Organisers Malaysian Centre of Palaeobiodiversity & South-East Asia Carbonate Research Laboratory, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS

Transcription

1 ICPSEA3 2013: The 3rd International Conference on the Palaeontology of South-East Asia Organisers Malaysian Centre of Palaeobiodiversity & South-East Asia Carbonate Research Laboratory, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS Co-organisers IGCP 596 / MPBCC, Senckenberg Research Institute, Frankfurt, Germany Geological Society of Malaysia, c/o Department of Geology, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Department of Geology, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Paleontological Research and Education Centre, Mahasarakham University, Thailand VNU, University of Science Hanoi, Vietnam Correspondence: Aaron W. Hunter, Nurul Aishah Hanafi, Peter Königshof Treasury & Registration: Aaron W. Hunter, Nurul Aishah Hanafi Reception, Venues, Dinner & Transportation: Nurlela Ahmad, Atilia Bashardin, Khor Wei Chong, Choong Chee Meng, Avalon Chin Soon Mun, Nurul Aishah Hanafi, Askury Abd. Kadir, Jasmin Ng Saw, Intan Nadia Abdul Rajak, Haylay Tsegab, Nor Syazwani Zainal Abidin, Ruth Diane Ujang Technical committee, Editorial & Publication: Meor Hakif Amir Hassan, Omer Adb. Rahim Babiker, Peter Königshof, Anna Lee, R.P. Major, Ng Tham Fatt, Ooi Phey Chee, Field excursions: Meor Hakif Amir Hassan, Atilia Bashardin, Haylay Tsegab, Avalon Chin Soon Mun, Choong Chee Meng, Nurul Aishah Hanafi, Peter Königshof, Ta Hoa Phuong Disclaimer: The abstracts in this volume have been edited but have not been peer-reviewed

2 Contents Welcome to ICPSEA3: Acknowledgments.. 6 General Information.. 7 Venues.. 8 Presenter Guidelines.. 9 Conference Program & Abstracts Oral Presentation Abstracts. 14 Poster Presentation Abstracts.. 54 Mid-Conference Field Excursion Guide by Prof. Bernard J. Pierson.. 65 Page 2

3 Welcome Message Welcome to Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS and the Third International Conference on the Palaeontology of South East Asia. We have left neighbouring Thailand for this third meeting of the ICPSEA series to gather here in the small Malaysian community of Seri Iskandar. Most of you are spending evenings in Ipoh, our closest city, 40 km to the north. During your commute to the meeting you will enjoy the spectacular scenery of the Kinta Valley, dominated by tower karst topography and spectacular rockfall scars that contrast with the dense green jungle. Enjoy. Conference Chairman Aaron W. Hunter, the Scientific Committee, and our team of enthusiastic postgraduate students have assembled an eclectic program of papers, workshops, and field trips. We hope you will find some new ideas that will help us all better understand the paleontology of South East Asia, and perhaps some new ideas that will direct you to new approaches to your own research. While on campus if you need anything, access to , copying facilities, or just a quiet place to get away from it all, please feel free to visit us at the South East Asia Carbonate Research Laboratory (Building 16, Second Floor, Room No. 5). We will do our best to help you get the most out of this conference. Selamat datang dan selamat bergembira R. P. Major Shell Chair of Petroleum Geosciences Director, South East Asia Carbonate Research Laboratory Vice Chairman of ICPSEA

4 Welcome Message from the Chairman On behalf of the organising committee of The 3 rd International Conference on the Palaeontology of South-East Asia (ICPSEA3: 2013), I would like to welcome you to Malaysia and to Ipoh, and express our appreciation and gratitude for your attendance and contribution to the success of our meeting. Situated in what was once a mining hub for tin, the University is actually part of PETRONAS, and our students studies are focused on petroleum geoscience and engineering. In recent years we have engaged more in palaeontology and biostratigraphy teaching, and research in connection with PETRONAS, Shell and the Natural History Museum, London, and we hope that this meeting is a reflection of Malaysia s contribution to the understanding of the palaeontology of the South East Asia. Almost 3 years ago I attended the very successful ICPSEA2 in Mahasarakham University, Thailand, which followed the equally successful first ICPSEA, and I am happy that I had the opportunity to bring the meeting Malaysia and emulate this success. Palaeontology is still developing in South East Asia and I hope that other nations in the ASEAN will take up the challenge. We are very happy to welcome back our friends from across the border in Thailand and Vietnam, along with many new local and international delegates who support and promote research in our region and I really hope that ICPSEA will grow to be become an established regional meeting held every three years. We have a wide collection of presentations from all parts of palaeontology starting with IGCP on the Devonian, Palynology and Nano- Micropaleontology, followed on Wednesday by vertebrate terrestrial ecosystems through time, Permo- Triassic basins of mainland South East Asia, and the development of the hotspot of biodiversity in Borneo. I hope very much you enjoy the science and our Malaysian hospitality during your visit to Ipoh and the University. Aaron W. Hunter Chairman of ICPSEA3 4

5 Welcome Message IGCP 596 Knowledge about behaviour and development of ecosystems and climate in the geologic past is one of the most interesting tasks for future geological/palaeontological research because our knowledge of past ecosystems and climate is at best rudimentary. The further we look back, the greater the uncertainties. The Mid-Paleozoic ( Ma) represents an important time in the Earth`s history when significant changes took place in terms of evolutionary development as well as in biochemical cycling and climate changes. Several severe bio-events are evident and continental glaciations are known during the Late Devonian and the Early Carboniferous. Global cooling is already suggested in the Late Devonian based on declining CO 2 levels. Another important step in terms of climate, sedimentology and ecosystem evolution was attributed to the global increase in terrestrial biomass, which enhanced carbon burial with possible global effects on carbon budgets and atmospheric pco 2. Increasing colonization of the land by plants in combination with soil-forming processes and changing runoff led to major changes of sediment input into the marine system. Both, rapid evolution of terrestrial ecosystems and climate change had a pronounced influence on sedimentation and biodiversity not only in the terrestrial but also in the marine realm. These transformations resulted in a diverse series of ecological turnovers and extinction events, together with pronounced geochemical signatures in the marine record, which are characterized by shortterm perturbations in the global carbon cycle. Furthermore, the Mid Paleozoic was also a time of dramatic paleogeographic changes, such as the Variscan orogeny. The primary goal of this project is to assess the intensity of climate change (e.g., CO 2 -temperature coupling) and biodiversity response of the Mid Paleozoic in marine and terrestrial sequences. In order to improve knowledge on these complex interactions worldwide research is necessary. Therefore, a large number of scientists from different countries around the world are co-ordinated in order to achieve the goals of this five years lasting project and Asia might be a key area for several reasons. On behalf of the IGCP 596 leaders we thank Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS for hosting this conference and excursions in Malaysia. Further, we thank the colleagues from the University of Hanoi (Vietnam) for organizing the Pre-Conference excursion. Many thanks are due to the entire technical staff members and trainees for their engagement and support. I am convinced that all participants will have a successful and enjoyable conference and field trips. Peter Königshof Co-leader IGCP 596 5

6 Acknowledgments South East Asia Carbonate Research Laboratory (SEACARL) Special thanks go the Director, R.P Major, staff and students of SEACARL for their enormous contribution towards organising this conference and its excursions. I also express gratitude for the sponsorship of the on campus catering by SEACARL. Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS Management I would like to thank the management committee of UTP for allowing us to hold the conference and supporting us by generously providing the meeting venue and the university buses. Paleontological Research and Education Centre, Mahasarakham University, Thailand I would like to acknowledge the help of my Thai colleagues from Mahasarakham University who allowed me to take the meeting they devised so that it could be held for the first time outside of Thailand. Geological Society Malaysia (GSM) Finally I would like to thank the Geological Society of Malaysia for their assistance in organising the meeting. Aaron W. Hunter Chairman ICPSEA3:

7 General Information Transportation Transporation will be provided to and from the meeting venue and hotels, for the mid-conference excursion and the conference dinner. Coffee Breaks & Tea Breaks On Monday 7 th and Wednesday 9 th October hot and cold beverages and refreshments will be available during the morning and afternoon breaks in the Chancellor Complex. Lunch A buffet lunch will be available on the 3 rd Floor Pavilion, Department of Geosicences, Block 16, on these days. During the Mid-Conference excursion we will be transported to an eating venue, however the cost of lunch is not incuded and will be borne by the delegates. Evening meals on Monday 7 th and Wednesday 9 th are not included in the conference package; information regarding places to eat in Ipoh can be provided. Internet Access WiFi access is available throughout the university campus. Please contact a member of the organising committee for the access code. 7

8 Conference Venues The Heritage city of Ipoh lies 200km north of the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur in the Kinta Valley. Surrounded by its magnificent limestone hills and famed for its tin resources, it was the power house of the Malaysian mining boom up right until the 1980's. The once golden city has architecture to rival that of Malacca and Penang and cultural heritage including cave temples and Kellies Castle to match. It is also regarded as one of the great food cities of Malaysia. Some 30km south of the city, UTP sits within some of the old placer tin lakes themselves, with the nearby town of Tronoh a constant reminder of bygone times. Registration & Ice Breaker Our registration and ice breaker will be held in the Impiana Hotel in the centre of Ipoh on Sunday 6th October (registration also open on Saturday 5th). Conference symposia and workshops Conference symposia and workshops will be held in Semiar Room 5, Chancellor Complex, UTP and Department of Geosciences. We will organise buses to transport participants to and from the university and our recommended hotels. Mid-Conference Field Excursion We will explore the geology of the limestone hills and caves around Ipoh. Conference Dinner Our conference dinner will be held in the Lost World of Tambun, to the North East of Ipoh within the limestone hills. We will commence with welcome drinks in the Kepura Cave. After dinner there will be an opportunity for participants to relax in the Hot Springs before returning to their hotels. Transporation will be provided to and from the event. 8

9 Abstracts Presenter Guidelines All abstracts will be printed in the abstract proceedings. In addition abstracts will be published in the Geological Society of Malaysia newsletter and selected full papers will be published in the Bulletin of the Geological Society of Malaysia. Abstracts must be a minimum of 250 words. Extended abstracts should not exceed two A4 pages including references, an additional A4 page of figures and photos is permitted. Font should be in Times New Roman, Font size 11. Oral Presentations Presentations will be 20 minutes (including time for questions). Keynote speakers will have 30 minutes. Please ensure that your presentation will run on Office 2007 on a PC. All presentations should be provided to the committee members either before or during registration on Sunday 6th October (later updates will be permitted). These can be ed to info@icpsea3.org, uploaded to a Dropbox folder (if you would like this option please us and we can send an invitation to the ICPSEA3 folder) or on a CD. We cannot accept USB keys/thumb drives. We will run one session of oral presentations throughout the meeting. Please ensure that you do not to exceed the time slot allocated to your presentation so that we do not overrun. Posters Posters should be printed in a portrait orientation and not exceed A0 format (~84 x 119cm). The posters will be on display from Monday morning in the Chancellor Complex to be viewed throughout the conference, including coffee, tea and lunch breaks. 9

10 Program and Abstracts Page Monday 30 th September to Friday 4 th October 2013: Pre-Conference Excursion Vietnam Saturday 5 th October 2013: Impiana Hotel Early registration Sunday 6 th October 2013: Impiana Hotel Registration Icebreaker & Late Registration Monday 7 th October 2013: UTP, Seminar Room Bus departs French Hotel for UTP Bus departs Impiana Hotel for UTP Onsite registration Welcoming addresses Aaron W. Hunter & Manuel Pubellier Keynote: Climate change and biodiversity patterns in Mid-Palaeozoic (IGCP 596) Introduction and Report Depositional facies settings and geochemical proxies of Late Devonian sequences in northwestern Thailand Climate change and biodiversity patterns in Mid-Palaeozoic - IGCP COFFEE BREAK Devonian sediments in Dong Van area, Ha Giang Province, North Vietnam A review of the Devonian-Permian stratigraphy in Northwest Peninsular Malaysia Conodont biostratigraphic framework for Northern Kedah, Perlis and Langkawi, Peninsular Malaysia Conodonts from the Sungai Siput limestone: its implication to establish a reference section for Paleozoic sequences and dating of the rocks, Perak, Malaysia U-Pb LA-ICP-MS zircon ages of magmatic and sedimentary rocks from Thailand implications for geotectonics and palaeogeography 10 Königshof, P., Suttner, T.J., Boncheva, I., Izokh, NG., Ta Hoa Phuong., & Charoentitirat, T., Waters, J., Kiessling, W. & Kido, E. Königshof, P., Racki, G., Savage, N., da Silva, A.C., Dopieralska, J., Belka, Z. & Apsorn, S. Ta Hoa Phuong 41 Meor H. Amir Hassan, Aye-Ko Aung, Becker, R.T., Noor Atirah Abdul Rahman, Ng Tham Fatt, Azman A. Ghani, Mustaffa Kamal Shuib & Muhammad Arif Farhan Zulkarnain Atilia Bashardin, Aaron W. Hunter & C Giles Miller Haylay Tsegab, Aaron W. Hunter, Chow Weng Sum, and Bernard J. Pierson Ulf Linnemann, Peter Königshof & Petra Lutat

