan age) marking the leading edge of India (Figs. 3, 4, 5).
Within and between the tectonic blocks of China there are a great variety of types of marine and
terrestrial sedimentary basins. These include the Nanpanjiang and Sichuan basins in the South
China block, the Songliao and Bohai basins in Northeast China, the Ordos Basin in central north
China, and the Junggar and Tarim Basins in northwest China (Fig. 6). Some of these basins, such
as the Nanpanjiang basin of the Paleozoic were the site of marine sedimentation in vast
epicontinental seas that transgressed tectonically stable cratons. In other cases such as the
Nanpanjiang basin of south China or the Ordos Basin, tectonic convergence and associated
tectonic loading resulted in rapid foreland basin subsidence. The Tarim and Junggar, basins can
be considered famous examples of terrestrial intermontane basins formed as depressions
enclosed on all sides by rising mountain systems. Finally, the Songpan-Ganzi basin in central
China (Figs. 4, 6) is a world class example of a remnant basin formed between colliding
continents by the incomplete “fit” between the colliding North China, South China and Tibetan
tectonic blocks.
Our field area of Nanpanjiang basin of Guizhou Province of southern China (Figs. 6, 7) forms a
deep- marine embayment in the southern margin of the south China block and is bounded
southward by suture zones bordering tectonic blocks of southeast Asia. Because the south China
block was involved in tectonic convergence along its northern, southern, and western margins in
the Triassic, our field area will allow us to examine basin evolution and other geologic features
in the context of the tectonic accretionary setting of China.
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