11 Shallow water facies setting around the Kačák Event Microfacies, MS studies, and geochemical proxies LUNCH Some new data on Famennian and Tournaisian Conodonts of North Vietnam Middle Devonian conodont charachteristic of west siberia and its global correlation Königshof, P. 1, da Silva, A.C., Suttner, T.J., Kido, E., Waters, J., Carmichael, S.A., Jansen, U., Pas, D & Spassov, S Gatovsky, Y.A., Alekseev, A.S., Kononova, L.I., Pham Huy Thong & Nguyen Doa Skoritsky I.V. & Izokh N.G Devonian Bryozoan Associations of Mongolia Ariunchimeg Yarinpil Microfacies and conodont faunas of the allochthonous Famennian at the southern Variscan Front (Tinerhir region, SE Morocco) TEA BREAK & POSTERS Keynote: Southeast Asian palynostratigraphy and sequence biostratigraphy Sven Hartenfels, Marie-Kristin Rytina & Ralph Thomas Becker Terrestrial Palaeoenvironments of South-East Asia: Part 1 Palynology A Study of pollen and spores for age recognition in the Kaikang Trough Muglad Rift Basin, South Sudan. Middle-Late Cretaceous palynostratigraphy Robert J Morley 38 Omer Babıker A. Rahım, Aaron W. Hunter, Jım Cole & Echart Schrank Silicification mechanism of the petrified wood from Sg Semadang, Sarawak Reconstructing the Eocene-Oligocene Transition (EOT) boundary of Mossy Grove, Mississippi Integrated microplankton records of equatorial pacific ecosystem perturbations across the eocene/oligocene transition Tertiary Palynomorphs of Onshore Basins And Outcrops of Malay Peninsular Bus departs UTP for hotels Askury Abd. Kadir 33 Nursufiah Sulaiman 46 Tom Dunkley Jones, Ted Moore, Jack Baldauf, Paul Bown, Kirsty Edgar & Bridget Wade Ahmad Munif Koraini & Zainey Konjing 25 Tuesday 8 th October 2013: Mid-Conference Field Excursion Bus departs French Hotel Bus departs Impiana Hotel Kek Look Tong Cave Temple Sam Poh Tong & Tien Nam Tong LUNCH (not included) Geology of Tambun Lost World Geology and Caves of the Banjaran Option to return to Hotels Bus departs French Hotel for Conference Dinner Bus departs Impiana Hotel for Conference dinner DRINKS & CANAPÉ IN KEPURA CAVE 11

12 CONFERENCE DINNER AND ENTERTAINMENT Hot Spring option in Tambun. Payment on entry. Don t forget your swimming attire Bus returns to Hotels for those not wishing to use Hot Springs Bus returns remainig delgates to hotels Wednesday 9 th October 2013: UTP, Seminar Room Bus departs French Hotel for UTP Bus departs Impiana Hotel for UTP Day registration & Announcements Terrestrial Palaeoenvironments of South-East Asia: Part 2 Vertebrate Fauna Overview of the Ginglymodian fishes from the Mesozoic of Thailand A new species of Isanodus (Chondrichthyes) from Kut Island (Gulf of Thailand, Early Cretaceous) COFFEE BREAK The first nearly complete upper jaw (maxilla) of a large-sized theropod dinosaur from Phu Kradung Formation (Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous) of Thailand Biostratigraphical review of the late Neogene artiodactyls in northeastern Thailand The Caprinae of the Tham Lod Rockshelter, a Late Pleistocene site in Mae Hong Son Province, Northwest Thailand Reconstruction of Sangiran Paleoecological System Using Bovids Dentalwear Analysis LUNCH Permian echinoderms from Eastern Oman and Their Correlation with Timor and Australian Tethyan Echinoderms Biostratigraphy and the evolution of the Permian basin, slope, and carbonate platform in the western portion of the Indochina Terrane: preliminary results Late Carboniferous and Early Permian brachiopod faunas from the western part of the Indochina Terrane, Thailand Mississipian/Pennsylvanian boundary interval in Central and East Iran Lionel Cavin, Uthumporn Deesri & Varavudh Suteethorn Chalida Laojumpon, Varavudh Suteethorn, Suravech Suteethorn, Komsorn Lauprasert & Gilles Cuny Phornphen Chantasit & Varavudh Suteethorn Yuichiro Nishioka, Rattanaphorn Hanta & Pratueng Jintasakul Wattanapituksakul, A., Filoux, A., Shoocongdej, R. & Tumpeesuwan, S. Marlia Yuliyanti Rosyidah, Johan Arif, Halmi Insani, Pipit Puji Lestari & Niko Suko Dwiyanto Late Palaeozoic Biodiversity and Biostratigraphy TEA BREAK & POSTERS Gary D. Webster, Johnny Waters & Alan Heward Mongkol Udchachon, Clive Burrett & Hathaithip Thassanapak Sakchai Juanngam, Mongkol Udchachon Ali Bahrami, Iliana Boncheva, Mehdi Yazdi & Ahmad Ebrahimi Khan-Abadi Mesozoic-Cenozoic Carbonate platforms & reefs and the origins of biodiversity Keynote: The Ups-and-Downs of Borneo Manuel Pubellier & David Menier Sedimentology and Biofacies Analysis of the Oligocene-Miocene transition of the Sukau Area Eastern Sabah, Malaysia 12 Hanafi, N.A., Hunter, A.W. & Abdul Rahman, A.H 29

13 Early Miocene Foraminifera Biostratigraphy of the Yazihan Area, Malatya Basin, Turkey The First Discovery of Upper Cretaceous Stromatolite Biostrome in Mongolia Plio-Pleistocene Reef-Coral Diversity in the Sulu Sea Sabah: Implications for the development of the Indo-Pacific Centre of Diversity Workshop on biostratigraphy & carbonates Closing address Bus departs UTP for hotels Meral Kaya Çağlar, Deniz İbilioğlu & Mehmet Önal Minjin Chuluun, Hendrickson Grant Bekhbat Ovgon & Tamiraa Gantomor Saw, J.V.M., Hunter, A.W. & Johnson, K.G Thursday 10 th to Sunday 13 th October 2013: Post-Conference Excursion Langkawi & Perlis Bus departs Impiana Hotel Poster Presentations Mississipian/Pennsylvanian boundary interval in Central and East Iran Planktonic foraminifera and ammonite contents for the upper Valanginiyen-Aptian (Lower Cretaceous) of Eastern Anatolian, Olur-Erzurum,Turkey Ali Bahrami, Iliana Boncheva, Mehdi Yazdi & Ahmad Ebrahimi Khan-Abadi M. Kaya Çağlar, E. Kalkan, S.N. Raisosadatat, Ç. Özer 1 & Ö. Bilici Discovery of Fossil Crocodiles in Thailand and their Palaeobiogeography Tabulate corals and carbon isotope record of the Pridolian to Lochkovian stage boundaries in the Ulaanshand section of the Shine-Jinst area, South Mongolia Komsorn Lauprasert & Jeremy E. Martin 57 Sersmaa, G 58 Phu Noi: the spectacular locality of Phu Kradung Formation, the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous from northeastern part of Thailand Shallow-water platform carbonates at the Devonian/Carboniferous boundary - an interdisciplinary study in Ertocoun and Nanbiancun sections (Southern China). Palaeozoic radiolarian assemblages and other key faunas from the Indochina Terrane: Palaeogeographic and tectonic implications Diagenetic Responses of Pleistocene-Holocene Carbonates to Sea- Level Changes in the Celebes Sea, East Sabah, Malaysia Saitong Sila, Suravech Suteethorn, Wilailuck Naksri, Uthumporn Deesri, Chalida Laojumpon, Athiwat Wattanapituksakul, Paladej Srisuk & Varavudh Suteethorn Katarzyna Sobień, Xavier Devleeschouwer, Tomáš Kumpan & Ondřej Bábek Hathaithip Thassanapak, Mongkol Udchachon, Clive Burrett & Feng Qinglai Nor Syazwani Zainal Abidin, Bernard J. Pierson & Aaron W. Hunter

14 Oral Presentation Abstracts 14

15 Climate change and biodiversity patterns in Mid-Palaeozoic (IGCP 596) Introduction and Report Königshof, P. 1, Suttner, T.J. 2, Boncheva, I. 3, Izokh, NG. 4, Ta Hoa Phuong. 5, & Charoentitirat, T. 6, Waters, J. 7, Kiessling, W. 8 & Kido, E. 3 1 Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Senckenberganlage 25, Frankfurt, Germany; peter.koenigshof@senckenberg.de 2 Austrian Academy of Sciences c/o University of Graz, Institute of Earth Sciences, Heinrichstraße 26, A-8010 Graz, Austria 3 Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Geological Institute, Department of Palaeontology and Stratigraphy, G. Bonchev Str. Bl. 24, Sofia 1113, Bulgaria 4 Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia 5 Hanoi University of Science, 334 Nguyen Trai Street, Thanh Xuan Dist, Hanoi, Vietnam 6 Department of Geology, Faculty of Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand 7 Department of Geology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC28608, U.S.A. 8 Institute of Palaeontology, Loewenichstraße 28, Erlangen, Germany Dynamic processes still active today, such as plate tectonics and climate change, have shaped the earth s surface and impacted biodiversity patterns from the beginning. IGCP 596 is specifically interested in the interaction between climate change and biodiversity in the Devonian and Carboniferous Periods ( million years ago) when the terrestrial ecosystems experienced a biodiversity boom and oceanic ecosystems suffered catastrophic extinctions. Greenhouse climates dominated the Early and Middle Devonian ( Ma) world, but changed to icehouse conditions in the Late Devonian ( Ma). The Early Carboniferous world was relatively warm until cooling in the early Late Carboniferous ( Ma) resulted in a huge polar ice shield in the southern hemisphere that covered most of Gondwana. The Mid-Paleozoic was also a time of very high plate tectonic activity that caused major paleogeographic changes. During the Devonian two supercontinents, Euramerica and Gondwana, together with Siberia formed the biggest landmasses of our planet. They successively amalgamated into the supercontinent Pangaea during the Late Carboniferous. As the continental landmass grew, vascular plants, arthropods, hexapods and first tetrapods spread on land. Their radiation formed the base of new terrestrial ecosystems unknown before the Devonian Period. The success of terrestrial invaders, as documented by the fossil record, culminated with the development of vast forests consisting of tree-like forms like Calamites (Order Equisetales), lycophyte trees (e.g. Lepidodendron, Sigillaria) and other rooted plants that covered huge areas during the Carboniferous. That unique rise among land plants and the formation of top-soil led to distinctive changes in environmental conditions. Based on proxy-data, we can show that the rapid rise of land plants was coupled with strongly decreasing atmospheric CO 2 values from 4000 ppm to nearly present day values of about 350 ppm during the latest Devonian. Increased weathering activity and soil formation by rooted plants lead to intensified run-off and changed water chemistry, which seriously affected marine communities globally. The tectonic and climate history of the Devonian and Carboniferous as well as the novelty of soilformation due to the explosion of life on land, and other processes, some of which are not yet fully understood, are linked with a series of ecological turnovers and extinction events primarily in the oceans. Results of this project should help to clarify whether climate change (e.g. interaction of CO 2 and temperature) from greenhouse conditions during the Early-Middle Devonian to icehouse conditions during the Late Devonian-Early Carboniferous represents a major trigger for variations in biodiversity or if a combination of multiple factors is responsible for such changes. We will give an overview of the activities of the project during the last years and what s coming up. 15

16 Conodonts useful tools in terms of biostratigraphy, geochemistry, and studies on low-grade metamorphism Königshof, P. 1, Ta Hoa, Phuong 2 1 Senckenberg - Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum, Senckenberganlage 25, Frankfurt, Germany; peter.koenigshof@senckenberg.de 2 Hanoi University of Science, 334 Nguyen Trai Street, Thanh Xuan Dist, Hanoi, Vietnam The talk aims to give an overview on the multiple application of conodont-studies. At the beginning the author will focus on the questions Why fossils are important for studying geology and What are conodonts. In addition the function and morphology of conodonts will be discussed. Another focus of the talk deals with sampling and preparation, such as heavy liquid separation. Each step from sampling in the field until conodont determination will be explained. Furthermore, examples on various aspects of conodont geochemistry will be given. Finally, the talk also describes various aspects that need to be considered with respect to thermal maturation and the application of conodont alteration indices (CAI, Epstein et al., 1977) including - Comparative maturation parameters (e.g., Hartkopf-Froeder et al. submitted) - Diagenetic and hydrothermal alteration of conodonts and - Contact metamorphosed conodonts Examples of regional low-grade metamorphism will be given from different areas in Europe (e.g., Wiederer et al., 2002, Brime et al., 2008). The talk is designed primarily for students and for staff from disciplines working closely with palaeontologists and geologists using conodonts for different reasons. The talk will be presented in the frame of the Pre-Conference-Excursion. References: Brime C, Perri MC, Pondrelli M, Spaletta C, Venturini C (2008) Polyphase metamorphism in the eastern Carnic Alps (N Italy-S Austria): clay minerals and Conodont Colour Alteration Index evidence. International Journal of Earth Sciences 97, Epstein AG, Epstein JB, Harris LD (1977) Conodont Colour Alteration an Index to Organic Metamorphism. U.S. geological Survey Professional Paper 995, Hartkopf-Fröder C, Königshof P, Littke R, Schwarzbauer J (submitted) Optical palaeotemperature parameters at low-grade diagenesis to anchimetamorphism: a review. Coal geology (submitted) Wiederer U, Königshof P, Feist R, Franke W, Doublier MP (2002) Low-grade metamorphism in the Montagne Noire (S-France): Conodont Alteration Index (CAI) in Palaeozoic carbonates and implications for the exhumation of a hot metamorphic core complex. Schweizerische Mineralogische und Petrographische Mitteilungen 82,

17 A review of the Devonian-Permian stratigraphy in Northwest Peninsular Malaysia Meor H. Amir Hassan 1, Aye-Ko Aung 1, Becker, R.T. 2, Noor Atirah Abdul Rahman 1, Ng Tham Fatt 1, Azman A. Ghani 1, Mustaffa Kamal Shuib 1 & Muhammad Arif Farhan Zulkarnain 1 1 Geology Department, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 2 Geologisch-Paläontologisches Institut, Corrensstraβe 24, D Münster A revised stratigraphy for the Devonian to Carboniferous succession in NW Peninsular Malaysia is presented based on new biostratigraphic data. The Timah Tasoh Formation, which is considered part of the Setul Group, is Pragian or earliest Emsian in age, based on the presence of the tentaculitids Nowakia (Tukestanella) acuaria acuaria, N. (T.) acuaria posterior and N. (Alaina) matlockiensis, and the monograptid Monograptus langgunensis. The Sanai limestone, exposed at Guar Sanai, Perlis, unconformably overlies the Timah Tasoh Formation and is Frasnian in age, based on the presence of Palmatolepis, Polygnathus Ancyrodella, Ancyrognathus and Icriodus. In most other exposures, The Timah Tasoh Formation is unconformably overlain by a thin chert bed unit containing late Tournaisian radiolarians. This is considered as the base of the Kubang Pasu Formation. The Chepor Member of the Kubang Pasu Formation overlies the chert beds and contains an Early Carboniferous (Visean) fossil assemblage, including the ammonoids Goniatites and Praedaraelites. Correlation between the NW Peninsular Malaysia and other part of the Western Belt of Peninsular Malaysia indicate the presence of a regional Tournaisian unconformity. This probably represents the rift onset or breakup unconformity associated with initial rifting and separation of Sibumasu from Australian Gondwana. 17

18 A Study of pollen and spores for age recognition in the Kaikang Trough Muglad Rift Basin, South Sudan. Middle-Late Cretaceous palynostratigraphy Omer Babıker A. Rahım 1, Aaron W. Hunter 1,2, Jım Cole 3 & Echart Schrank 4 1 Depatment of Geosciences, Faculty of Geosciences and Petroleum Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Bandar Seri Iskandar, Tronoh, Perak, Malaysia 2 Department of Applied Geology, Curtin University of Technology, Bentley, Perth, WA, Australia 3 Tie-Point Geoscience Rhiw Goch, Llanfihangel GM Corwen, Conwy, LL21 9UG, U.K. 4 Institut fur Angewadte Geowissenschaften, Technisch Universitat Berlin, Sekr. EB 10, Strasse des 17 Juni 145, D Berlin, Germany. Muglad Rift Basin developed as a result of the Central African Rift System (CARS), during the?late Jurassic Early Cretaceous and opening of Southern and Central Atlantic, having a general trend NW-SE. Tensional tectonics with normal syn-sedimentary faulting has been detected resulting from the CARS, which provided variety of sedimentary rocks filled the basin subsidence, mainly continental in origin lacustrine. Three rifting phases were detected spanning the age from Early Cretaceous to the Cenozoic, providing variety of groups and formations. The main focus of the current study is the deeper part of Muglad Rift Basin (Kaikang Trough), using plant microfossils (palynology) to study the biostratigraphy and palynozonation of the area, as a result two exploratory wells were selected from the focused area, namely KW-1 and K-4, sample selections designed to cover the various lithological units from the above mentioned wells. Moreover the study will extend to complete the stratigraphic column of the Kaikang by extrapolating the age deeper in the trough reaching Middle-Late Cretaceous which never been defined before using palynology. The results of the study have revealed variety of pollen, spores and some dinocysts extracted from cutting samples as cores were not cut, indicating the Middle-Late Cretaceous age (Albain to Maastrichtian). Five informal palynozonations were designed. Assemblage Zone I (Albian- Early Cenomanian), Assembalge Zone II (Late Cenomanian), Assemblage Zone III (Turonian-Santonian), Assemblage Zone IV (Campanian-Early Maastrichtian) and Assemblage Zone V (Maastrichtain). One new taxa Tetrade pollen sp. nov. is recognized from the Late Cretaceous section. Also fresh-brackish water Dinoflagellates Spicadinium sp. cf, S. nenjiangense short and long-spines type together with Exochosphaeridium/Downiesphaeridium were recognized for the first time from the Albian-Early Cenomanian studied section in Kaikang Trough, Muglad Rift Basin. Keywords: Pollen and spores; Mid-Late Cretaceous; Kaikang Trough; Muglad Rift Basin; All-Sudan. 18

19 Conodont biostratigraphic framework for Northern Kedah, Perlis and Langkawi, Peninsular Malaysia Atilia Bashardin 1, Aaron W. Hunter 1,2 & C Giles Miller 3 1 Depatment of Geosciences, Faculty of Geosciences and Petroleum Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Bandar Seri Iskandar, Tronoh, Perak, Malaysia 2 Department of Applied Geology, Curtin University of Technology, Bentley, Perth, WA, Australia 3 Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, UK The aim of this research is to establish a biostratigraphic framework by identifying conodont assemblages from the Upper Palaeozoic to Early Triassic rocks of Perlis, Northern Kedah, and Langkawi Island of Peninsular Malaysia. The existing stratigraphic hypothesis has largely been restricted to macrofossil data with some sporadic radiolarian occurrences. This has resulted in three distinct sections which have different ages and formation names despite being regarded as the same basin extending north into southern Thailand. The main aim is to revise the stratigraphy of the sections where ages are currently unconstrained. This will establish a biostratigraphic framework with for petroleum exploration and better constrain the stratigraphy of the region. The conodonts are extracted from the abundant limestone formations found in the Noth-West Terrain. We have refined and updated a reference section from Langgun Island (off Langkawi) ranging from the Late Ordovician at the Early Devonian, spanning the Silurian which is seldom exposed on the mainland. Conodonts have been sampled along this section allowing them to be correlated with poorly constrained outcrops in mainland Perlis and North Kedah. Currently we have correlated Conodont occurrences from mainland Ordovician and Devonian of Perlis, and we have established that Early Triassic conodonts had been discovered from isolated limestone hills in northern part of Kedah. Keywords: Conodont, Limestone, Microfossil, Biostratigraphy, Upper Palaeozoic, Early Triassic, Northwest Peninsular 19

20 Early Miocene Foraminifera Biostratigraphy of the Yazihan Area, Malatya Basin, Turkey Meral Kaya Çağlar 1, Deniz İbilioğlu 2 & Mehmet Önal 3 1 Ataturk University, Oltu Earth Sciences Faculty, Department of Geological Engineering, 25400, Oltu-Erzurum, Turkey, merkay4@yahoo.com 2 Dumlupinar University, Engineering Faculty, Department of Geological Engineering, Main Campus, 43270, Kutahya, Turkey, deniz.ibilioglu@dpu.edu.tr 3 Inonu University, Engineering Faculty, Department of Mining Engineering, Malatya, Turkey Lower Miocene aged Akyar Formation of the Yazihan area, N-NW Malatya Basin, which is located on the southern side of the Taurus-Anatolian Platform, consists of limestone, mudstone, calcirudite, and calcarenite interbeds. These rocks contain rich assemblages of benthonic and planktonic foraminifera. The bentonic foraminiferal assemblages consist of 15 species belonging to 18 genera, namely Anomalinoides, Astacolus, Cibicidoides, Dentalina, Elphidium, Gavellinella, Globobulimina, Lagena, Lenticulina, Marginulinopsis, Miogypsina, Nodosaria, Osangularia, Saracenaria, Siphonodosaria, Textularia, Uvigerina, and Vulvulina. Two Early Miocene planktonic foraminiferal biozones were distinguished by using 45 species belonging to 11 genera, consisting of Cassigerinella, Catapsydrax, Dentoglobigerina, Globigerina, Globigerinella, Globigerinita, Globigerinoides, Globoquadrina, Globorotalia, Globorotaloides, and Neogloboquadrina. These biozones are Globorotalia kugleri /Globoquadrina dehiscens Concurrent Range Subzone (M1b) in Aquitanian; Catapsydrax dissimilis Partial Range Zone (M2) in Aquitanian and Burdigalian, respectively. Keywords: Foraminifera, Biostratigraphy, Miocene, Yazihan, Malatya Basin, Turkey. 20

21 Overview of the Ginglymodian fishes from the Mesozoic of Thailand Lionel Cavin 1, Uthumporn Deesri 2,3 & Varavudh Suteethorn 3 1 Department of Geology and Palaeontology, Muséum d Histoire naturelle, CP 6434, 1211 Genève 6, Switzerland. lionel.cavin@ville-ge.ch 2 The Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Mahasarakham University, Khamrieng, Kantharawichai District, Mahasarakham 44150, Thailand 3 Palaeontological Research and Education Centre, Mahasarakham University, Khamrieng, Kantharawichai District, Mahasarakham 44150, Thailand Except for some properly diagnosed taxa represented by well preserved and complete specimens, most of the worldwide fossil record of semionotiform fishes, ranging from the Triassic to the Late Cretaceous, consists of isolated scales and teeth with poor systematic, palaeoecological, and palaeogeographical signals. In the past decade, however, several studies have focused on re-defining semionotiform taxa and have addressed the inter- and intra-relationships of the group. The semionotiforms are not resolved as a clade in several of these studies, but these fishes have been constantly grouped together with the Macrosemiiformes and the gars (Lepisosteiformes) in a clade named Ginglymodi. The fossil record of ginglymodians is rich and diverse in Thailand. The middle part of the Phu Kradung Formation, probably Late Jurassic in age, has yielded several as yet unnamed taxa, together with Isanichthys lertboosi in the locality of Phu Noi, whereas its upper part, probably basal Cretaceous in age, has yielded I. palustris and Thaiichthys buddhabutrensis from the Phu Nam Jun locality. The Sao Khua and Khok Kruat formations, Early Cretaceous in age, have also yielded ginglymodian remains, although these generally consist of isolated elements. Relatively well-preserved specimens have recently been found in the Late Triassic Huai Hin Lat Formation and are currently under study. Several of the ginglymodian taxa from Thailand are represented by well-preserved specimens, in some instances having internal anatomical structures such as braincases, which are generally not visible in most representatives of this group. Moreover, the fossil record extends from the Late Triassic to the late Early Cretaceous, a time span of more than 100 million years. Hence, the Thai fossil record allows us to address several broader issues, such as: (1) untangling the phylogeny of the group, in particular by sorting out their relationships with the gars, which are rooted in a group of Cretaceous ginglymodians; (2) understanding the ecological role of these fishes, which show evolutionary trends parallel to those of the modern cypriniforms and; (3) revealing palaeobiogeographical signals with other freshwater ginglymodians from other landmasses. 21

22 The first nearly complete upper jaw (maxilla) of a large-sized theropod dinosaur from the Phu Kradung Formation (Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous) of Thailand Phornphen Chantasit 1 & Varavudh Suteethorn 2 1 Sirindhorn Museum, Department of Mineral Resources, Sahatsakhan District, Kalasin Province 46140,Thailand, aom025@gmail.com 2 Paleontological Research and Education Center, MahaSarakham University, MahaSarakham Province 44150, Thailand, suteethorn@hotmail.com Theropod dinosaur remains have been discovered from several localities of the continental deposit of the Mesozoic Khorat Group of Thailand. Siamotyrannus isanensis Buffetaut, Suteethorn& Tong, 1996 was described as a new species based on the postcranial material from Sao Khua Formation (Early Cretaceous). A new genus and new species, Siamosaurus suteethorni Buffetaut&Ingavat, 1986 from the KhokKruat Formation (Early Cretaceous) have been erected based on teeth. Theropod remains from the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous deposits of the Phu Kradung Formation consist mostly of isolated teeth and postcranial material. A tibia identified as a sinraptorid theropod has been described from the Phu Kradung Formation of Mukdaharn Province (Buffetaut & Suteethorn, 2007). Pedal elements including metatarsal II, metatarsal III, and phalanges referred to the right pesof medium to large-sized theropod were found from a locality at PhuNoi, a remarkable dinosaur site in the Kham Muang District of Kalasin Province. Paleontological excavations of the Phu Kradung Formation at Phu Noi have yielded a great number of theropod remains. Various sizes and shapes of teeth were found. Although the majority of theropod remains are teeth, the nearly complete left maxilla was discovered, which is the first cranial remains reported in Thailand. This 52-cm-long maxilla possibly belongs to a large theropod dinosaur. There are 15 maxillary alveoli. No functional teeth are preserved, however some replacement teeth are present in tooth sockets. The lateral surface of the maxilla is rugose only along its anterior edge and just above the tooth row as in Yangchuanosaurus, Allosaurus and Sinraptor (Curries & Zhao, 1993). The upper part and the border of the antorbital fossa are smooth and indented. This maxilla shows a complex of accessory openings, which is characteristic of the Sinraptoridae (Curries & Zhao, 1993). Nevertheless, some characters of this maxilla, which is still being studied, probably suggest different features from Sinraptor recovered from China. This discovery of the Upper Jaw and other remains are very important evidence of sinraptorids in Thailand and the diversity of predators who play important roles in the Mesozoic ecosystem. References: Buffetaut, E., and Ingevat, R Unusual theropod dinosaur teeth from the Upper Jurassic of Phu Wiang, northeastern Thailand. Rev. Paleobiol., 5, Buffetaut, E., Suteethorn, V A sinraptoridtheropod (Dinosauria: Saurischia) from the Phu Kradung Formation of northeastern Thailand. Bull. Soc. géol. Fr., 178 (6), Buffetaut, E., Suteethorn, V. and Tong, H The earliest known tyrannosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Thailand.Nature, 381, Curries, P., Zhao, X., A new carnosaur( Dinosauria, Therooda) from the Jurassic of Xinjiang, People s Republic of China.Can. J. Earth Sci., 30,

23 The First Discovery of Upper Cretaceous Stromatolite Biostrome in Mongolia 1 Mongolian University of Science and Technology 2 IBEX Land Mongolia LLC Minjin Chuluun 1, Hendrickson Grant 2, Bekhbat Ovgon & Tamiraa Gantomor The Cretaceous rocks of Mongolia are represented by continental sediments, such as sandstones, conglomerates and mudstones, which contain a rich variety of fossils; fishes, dinosaurs, crocodiles, turtles, mammals, plants and invertebrates. Study of these fossils make it possible to determine ages and depositional enviroments of the host beds. These studies establish Regional Stages (Horizons) which can be correlated with international standard stages (Vladimir F.Shuvalov, 2000). One of main feature of the Mongolia Cretaceous rocks of is the lack or very limited amount of contained carbonate beds. However in 2013, for the first time, we discovered several Stromatolite Biostrome in the Tsogt-Ovoo Formation (Nemegt Horision) in south Mongolia (Fig.1). This discovery was in a area being mapped as part of a mineral exploration program. Rocks of this formation are represented mainly by red coloured sandstone, conglomerates and sandy mudstones. At some places in this section we also find green, gray and yellow sandstone beds. Thickness of the formation varies between 50 to 100 meters. Stromatolite biostromes are located in the green sandstone and also in thin red muddy sandstone and which about 1 to 1.5 meters thick. The shape of the stromatolites are as domed forms (Collenia) and individual size are maximum cm high and cm in diameter. (Photo 1) The preservation of these stromatolites is excellent and in the colony of stromatolites we often find many tubes 4-5 cm high and 0.5 cm in diameter. (Photo 2.) Origin of these tubes is unknown, but may belong to annelid worms. These Stromatolites appear to have grown on thin (10-60cm) limestone layers. In the search of the publications for comparisons we don't find much information about same age of Stromatolite Biostromes in the world. We note the close age information about another type of bioherme, the Eocene Fossil Lake in Wyoming, USA (Mark A. Loewenet al, 1999; V. Leroy Leggit et al, 2007) and biohermes in early Cretaceous Jinju Formation, Korea (In Sung Paik, 2005) where stromatolites have been found with imbedded insect fossils. Our new discovery of Stromatolite Biostrome in Mongolia is important as new information for the fossil record and clearly more detail investigation will be required to determine better information on the depositional and paleoenviromental situation during the Late Cretaceous period of Central Asia. References: In Sung Paik,2005. The oldest record of microbial-caddisfly bioherms from the Early Cretaceous Jinju Formation, Korea: occurrence and Palaeoenvironmental implications Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 218 (2005) V. Leroy Leggitt and Mark A. Loewen, Eocene Green River Formation Oocardium tufa reinterpreted as complex arrays of calcified caddisf ly (Insecta: Trichoptera) larval cases Sedimentary Geology 148 (2002) Vladimir F.Shuvalov (=Shuvalov,V.F.), 2000.The Cretaceous stratigraphy and palaeobiogeography of Mongolia. In: The Age of Dinosaurs in Russia and Mongolia. Edited by Michael J. Benton, Mikhail A.Shishkin, David M.Unwin and Evgenii N.Kurochkin. Cambridge University Press 23

24 Photo 1. General view stromatolites. Photo 2. The tubes in stromatolite Fig. 1. Location map of Upper Cretaceous Stromatilites 24

25 Integrated Microplankton Records of Equatorial Pacific Ecosystem Perturbations across the Eocene/Oligocene Transition Tom Dunkley Jones 1, Ted Moore 2, Jack Baldauf 3, Paul Bown 4, Kirsty Edgar 5 & Bridget Wade 4 1 School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, t.dunkleyjones@bham.ac.uk 2 Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, tedmoore@umich.edu 3 Department of Oceanography, Texas A&M University, jbaldauf@tamu.edu 4 Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, p.bown@ucl.ac.uk, b.wade@ucl.ac.uk 5 School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Cardiff University, EdgarK1@Cardiff.ac.uk The most significant climatic change in the Cenozoic occurred at the Eocene-Oligocene transition (E/OT), resulting in a fundamental reordering of the planet s oceanic and atmospheric circulation, cooling of deep and high-latitude waters, and formation of continental-scale ice sheets on Antarctica. Records from the equatorial Pacific show rapid and highly correlated increases in deep-ocean oxygen and carbon isotopes and a drop in the Calcium Carbonate Compensation Depth (CCD) of more than a kilometre (Coxall et al., 2005). The role of changes in surface ocean productivity within this carbon cycle perturbation, especially at low latitudes, remains open to question, as are the immediate causes of significant extinction events in both coccolithophore algae and planktic foraminifera through the E/OT (Pearson et al. 2008). Here we present new, detailed, and integrated micropalaeontological analyses of radiolaria, diatoms, planktic foraminifera and coccolithophores from IODP Site U1334 in the eastern Equatorial Pacific. These clearly show a series of significant biotic events, including enhanced extinction in the radiolaria and the loss of multi-rayed discoasters, prior to the onset of major phases of Antarctic glaciation. Three characteristic phytoplankton assemblages are identified in the shift from late Eocene to the early Oligocene: a late Eocene coccolithophore dominated assemblage (multi-rayed Discoasters, Coccolithus formosus, Reticulofenestra dictyoda), a transitional coccolithophore assemblage (increased abundances of R. bisecta), and an earliest Oligocene mixed coccolithophore-diatom assemblage. The timing and nature of these changes supports progressive cooling in latest Eocene time, associated with enhanced upwelling in the equatorial Pacific, prior to the major phase of Antarctic ice-sheet growth. Rapid expansion of continental ice-sheets is likely a threshold response to this gradual cooling trend but in turn had a significant impact on nutrient cycling between the Southern Ocean and zones of tropical upwelling. References: Coxall, H. K., Wilson, P. A., Palike, H., Lear, C. H. & Backman, J Rapid stepwise onset of Antarctic glaciation and deeper calcite compensation in the Pacific Ocean. Nature 433: Pearson, P.N, McMillan, I. K., Wade, B. S., Dunkley Jones, T., Coxall, H. K., Bown, P. R. & Lear, C. H Extinction and environmental change across the Eocene-Oligocene boundary in Tanzania. Geology 36:

26 Some New Data on Famennian and Tournaisian Conodonts of North Vietnam Gatovsky, Y.A. 1, Alekseev, A.S. 1, Kononova, L.I. 1, Pham Huy Thong 2 & Nguyen Doa 2 1 Department of Paleontology, Geological Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University, , Russia, Moscow, Leninskyie Gory, gatovsky@geol.msu.ru 2 Research Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources, Nguyen Trai, Thanh Xuan,Hanoi,Vietnam The Devonian sequences of cherty limestones, the upper part of which is interlayer manganese ores, are widespread in the northeast of the province of Cao Bang, in the area of Ha Lang in North Vietnam. The age of those sequences remained controversial for a long time. Bourret (1922) considered it is Frasnian, Sorin (1958) dated it as Famennian, and Dovzhikov (1965) dated it as Eifelian-Givetian. Later, based on study of foraminifera, Le Hung (1973) concluded that the age of these limestones is Tourniasian, whereas brachiopods suggested it was Frasnian age, and highlighted the Toktat Formation that overlaps cherty shales of the Lower Carboniferous (Dủỏng Xuân Hảo et al., 1973; Phạm Ðinh Long et al., 1973). Doa Nguyen and Nguyen Dinh Hong (1977) determined that the age of the formation, based on foraminifera, is Famennian-Tournaisian. The Toktat Formation is about 100 m thick and consists of white, red, and dark grey laminated cherty limestones. This formation is underlain by thin argillaceous-cherty limestones that are barren of fauna (40-50 m), below which lie cherty shales (50-70 m) with rare brachiopods Desquamatia cf. zonataeformis Alek. and tentaculites Homoctenus aff. kikiensis Ljasch., indicating Frasnian age. Limestones are overlain by cherty shales that contain the Tournaisian conodonts Dollymae bouckaerti Groessens, D. hassi Voges, Pseudopolygnathus triangulus pinnatus Voges and Ps, and miltistriatus Mehl and Thomas. Conodonts were identified in Tamara Mashkova, which are deep-water sediment characteristic of the Toktat Formation. The presence of conodonts allows more accurate age dating. In the section of Bangka in the sample F312, taken at 30 m below the manganese horizon the following conodonts have been identified: Palmatolepis glabra glabra Ulrich and Bassler, 1926, Pa. glabra prima Ziegler and Huddle, 1969, Pa. tenuipunctata Sannemann, 1955, Pa. subperlobata subperlobata Branson and Mehl, 1934, Pa. subperlobata helmsi Ovnatanova, 1976, Pa. regularis Cooper, 1931, Pa. quadrantinodosalobata Sannemann, 1955, Pa. minuta minuta Branson and Mehl, 1934, describing the standard conodont triangularis-rhomboidea Zones Lower Famennian (Ziegler, Sandberg, 1990). Conodont elements are light grey, transparent, and have a CAI-6/7. In the section at Toktat, in the sample F287 located at 4 m below the manganese horizon, conodonts have been found in the crepida Zone of Lower Famennian age: Palmatolepis glabra prima Ziegler and Huddle, 1969, Pa. glabra pectinata Ziegler, 1962, Pa. subperlobata subperlobata Branson and Mehl, 1934, Pa. subperlobata helmsi Ovnatanova, 1976, Pa. minuta minuta Branson and Mehl, 1934, Polygnathus nodocostatus Branson and Mehl, 1934, and Po. brevilaminus Branson and Mehl, Conodont elements are black (CAI-5). In the section at Quy Dag conodonts have been collected from a several samples. In a sample of 4119/4 the following conodonts were found: Palmatolepis rhomboidea Sannemann, 1955, Pa. perlobata schindewolfi Müller, 1956, Pa. minuta minuta Branson and Mehl, 1934, and Polygnathus glaber glaber Ulrich and Bassler, The assemblage of conodonts indicates the rhomboidea Zone is Lower Famennian age. The sample 4121 contains Palmatolepis rugosa ampla Müller, 1956 and Pseudopolygnathus sp. The stratigraphic range of Palmatolepis rugosa ampla goes from the postera Zone through the expansa Zone Upper Famennian (Catalogue, 1977). Conodonts have been found in two samples in the section at Noc-Qu. Sample 297 contains: Palmatolepis marginifera utahensis Ziegler and Sandbderg, 1984, Pa. glabra lepta Ziegler and Huddle, 1969, Pa. glabra pectinata Ziegler, 1962 and, Pa. distorta Branson and Mehl, This assemblage of conodonts belongs to the marginifera Zone. Sample 232 contains Pseudopolygnathus marburgensis trigonicus Ziegler, 1962 and Palmatolepis gracilis sigmoidalis Ziegler, 1962, which are common at the stratigraphic level of the expansa Zone of Upper Famennian age. 26

27 The lower part of the Toktat Formation in the section Hio Oc, in sample 4125/2, Palmatolepis hassi Müller and Müller, 1956 and Pa. subrecta Miller and Youngquist, 1947 are present. These conodonts indicate Frasnian age, probably representing the hassi Zone. Tournaisian species Siphonodella duplicata (Branson and Mehl, 1934) are present in sample 257, which indicate the presence of the standard duplicata Zone (Sandberg et al., 1978). In the upper part of the black thin-bedded limestone (thickness 95 m) in the section at Núi Voi Mount in Hẚi Phὸng there are three samples with Tournaisian conodonts: Siphonodella crenulata (Cooper, 1939), Bispatodus aculeatus anteposicornis (Scott, 1961), Polygnathus aff. parapetus (Rhodes, Austin and Druce, 1969), and Po. longiposticus Branson and Mehl, 1934, indicating the crenulata Zone. Conodont data from the Toktat Formation show that there are two assemblages of conodonts belonging to Frasnian age the hassi Zone (the lower part of the formation) and the triangularis-expansa Zones (the upper part). Tournaisian conodonts of the duplicata-crenulata Zones are also present in this area. References: Bourret, R. (1922). Etudes géologiques sur le Nord-Est du Tonkin (feuille de Baolac, Caobang, Halang, Backan, Thtkhe, Loung- Tcheou). Bull. Serv. géol. Indochine, Hanoi, XI/ p. Catalogue of Conodonts (Ed. W.Ziegler) (1977). E. Schweizerbart sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart. V. III. 569 p. Dovzhikov, A.E. (Editor) (1965). Geology of North Vietnam. Gen. Dept of Geology, Hanoi. 665 p. (In Russian).Saurin, E. (1958). Le Dévonien en Indochine: stratigraphie et correlation. Ann. Fac. Scien., Saigon, P Dủỏng Xuân Hảo, Nguyêñ Thỏm & Nguyêñ Dức Khoa (1973). Tai lieu moi về sinh dia tầng Devon Mien Bac Việt Nam. Ðiạ chẫt, Hà Nội, N 108, tr Lễ Hung (1973). Trẫm tích Paleozoi thủóng ở Miền Bãi Việt Nam. Ðiạ chẫt, Hà Nội, N 109, tr Nguyễn Ðoa & Nguyễn Ðình Hồng (1977). Về vị tri và tuôi cua tầng đá vôi chưá quàng Mangan vùng đong bai thi xa Cao Bằng. Sinh vật-ðiạ học. Sở XV-2. Hà Nội. Phạm Ðinh Long et al. (1973). Tim hiễu diạ tẫng Devon trong đói Hạ Lang (Cao Bằng). Ðiạ chẫt, Hà Nội, N 106, tr Sandberg, C.A., Ziegler, W., Leuteritz, K. & Brill, S.M. (1978). Phylogeny, speciation and zonation of Siphonodella (Conodonta, Upper Devon and Lower Carboniferous). Newsletters on Stratigraphy, V. 7, No 2. P Ziegler, W. & Sandberg, C.A. (1990). The late Devonian Standard Conodont Zonation. Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, V p. 27

28 Sedimentology and Biofacies Analysis of the Oligocene-Miocene transition of the Sukau Area Central Sabah Sub-basin, Eastern Sabah, Malaysia Hanafi, N.A. 1, Hunter, A.W. 1,2 & Abdul Rahman, A.H. 1 1 Depatment of Geosciences, Faculty of Geosciences and Petroleum Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Bandar Seri Iskandar, Tronoh, Perak, Malaysia 2 Department of Applied Geology, Curtin University of Technology, Bentley, Perth, WA, Australia The clastic influenced coastal Labang Formation and the isolated bioherms of the Gomantong Limestone Formation in the Sukau area, Sabah, Malaysia represent a transitional phase of changing basin setting from a terrestrial facies to a high diversity coral and larger benthic foraminifera (LBF) facies. These record one of the earliest phases in the development of the Indo-Pacific Centre of Diversity, however this hotspot of biodiversity remains poorly documented despite its significance. McMonagle et al., 2011, suggest that the increased biodiversity had much earlier origins than previously thought. However development of these communities is masked by the formation of the Deep Regional Unconformity (DRU) from early Oligocene to late Miocene and an unclear relationship between the different stratigraphic units. We study new outcrop data using integrated sedimentological and biofacies analyses, combined with isotope dating, to better understand the regional stratigraphy and thus provide a framework for understanding development of these hotspot communities. Early results indicate that the stratigraphic break (Te5 and Te1-4) in foraminifera during the late Oligocene-early Miocene is due to increased sea level, leading to the development of the crystalline facies of the Gomantong Limestones. We show that the opening of the Sulu Sea and formation of the DRU started during the early Miocene (17Ma); confirmed by dating of the LBF and regressing eustatic sea level in the early Miocene. This study will increase our understanding of the timing, origins and evolution of the Biodiversity hotspot, the DRU and the opening of Sulu Sea Basin. 28

29 Microfacies and conodont faunas of the allochthonous Famennian at the Southern Variscan Front (Tinerhir region, SE Morocco) Sven Hartenfels 1, Marie-Kristin Rytina 1 & Ralph Thomas Becker 1 1 Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Institut für Geologie und Paläontologie, Corrensstr. 24, D Münster, Germany, shartenf@uni-muenster.de, marierytina@aol.com, rbecker@uni-muenster.de The Lower/Middle Palaeozoic of Morocco belongs to two strongly different plate tectonic realms. The Moroccan Hercynides, which were strongly tectonized during the middle Carboniferous final collision of Gondwana and Laurussia, forms the southwestern margin of the Variscides. This unit contrasts with the weakly deformed Anti-Atlas at the northwestern margin of the stable Gondwana Craton. The main suture between both is formed by the South Atlas or Tizi n Test Fault. Eastwards, in the Tinerhir (= Tineghir) region, at the northern margin of the Anti-Atlas, this suture is replaced by a southernmost Variscan thrust belt. At the northwestern margin of the stable Gondwana Craton a steep palaeoslope must have formed in the Lower Carboniferous. It received large olistostromes with Silurian to Upper Devonian clasts during an interval of block faulting (Eovariscan uplift, between top UD IV and Upper Tournaisian), with massive erosion on adjacent uplift areas. The size of olistoliths varies strongly. Whilst the lower part consists of conglomerates/breccias with small to medium sized clasts, giant limestone glide blocks occur in the upper portion. These house-sized limestones should not be mistaken as autochthonous Devonian units bound by tectonic structures (RYTINA et al. 2013). At Taourirt n Khellil, just north of the road between Tinerhir and Tinejdad, the existence of Devonian blocks within a Carboniferous conglomerate/breccia was first noted by CLARIOND & TERMIER (1933). They recognized blocks with Givetian corals. Later, HINDERMEYER (1955) listed corals, nautiloids, ammonoids, trilobites, and brachiopods that indicated clasts of upper Emsian/Eifelian to Frasnian age. Intensive sampling by our Münster working group provided a high quantity of different types of lithofacies in the last three years. Detailed analysis of carbonate microfacies (master thesis of Marie- Kristin RYTINA) and biostratigraphic dating permitted the reconstruction of the facies development in the source area, which is today completely eroded. Rich Famennian conodont faunas were recorded for the first time in this region. Palaeogeographic clues come from the comparison of faunas and facies with the Meseta (BOHRMANN & FISCHER 1985, LAZREQ 1999) to the North and autochthonous Maider and Tafilalt (e.g., HARTENFELS 2011, HARTENFELS & BECKER 2013) to the SE/ESE. The Maider was separated in the Upper Devonian by the partly emerged Rheris-Ougnate Platform or Ougnate High. So far there is no evidence for Lower Famennian clasts at Taourirt n Khellil although this is in most parts of the Anti-Atlas an interval of very high sea-level with extensive pelagic sediments. At the Jebel Rheris of the northern Maider, shallow-water carbonates with conglomerates, debris flows, and sandstones continue from the Frasnian (FRÖHLICH 2004). Therefore, it is possible that the accumulation in the source area continued to be disrupted by the Ougnate High. Similar to the Tafilalt, the middle and early upper Famennian (upper UD II/top UD IV) is characterized by iron-rich, condensed pelagic cephalopod limestones. There is no record of a comparable facies in the northern Maider. The absence of upper/uppermost (UD V/VI) Famennian limestones at Taourirt n Khellil is intriguing, because there is a good record of shallow-water limestones of this age in the northern Maider, where they transgressed partly much older strata (e.g., FRÖHLICH 2004, KORN et al. 2004, BECKER et al. 2013). This proves a drowning of southern parts of the Ougnate High. There, the Hangenberg Event Interval is represented by shales and brachiopod-rich sandstones, partly overlain by topmost Devonian crinoidal limestones of the kockeli (= Upper praesulcata) Zone and subsequent pelagic Tournaisian siliciclastics with ammonoids. In the northern Tafilalt (Rheris Basin, BECKER 1993) the last Famennian cephalopod limestones fall in the UD V-A 2. The absence of UD V/VI clasts at Taourirt n Khellil may reflect the same phase of non deposition as evident in the northern Tafilalt. The Eovariscan erosion and reworking of the Tinerhir region may correlate with the Middle Tournaisian tectonic movements of the Tafilalt (TAHIRI et al. 2013). 29

30 Some of the Famennian clasts yielded diverse (up to 17 taxa) and partly new conodont assemblages for southern Morocco. The first record of Palmatolepis gracilis manca probably proves the gracilis manca (= Upper postera) Zone, which falls within the long ranging regional velifer-stabilis Interregnum of the Tafilalt/Maider. Known middle/upper Famennian faunas from the Meseta (BOHRMANN & FISCHER 1985, LAZREQ 1999) are less diverse despite their more tropic position. Both, micro- and conodont biofacies support an extension of the pelagic Tafilalt-Platform to the northwest in the middle/upper Famennian. References: Becker, R. T. (1993): Stratigraphische Gliederung und Ammonoideen-Faunen im Nehdenium (Oberdevon II) von Europa und Nord-Afrika. Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, 155: Becker, R. T., Hartenfels, S., Aboussalam, Z. S., Tragelehn, H., Brice, D. & el Hassani, A. (2013): The Devonian -Carboniferous boundary at Lalla Mimouna (Northern Maider) - a progress report. In: Becker, R. T., el Hassani, A. & Tahiri, A. (eds.): International Field Symposium The Devonian and Lower Carboniferous of northern Gondwana. Document de l Institut Scientifique, Rabat, 27: Bohrmann, G. & Fischer, G. (1985): Stratigraphie und Fazies des Paläozoikums nördlich Azrou. Ein Beitrag zur Geologie der nordöstlichen marokkanischen Meseta. Geologica et Palaeontologica, 19: Clariond, l. & Termier, H. (1933): Sur le Djebel Sagho. Comptes Rendus hebdomadaires des Séances de l Academie des Sciences, 196: Fröhlich, F. (2004): Evolution of a Devonian carbonate shelf at the northern margin of Gondwana (Jebel Rheris, eastern Anti- Atlas, Morocco). Ph. D. Dissertation, Eberhard-KARLS University Tübingen: 71 pp. Hartenfels, S. (2011): Die globalen Annulata-Events und die Dasberg-Krise (Famennium, Oberdevon) in Europa und Nord- Afrika hochauflösende Conodonten-Stratigraphie, Karbonat-Mikrofazies, Paläoökologie und Paläodiversität. Münstersche Forschungen zur Geologie und Paläontologie, 105: Hartenfels, S. & Becker, R. T. (2013): El Gara South - new data on Famennian ammonoid and conodont faunas and the Annulata Event in the Rheris Basin (northern Tafilalt, Morocco). In: EL HASSANI, A., BECKER, R. T. & TAHIRI, A. (eds.): International Field Symposium The Devonian and Lower Carboniferous of northern Gondwana, Abstract Book. Document de l Institut Scientifique, Rabat, 26: Hindermeyer, J. (1955): Sur le Dévonien et l existence de mouvements calédoniens dans la region de Tinerhir. Comptes Rendus hebdomadaires des Séances de l Academie des Sciences, 240: Korn, D., Belka, Z., Fröhlich, S., Rücklin, M. & Wendt, J. (2004): The youngest African clymeniids (Ammonoidea, Late Devonian) - failed survivors of the Hangenberg Event. Lethaia, 37: Lazreq, N. (1999): Biostratigraphie des conodonts du Givétien au Famennien du Maroc central - Biofaciès et événement Kellwasser. Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, 214: Rytina, M.-K., Becker, R. T., Aboussalam, Z. S., Hartenfels, S., Helling, S., Stichling, S. & Ward, D. (2013): The allochthonous Silurian-Devonian in olistostromes at the Southern Variscan Front (Tinerhir region, SE Morocco) - preliminary data. In: BECKER, R. T., EL HASSANI, A. & TAHIRI, A. (eds.): International Field Symposium The Devonian and Lower Carboniferous of northern Gondwana. Document de l Institut Scientifique, Rabat, 27: Tahiri, A., Belfoul, A. & Baider, L. (2013): Chaotic deposits in the Lower Carboniferous formations of the Merzouga area (Tafilalet, eastern Anti Atlas, Morocco): geodynamic importance. In: BECKER, R. T., EL HASSANI, A. & TAHIRI, A. (eds.): International Field Symposium The Devonian and Lower Carboniferous of northern Gondwana. Document de l Institut Scientifique, Rabat, 27:

31 Hill with the main exposure of the conglomeratic-brecciated Taourirt n Khellil Formation, visited during our SDS field meeting in spring

32 Late Carboniferous and Early Permian brachiopod faunas from the western part of the Indochina Terrane, Thailand Sakchai Juanngam 1,2,3, Mongkol Udchachon 2,3 1 Sirindhorn Museum, Department of Mineral Resources, Kalasin, Thailand 2 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Mahasarakham University, Mahasarakham, Thailand 3 Palaeontological Research and Education Centre, Mahasarakham University, Mahasarakham, Thailand Previously, Guichi Yanigida (1974 and 1975) and J. Bruce Waterhouse (1982), described 38 genera of Carboniferous brachiopods from Loei area, northeastern Thailand. Recently, we have collected 339 brachiopod shells from Upper Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) and Lower Permian sequences from 2 new localities, approximate 5 km, east of Loei. They consist of Orthid, Productid, Spiriferid, Spiriferinid and Rhynchonellid which lived in a low-energy environment. Sixty-four samples of silicified brachiopods were collected from the Pha Dam section in Na Duang district. The section consists of brown shales and siltstones interbedded with dark gray limestones and is part of the Permian Nam Mahoran Formation (DMR, 2009). Another section is located at Na Duang district. It consists mainly of shale with minor limestone intercalations. More than 275 samples were collected from brachiopod shell beds. Well preserved brachiopods are common as both double- and single- valves. This section can be correlated to the Moscovian age based on foraminifera reported by Fontaine (1991). Seventeen brachiopod species belonging to 12 genera and 5 orders are described. In the Pha Dam section, Phricodothyris? sp., Marginifera? sp., Reticulatia? sp.a, Reticulatia? sp.b, Rhipidomella? sp.b, Chonetinella? sp.c, and unknown genera A and B are present. In Huay Nam Suay Phak Dee section, brachiopod assemblage includes Brachythyrina? sp., Stenocisma? sp., Rhipidomella? sp.a, Desmoinesia? sp.a, Desmoinesia? sp.b, Hystriculina? sp., Punctospirifer? sp., Chonetinella? sp.a, Chonetinella? sp.b, and unknown genera A. In addition, only genera Chonetinella, Rhipidomella and unknown A are observed in both sections. According to previous work and our brachiopod assemblage the Huay Nam Suay Phak Dee section belongs to Late Carboniferous and the Pha Dam section is possibly Early Permian. Further detailed investigations of these faunas are being conducted in order to provide a precise age for the sequence and provide important biogeographic data. Keywords: brachiopods, Pennsylvanian, Early Permian, invertebrate fossils, Loei province References: Department of Mineral Resourses., Geological Map of Changwat Loei. Bangkok. Yanagida, Guichi., Middle Carboniferous Brachiopods from Loei, North Thailand. Contributions to Kobayashi, Teiichi. and Toriyama, Ryuzo., Geology and Palaeontology of Southeast Asia Volume 14,. Tokyo: University of Tokyo Press, p Yanagida, Guichi., Upper Carboniferous Brachiopods from Wang Sapung, North Thailand. Contributions to Kobayashi, Teiichi. and Toriyama, Ryuzo., Geology and Palaeontology of Southeast Asia Volume 16, Tokyo: University of Tokyo Press, p Waterhouse, J.B. 1982, New Carboniferous brachiopod genera from Huai Bun Nak, North-east Thailand: Paleont. Zeitschrift, 56, (1/2), p

33 Silicification mechanism of the petrified wood from Sg Semadang, Sarawak Askury Abd. Kadir 1 1 Depatment of Geosciences, Faculty of Geosciences and Petroleum Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Bandar Seri Iskandar, Tronoh, Perak, Malaysia; askury_akadir@petronas.com.my The most spectacular Sarawak petrified woods cropped-out within the Tertiary Kayan Sandstone had completely petrified through the process of permineralization and petrification. The petrified wood, including palm and conifer trees had undergone petrification within millions of years, where it retain original cellular wood structure and therefore can be identified by anatomical study. The silicification process taken place where all the pores and spaces, within and between cells, gradually preserving the entire tissue. Chalcedony is the most prominent silicate mineral involved in silicification. It is a finegrained to cryptocrystalline quartz of sedimentary origins (minerals dissolved in groundwater), displaying with length-fast optical orientation, form radiating fans and spherulites from 20 to 500 microns wide under the cross-polarized transmitted light. It shows aggregate structure with traces of organic matter, iron oxides and pyrite once observed under the plane light. The silicification processes are unique and can be translated into very high ecstatic and scientific values, where the wood structures and texture including their cells are retained and can be observed neither macroscopically nor microscopically. The villagers from Bidayuh tribe of Kampung Annah Rais and Kampung Sadir call the petrified wood as Batu Mambang, which translates to Haunted Rock. The elders who are still believer of animism believe that the Batu Mambung can bring them good fortune. 33

34 Shallow-water facies setting around the Kačák Event Microfacies, MS studies, and geochemical proxies Königshof, P. 1, da Silva, A.C. 2, Suttner, T.J. 3, Kido, E. 3, Waters, J. 4, Carmichael, S.A. 4, Jansen, U. 1, Pas, D 2 & Spassov, S 5 1 Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Senckenberganlage 25, Frankfurt, Germany; peter.koenigshof@senckenberg.de 2 Sedimentary Petrology, B 20, University of Liege, Sart-Tilman, B-4000 Liege, Belgium; 3 Austrian Academy of Sciences c/o University of Graz, Institute of Earth Sciences, Heinrichstraße 26, A-8010 Graz, Austria; 4 Department of Geology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC28608, USA 5 Section du Magnetisme Environnemental, centre de Physique du Globe de l`institut Royal Meteorologique de Belgique, Rue du Centre 1, B-5670 Dourbes, Belgium West of the Rhine River, the Eifel area (Eifel synclines) is the dominating structural unit interpreted as a N-S trending axial depression of the Rheinisches Schiefergebirge (RSG). Siliciclastic material was delivered from the north during the Early Devonian and early Middle Devonian (Eifelian) but diminished during Givetian times when shallow subtropical carbonates were established over much of the region. Struve (1963) established a depositional model of the Eifel area with a N-S trending basin surrounded by landmasses, which he considered to be the so-called Eifel Sea Street. In contrast to this model, Winter (in Meyer et al., 1977) defined three facies belts in the Eifel syncline. Faber (1980) modified this model, based on detailed microfacies studies, which provided evidence of rhythmic development of a carbonate platform during early Eifelian time and of a flat shelf lagoon during late Eifelian and early Givetian time, affecting the eastern part of the Eifel synclines. Paproth and Struve (1982) distinguished between N-, W-, and S-Eifel biofacies based on faunal differences. During the Givetian this facies differentiation broke down to some degree and mainly stromatoporoid/coral biostromes extended over the entire area. The studied section lies within the Blankenheim syncline, between the villages of Blankenheim and Blankenheimerdorf, and comprises shallow shelf mixed carbonate and siliciclastic facies of Middle Devonian age (Eifelian) accumulated on the southern margin of the former Avalonia microcontinent. Ernst et al. (2011) focussed on microfacies and bryozoan diversity. Based on the huge diversity of fossils found in deposits around the Kačák Event (e.g., House, 1986) we will present results of a multidisciplinary approach in order to verify the hypothesis of a fundamental sedimentological gap ( Great Gap sensu Struve 1982) in the late Eifelian (Junkerberg / Freilingen Fms). References: Ernst A, Königshof P, Taylor PD, Bohaty J (2011) Microhabitat complexity an example from Middle Devonian bryozoans-rich sediments in the Blankenheim Syncline (northern Eifel, Rheinisches Schiefergebirge). Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments 91(4), doi: /s Faber P (1980) Fazies-Gliederung und -Entwicklung im Mittel-Devon der Eifel (Rheinisches Schiefergebirge). Mainzer geowissenschaftliche Mitteilungen 8, House, MR (1986) The Middle Devonian Kacak Event. Proceedings Usher Society 9, Paproth E, Struve W (1982) Bemerkungen zur Entwicklung des Givetium am Niederrhein. Paläogeographischer Rahmen der Bohrung Schwarzbachtal 1. Senckenbergiana lethaea 63(1/4), Struve W (1982) The Great Gap in the record of marine Devonian. Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg 55, Winter J (1977) In: Meyer, W., Stoltidis, J., Winter, J. (Eds.), Geologische Exkursion in den Raum Weyer-Schuld-Heyroth- Niederehe-Üxheim-Ahütte. Decheniana 130,

35 Depositional facies settings and geochemical proxies of Late Devonian sequences in Northwestern Thailand Königshof, P. 1, Racki, G. 2, Savage, N. 3, da Silva, A.C. 4, Dopieralska, J. 5, Belka, Z. 5 & Apsorn, S. 6 1 Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Senckenberganlage 25, Frankfurt, Germany; peter.koenigshof@senckenberg.de 2 Institute of Palaeobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland 3 University of Oregon, USA 4 Sedimentary Petrology, B 20, University of Liege, Sart-Tilman, B-4000 Liege, Belgium; 5 Isotope Laboratory, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland 6 Department of Mineral Resources, Geological Survey Division, Bangkok, Thailand Detailed conodont stratigraphy and microfacies studies have been undertaken in two Late Devonian sections in northwestern Thailand. Both sections yielded sufficient conodont faunas providing a detailed stratigraphy (Königshof et al., 2012; Savage et al., 2006; Savage, 2013). The section in the north (Mae Sariang section) is generally composed of light- to dark-grey well-bedded, mainly condensed limestones and has a thickness of more than ten meters. The entire unit is mainly comprised of mudstones and wackestones and exhibits most of the criteria characteristic of carbonates deposited in environments with strongly reduced and/or interrupted sedimentation. Abundant hardgrounds as well as dissolution features, internal brecciation, and synsedimentary fissures occur. Vertical fissures ( neptunian dykes ) are also common. Some parts of the section show geopedal fabrics indicating reworking and redeposition. Another important feature in terms of depositional environment is the occurrence of hardgrounds. Some carbonate hardground surfaces are covered by micritic microbial crusts, and Fe-Mn crusts occur around shell fragments (microstromatolites) such as trilobites and other fragments. The fossil content is mainly composed of pelagic fauna, such as cephalopods, trilobites, conodonts, ostracodes including pelagic entomozoans. Rare echinoderms, such as crinoids, occur, but there is no indication that would support a depositional facies setting within a shallow water-environment. The Thong Pha Phum section in the south differs from the Mae Sariang section, although there are also some similarities in terms of facies and sedimentology. This section represents a more shallow-water environment in comparison to the Mae Saring section, and it differs considerably from the Mae Sariang section by different end values (Dopieralska et al., 2010). Existing data are compared with new data on microfacies, isotope studies and magnetic susceptibility. Presented are discussed in the frame of tectonic background and global events. References: Dopieralska J, Belka Z, Königshof P, Racki G, Savage N, Lutat P, Sardsud A (2012) Nd isotopic composition of Late Devonian seawater in western Thailand: geotectonic implications for the origin of the Sibumasu terrane. Gondwana Research 22(3-4), doi /j.gr Königshof P, Savage N, Lutat P, Sardsud A, Dopieralska J, Belka Z, Racki G (2012) Late Devonian sedimentary record of the Palaeotethys Ocean The Mae Sariang succession, northwestern Thailand. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 52, doi /j.jseaes Savage NM, Sardsud A, Buggisch W (2006) Late Devonian conodonts and global Frasnian-Famennian extinction event, Thong Pha Phum, western Thailand. Paleoworld Savage NM (2013) Late Devonian conodonts from Northwestern Thailand. 48 pp, Eugene, Oregon (Bourland Printing, Trinity Press). 35

36 A new species of Isanodus (Chondrichthyes) from Kut Island (Gulf of Thailand, Early Cretaceous) Chalida Laojumpon 1, Varavudh Suteethorn 2, Suravech Suteethorn 1,2, Komsorn Lauprasert 1,2 & Gilles Cuny 3 1 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Mahasarakham University, Khantarawichai, Maha Sarakham 44150, Thailand; Ch.laojumpon@gmail.com 2 Palaeontological Research and Education Centre, Mahasarakham University, Khamrieng, Maha Sarakham, Thailand 3 Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Østervoldgade 5-7, DK-1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark Isanodus is a heterodont hybodont shark that has been identified only in the Sao Khua Formation (Early Cretaceous) of Thailand (Cuny et al, 2006; Cuny et al, 2007). I. paladeji Cuny et. al., 2006 is the only species of this genus, the teeth of which were found in two localities from the Sao Khua Formation in northeastern Thailand. However, Cuny et al. (2010) reported two isolated teeth they attributed to I. paladeji in a hard grayish conglomeratic sandstone from a rocky beach near Ban Ao Kalang, on the southeastern coast of Kut Island (Ko Kut in Thai), in the eastern part of the Gulf of Thailand. The two teeth were rather fragmented. We have since identified numerous additional specimens. These teeth belong to a different species, based mainly on their pattern of ornamentation, whch consists of well developed ridges running mesio-distally with numerous irregular and branching ridges between each ridge. The ornamentation is similar in all types of teeth, whereas it is simpler in the anterior and posterior teeth of I. paladeji. This ornamentation supports the idea that Heteroptychodus and Isanodus are somehow related to each other. H. kokutensis Cuny at al., 2010 and Isanodus are restricted to the Sao Khua Formation, although H. kokutensis could also be present in the older Phu Kradung Formation. Therefore, the fossil locality on Kut Island is likely to correlate with the Sao Khua Formation (not older than Berriasian), but it was probably deposited in a different sedimentary basin than the Khorat Plateau (see Racey, 2009), which would explaine the presence of a different species of Isanodus. Keywords: new species, Isanodus, Chondrichthyes, Kut Island, Gulf of Thailand and Early Cretaceous References: Cuny, G., Laojumpon, C., and Lauprasert, K Fossil vertebrate remains from Kut Island (Gulf of Thailand, Early Cretaceous) Cretaceous Research, 31: Cuny, G., Suteethorn, V., Kamha, S., Buffetaut, E. and Philippe, M A new hybodont shark assemblage from the Lower Cretaceous of Thailand. Historical Biology, 18: Cuny, G., Suteethorn, V., Khama, S., Lauprasert, K., Srisuk, P. & Buffetaut, E., 2007, The Mesozoic fossil record of sharks in Thailand. Proceedings of the International Conference on geology of Thailand : towards sustainable development and sufficiency economy, Tantiwanit, W. (ed.), Department of Mineral Resources, Bangkok, Thailand, Racey, A., Mesozoic red bed sequences from SE Asia and the significance of the Khorat Group of NE Thailand. Special Publications. In: Buffetaut, E., Cuny, G., Le Loeuff, J., Suteethorn, V. (Eds.), Late Palaeozoic and Mesozoic Ecosystems in SE Asia, vol Geological Society, London,

37 U-Pb LA-ICP-MS zircon ages of magmatic and sedimentary rocks from Thailand implications for geotectonics and palaeogeography Ulf Linnemann 1, Peter Königshof 2 & Petra Lutat 1 Senckenberg Collections for Natural History Dresden, Königsbrücker Landstraße 159, Dresden, D-01109, Germany 2 Senckenberg Forschungsinstitute und Naturmuseen, Senckenberganlage 25, Frankfurt am Main, D-60325, Germany Paleogeographical indicators, such as the occurrence of tillites from the Dwyka glaciation (Carboniferous/Permian), relate the Sibumasu Terrane of Thailand to the Gondwana supercontinent. The paleogeographic position at the margin of West Gondwana during the Palaeozoic is still a matter of debate. In the recent literature a palaeoposition at the northern margins of N-India and/or NW- Australia is preferred. We present new U-Pb LA-ICP-MS ages of detrital zircon from Cambro-Ordovician sediments to contribute to a better understanding of the geotectonic history of the Sibumasu Terrane during Palaeozoic time. In addition, we present new zircon data of granitoids that intruded into the sedimentary sequences. These data provide insights into the rift-drift from the Gondwana mainland and accretion processes of docking onto the northern Palaeotethys margin. 37

38 Southeast Asian palynostratigraphy and sequence biostratigraphy Robert J Morley 1,2,3 1 Palynova UK 2 Earth Sciences dept, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK, 3 Niko Asia, Jl Kemang Timur, Jakarta, Indonesia Palynology has been used as a stratigraphic tool in the Southeast Asian region since the early 1950 s, especially for dating the successions found in the Cenozoic non to marginal marine syn- and post rift depositional systems of the Malay, West Natuna, and Nam Con Son Basins, and the paralic successions of Borneo. During the Early Cenozoic, major changes in palynomorph assemblages relate to immigration of plants from the Indian Plate following the collision of India with Asia and to mid Cenozoic climate change, but from the Early Miocene onward, the number of evolutionary and extinction events useful for dating and the number of palynological zones which can be interpreted is limited, and it has also proved difficult to apply ages to some palynological events seen in non-marine successions. Following a review of the important palynostratigraphic datums, this review demonstrates how palynology, when rigorously integrated with foraminiferal and nannofossil data and viewed from a sequence biostratigraphic perspective, allows accurate chronostratigraphic correlations to be made deep into non marine basins void of marine fossils. Sequence biostratigraphy enables stratigraphic successions from Sarawak, Nam Con Son, Cuu Long, West Natuna, Penyu, Malay and Thai Basins as well as the basins of Eastern Borneo and Java to be correlated and placed into a more realistic chronostratigraphic perspective. 38

39 Biostratigraphical review of the late Neogene artiodactyls in northeastern Thailand Yuichiro Nishioka 1, Rattanaphorn Hanta 1 & Pratueng Jintasakul 1 1 Nakhon Ratchasima Rajabhat University, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand Late Neogene deposits in Thailand are located in a northeastern region, and they have yielded many terrestrial vertebrate fossils. One well-known fossil localitiy is the Tha Chang sand pits located along the Mun River in Nakhon Ratchasima Province. Vertebrate fossils from this location were described by Suteethorn et al. (1997), and in recent years various mammal remains have been collected by villagers working at the sand pits (e.g. Hanta et al., 2008; Deng et al., 2013). Chaimanee et al. (2007) listed fossil hominoids and other mammals from sand pit No. 8 and suggested that the Tha Chang sand pit fauna belong mostly to the Late Miocene, based on biostratigraphic comparison with the Siwalik fauna in Indo- Pakistan. The age of the Tha Chang sand pit fauna is uncertain because the fossil materials collected by villagers do not have a geological context; that is, the stratigraphic level of collection is unknown. These informally collected fossils likely include several assemblages from different ages because the sediments at the sand pits are covered by Quaternary alluvial/terrace deposits. There are elephant fossils that include middle Miocene genera, such as Prodeinotherium, with relatively derived genera, such as Stegodon (Saegusa et al., 2005). At this time we cannot determine whether the problem of determining age is due to the uncertainty of the locations of fossil-bearing horizon or to a taphonomic factor such as a mixture of several age fossils. Herein we focus on artiodactyl fossils from the Tha Chang sand pits and discuss the biostratigraphic correlation between continental Southeast Asia and the India Subcontinent. We used the artiodactyl fossils collected Tha Chang sand pits No. 8 and No. 10, which are stored in the Northeastern Research Institute of Petrified Wood and Mineral Resources (the Khorat Fossil Museum), Nakhon Ratchasima Province. Most of the fossils have not yet been taxonomically identified, but they include at least six families: Anthracotheriidae, Hippopotamidae, Suidae, Giraffidae, Cervidae, and Bovidae. One of the anthracotheriid fossils was classified as a new taxon, Merycopotamus thachangensis (Hanta et al., 2008). This species may have diverged from M. medioximus in the lower Upper Miocene of the Siwalik Group, suggesting a correlation between the Tha Chang sand pit fauna and the late Miocene Siwalik fauna. Hippopotamidae is very rare in the fossil assemblage in sand pit No. 8, and specimens having well-preserved mandibles were recovered from sand pit No. 10. The specimens collected there belong to the genus Hexaprotodon, which is known from the latest Miocene to Pleistocene (ca Ma) of Asia. Suidae was found in sand pit No. 10 only, and it includes Sivachoerus that was found commonly from the Upper Miocene to Lower Pliocene of the Siwalik Groups and the Irrawaddy sediments in central Myanmar (ca Ma). Both giraffes and deer were found from sand pit No. 8, but their ages commonly indicate the middle/early late Miocene and the Plio-Pleistocene of Asia, respectively. The Bovidae includes at least two species belonging to Selenoportax. This genus is likely the most primitive clade in bovines and is represented by buffaloes and bison. The distribution of this genus is restricted to the Upper Miocene of the Siwalik Group. Most of the artiodactyl fossils from the Tha Chang sand pits indicate a late Miocene age and support the geological age suggested by previous studies. However, the remains of giraffes and bovid Selenoportax might be Middle Miocene or lower Upper Miocene, which are consistent with the ages of of elephant fossils, indicating the co-occurrence of primitive and derived forms. We agree that fossil assemblages from the Tha Chang sand pits include materials of several ages, probably from the Middle Miocene, Late Miocene (perhaps including early Late and latest Miocene), and Plio-Pleistocene, based on the artiodactyl fossils. 39

40 References: Chaimanee, Y. et al. (2007) Diversity of Cenozoic mammals in Thailand: paleoenvironment and age updated. GEOTHAI 07 International Conference on Geology of Thailand: Towards Sustainable Development and Sufficiency Economy: Deng, T. et al. (2013) A new species of Aceratherium (Rhinocerotidae, Perissodactyla) from the Late Miocene of Nakhon Ratchasima, northeastern Thailand. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 33 (4): Hanta, R. et al. (2008) A new species of Bothriodontinae, Merycopotamus thachangensis (Cetartiodactyla, Anthracotheriidae) from the Late Miocene of Nakhon Ratchasima, northeastern Thailand. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 28 (4): Saegusa, H. et al. (2005) Note on Asian stegodontids. Quaternary International, : Suteethorn, V. et al. (1997) The first discovery of Tertiary vertebrate fossils from Khorat basin. Scientific Meeting of Geological Survey Division, Department of Mineral Resources, Bangkok:

41 Devonian sediments in Dong Van area, Ha Giang Province, North Vietnam 1 Hanoi University of Science, VNU Ta Hoa Phuong 1 The Global Geopark Dong Van Karst Highland situated in the northernmost area of the Vietnam, is famous long ago by its beautiful landscape, lying on the altitude of m. In this area, there are some important Devonian sections containing abundant faunal and floral fossils. The most typical Devonian sections in the Dong Van area are the Dong Van, Ma Pi Len and Lung Cu - Ma Le ones. In these sections, there are 5 formations with the age from Lochkovian of Lower Devonian to Famennian of Upper Devonian, namely: Si Ka Fm., Bac Bun Fm., Mia Le Fm., Si Phai Fm. and Toc Tat Fm.. Devonian deposition began after a great stratigraphic discontinuity, in which all Middle-Upper Ordovician and Silurian formations were absent, that can be observed in such as the Lung Cu Ma Le section, near Xi Man Ka village. Upon the Lower Ordovician limestone with angular unconformity there are basal conglomerate and calcareous shale of the Si Ka Formation (D 1 sk) characterized by red-brown colour. The fish fossils collected near the Xi Man Kha Village includes: Yunnanolepis cf. spinulosa, Heteroyunnanolepis sp., Polybranchiaspis sp., Chuchinolepis sp., Sanqiaspis vietnamensis sp. nov., Placodermi gen. et sp. indet., Sarcoptegygii gen. et sp. indet., etc. Besides, there are still many fossils of plants, gastropods, brachiopods, large arthropod remains, etc. In the Devonian sections of this region there are also many other important stratigraphical and paleontological exposes, such as tabulate - tetracoral sites in Ma Lu village, brachiopod site in Ma Le village, tentaculite site in Si Phai village, etc. Especially, in Si Phai pass, conodont fossils of Palmatolepis linguiformis Zone (the uppermost Zone of Frasnian) and Pa. triangularis Zone (the lowest Zone of Femennian) were found, consequently, the Frasnian-Famennian chronostratigraphic continuity boundary was clearly established between the beds S 12/8 and S12/9 of the bottom part of the Toc Tat Formation. These stratigraphical and paleontological exposes can be considered as important geostites, which help to increase heritage's value of the Dong Van Karst Geopark featured by many other famous Geosites including Tu San Canyon on Que river, Tung Sang karst desert, and Sa Phin karst piramid. 41

42 The Ups-and-Downs of Borneo Manuel Pubellier 1 & David Menier 1 1 Depatment of Geosciences, Faculty of Geosciences and Petroleum Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Bandar Seri Iskandar, Tronoh, Perak, Malaysia Borneo Island is nowadays a relatively calm region in terms of tectonic activity despite gravity slides and a few earthquakes in the north. The tectonic framework was however very different during the Early Tertiary when three rifted basins floored by oceanic crust existed and the Late Miocene when movements were mostly vertical as a result of the interaction with the Philippine Mobile Belt. The island which is in the core of the Sunda Plate accommodated the movements of the major plates, namely Eurasia, Philippines/Pacific, and Australia. The Latest history begins with the extension of the China margin and led to crustal thinning and ocean crust development continuously until the Middle Miocene when various continental fragments from Australia perturbed the opening. A simple model of trench-pull driven opening appears to explain most of the observations as long as a free edge exists south of the Sunda plate. The oldest basin, the Proto South China Sea Basin, is only represented by some ophiolites and a thick accretionary wedge which results from its shortening. The sediments include Aptian radiolarian. This basin was replaced progressively by the South China Sea that we observe nowadays from the Oligocene to the Middle Miocene, thus allowing us to reconstruct the NW margin of Borneo. The Eastern side is fringed by the Celebes and the Makassar basins, connected during the Eocene and which may have served as one passway for water from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean. This area was undergoes shortening since the Early Miocene. The shortening is responsible for the inversion tectonics and incipient closure of the existing basins. Development of carbonate platforms or patch reefs took place at that time over crustal or sedimentary basement. Ecological conditions may be very favourable, explaining the extensive development of Miocene carbonate platforms. Since the Late Miocene, the movements were dominantly vertical as a response of the final closure and possible slab breakoff of the Proto South China Sea, the opening of the Sulu Sea and the compression in the Southern Philippines. The vertical motion is recorded by a sudden basement drop of the South China Sea and in contrast a tremendous uplift of the NW Borneo wedge. This tectonic signal is far more important than the global sea level variations during the Miocene, althought at that time the amount of carbonate platforms seems to decrease. 42

43 Reconstruction of Sangiran Paleoecological System Using Bovids Dentalwear Analysis Marlia Yuliyanti Rosyidah 1, Johan Arif 2, Halmi Insani 2, Pipit Puji Lestari 1 & Niko Suko Dwiyanto 1 1 Balai Pelestarian Situs Manusia Purba Sangiran, 2 Department of Geology, Institute of Technology Bandung, Indonesia Sangiran, called as homeland of Javaman, is the early man site in Central Java, Indonesia. Stratigraphy sequences, fossils and artifacts wich founded there showed the complete and unbreak chain of environment evolution, human and it s culture evolution for along 2,5 Mya. Paleoenvironment of Sangiran in Plio-Plestocene has been known by multiproxy approach research, it was the deep sea then raised up to be shallow, and in the middle-late Pleistocene its become a grass land with swamp area. But it still limited known for the spesific of paleoecological system. This study will show the result of dentalwear analysis of Sangiran Bovids. Component measured of this methods following previous research for dental mesowear scoring. Bovids fossil specimens are including Bibos palaeosondaicus and Bubalus palaeokerabau. By knowing the dental mesowear analyses, we will knowing its diets in the past. With the added information about bovids femoral morfology it will represent the paleoecology of Sangiran. Keywords: Sangiran, Bovids, dentalwear, paleoecology 43

44 Plio-Pleistocene Reef-Coral Diversity in the Sulu Sea Sabah (S3P-Project): Implications for the development of the Indo-Pacific Centre of Diversity Saw, J.V.M. 1, Hunter, A.W. 1,2 & Johnson, K.G. 3 1 Depatment of Geosciences, Faculty of Geosciences and Petroleum Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Bandar Seri Iskandar, Tronoh, Perak, Malaysia 2 Department of Applied Geology, Curtin University of Technology, Bentley, Perth, WA, Australia 3 Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, UK The Sulu Sea is part of the biodiversity hotspot in the Malay Archipelago. The environmental and biological history of the region remains poorly documented despite its significance for global biodiversity. This research aims to investigate the Pliocene to Recent evolution of coral reef ecosystems as recorded by sediments exposed on the Dent Peninsula, Sabah, Malaysia. The objectives of this research are (1) to systematically sample the Plio-Pleistocene assemblages of the Dent Peninsula Sabah, Malaysia; (2) to determine the palaeobiodiversity of these assemblages and test fidelity against Recent assemblages; and (3) to describe changes in the reef habitats from the Plio-Pleistocene to Recent to determine the relationship between environment and biodiversity as Regional ecosystems respond to Plio/Pleistocene global environmental change. Preliminary results have shown that Plio-Pleistocene corals in Dent Peninsula are comparable to recent reefs in Semporna, Sabah in terms of the higher (family level) taxon groups represented. Species from the families Mussidae, Merulinidae, Acroporidae, Poritidae, Fungidae have been sampled in Dent Peninsula including at least 50 forms. This research will provide a fundamental understanding of the coral reef diversity growth and evolution of the fossil habitats of the Dent Peninsula Sulu Sea, in the late Neogene, establishing Sabah s comparability to recent diversity that will contribute to the age definition of the coral reef development of the Indo-Pacific Centre of Diversity. 44

45 Middle Devonian conodont characteristic of west Siberia and its global correlation Skoritsky I.V. 1 & Izokh N.G. 2 1 Novosibirsk State University, pr. Pirogova, 2, Novosibirsk, Russia, iskoritzky@gmail.com 2 Trofimuk Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, pr. Acad. Koptyug, 3, Novosibirsk, Russia. izokhng@ipgg.sbras.ru A new stage in development of conodont genera Polygnathus Hinde and Icriodus Branson et Mehl is noted in Middle Devonian time. Radiation in their lineages was proposed by K. Weddige and W. Ziegler [3]. The Polygnathus costatus patulus group developed from the ancestor Polygnathus costas patulus during Eifelian time. The largest diversity in this fauna is noted for the costatus-australis zones, which is subsequently reduced at the upper Eifelian boundary. A similar trend was found for Icriodus. Thus in Eifelian time new Icriodus groups were formed: regularicrescens, struvei and werneri [3]. Study of Eifelian conodonts from north-east Salair identified a similarity in their radiation with that known from German sections (Eifelian Mountains). At NE Salair, in the vicinity of the town of Gurievsk, the Eifelian Pesteryovo Formation is comprised of bedded and reef limestones exposed in the Malaya Salairka Quarry. A diverse conodont association dominated by Polygnathus costatus and Icriodus regularicrescens was recovered from carbonate rocks of the Pesteryovo Formation [1]. The Polygnathus costatus group is characterized by coarse ribs on the upper surface of the platform. The Icriodus regularicrescens group has a narrow platform of I-element ornamented by short denticles. Additional studies of conodonts identified Polygnathus costatus Klapper, Polygnathus pseudofoliatus Wittekindt, Polygnathus angusticostatus Wittekindt, Polygnathus aff. trigonicus Klapper, Polygnathus linguiformis pinguis Weddige, Polygnathus robusticostatus Bischoff et Ziegler, Tortodus intermedius (Bultynck), Icriodus regularicrescens Bultynck, and Icriodus formosus Nazarova and Icriodus sp. 2 and sp. 3, which are characteristic of partitus-costatus-australis zones. The Eifelian-Givetian boundary interval was investigated in sections near the town of Prokopievsk [2]. Conodont associations are different here, represented by Polygnathus linguiformis klapperi Clausen, Leuteritz et Ziegler, Polygnathus pseudofoliatus Wittekindt, Icriodus norfordi Chatterton, Icriodus hollardi Walliser et Bultynck, Icriodus stelcki Chatterton and Icriodus sp., Tortodus sp. Genus Polygnathus possess wide flattened platform. Genus Icriodus has a wider platform ornamented by large denticles and a wide basal cavity. New data on conodonts belonging to the kockelianus Zone allowed us to identify the Eifelian-Givetian boundary in thin section. Conodonts from NE Salair are cosmopolitan species, which is evidence of broad relations of the Middle Devonian Salair Basin with other paleobasins. Middle Devonian conodont radiation trends identified in the Eifelian Mountains can also be traced in Salair paleobasins. Study has been supported by RFBR grants , , RAS Projects 28. Contribution to the IGCP 596. References: Izokh, N.G. Biodiversity of Devonian conodonts from the West Siberia //Berichte des Institutes für Erdwissenschaften, Karl- Franzens-Universität Graz. ISSN IGCP 596 Opening Meeting. Graz, 19-24th September, 2011, Band 16, p Middle-Upper Devonian and Lower Carboniferous Biostratigraphy of Kuznetsk Basin. Field Excursion Guidebook.International Conference Biostratigraphy, paleogeography and events in Devonian and Lower Carboniferous (SDS / IGCP 596 joint field meeting) / Eds. N.K. Bakharev, N.G. Izokh, O.T. Obut, J.A. Talent. (Authors: N.K. Bakharev, N.G. Izokh, A.Yu. Yazikov, T.A. Shcherbanenko, S.A. Anastasieva, O.T. Obut, S.V. Saraev, L.G. Peregoedov, V.G. Khromykh, O.A. Rodina, I.G. Timokhina, T.P. Kipriyanova). Novosibirsk, July 20 August 10, Novosibirsk: Publishing House of SB RAS p. Weddige, K., Ziegler, W. Evolutionary patterns in Middle Devonian conodont genera Polygnathus and Icriodus // Geologica et Palaeontologica, 1979, V.13, p , 3 text-figs; Marburg. 45

46 Reconstructing the Eocene-Oligocene Transition (EOT) boundary of Mossy Grove, Mississippi Nursufiah Sulaiman 1,2 1 School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, UK 2 Faculty of Earth Sciences, University Malaysia Kelanta, Jeli, Malaysia The Eocene/Oligocene boundary is of considerable interest as the most recent transition from a Greenhouse to Icehouse climate state. The significance of global cooling associated with the onset of Antarctic glaciation across the E/O transition was first documented by Kennet et.al (1975) and is recognized as the largest climate transition of the Cenozoic (Zachos et.al. 2008). The Mossy Grove core was drilled near Jackson, Mississippi on the US Gulf Coast. Samples were taken in April 2007 at 4 foot intervals from near the base of the Forest Hill Formation to near the bottom of the core at 527 feet. This core sampled a complete section through the Eocene Oligocene boundary. Thirty samples were microscopically analysed at magnifications up to 1,000X. The quantitative counts of calcareous nannofossil assemblages were recorded to obtain the relative abundance of nannofossils. Assemblages are dominated by four taxa: Reticulofenestra dictyoda (small), Reticulofenestra minuta, Cyclicargolithus floridanus, and Coccolithus pelagicus. The Mossy Grove core samples a complete section of the Eocene-Oligocene transition by present of bioevent marker species. The presence of Reticulofenestra reticulata, Discoaster saipanensis, Discoaster barbadensis, Ismolithus recurvu, and Coccolithus formosus mark the NP17-NP21 zone, which is late Eocene to early Oligocene age. The highest occurrence (T) of Coccolithus formosus at 79 feet markes the top of NP21, which is immediately above the Eocene-Oligocene Transition (EOT) boundary. The T of Discoaster saipanensis and Discoaster barbadensis occur at 263feet markes the top of NP20, suggesting that the EOT event would be between 79 and 263 feet. The overall diversity slightly decreases toward Oligocene time. Comparison of the age model of planktonic foraminifera (Fluegemen, 2009) with calcareous nannofossils suggests that calcareous nannofossils might be younger in age, although it shows a same pattern. A geochemistry study is planned to reconstruct temperature and coccolithophores productivity. 46

47 Conodonts from the Sungai Siput limestone: its implication to establish a reference section for Paleozoic sequences and dating of the rocks, Perak, Malaysia Haylay Tsegab 1, Aaron W. Hunter 1,2, Chow Weng Sum 1, & Bernard J. Pierson 3 1 Depatment of Geosciences, Faculty of Geosciences and Petroleum Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Bandar Seri Iskandar, Tronoh, Perak, Malaysia 2 Department of Applied Geology, Curtin University of Technology, Bentley, Perth, WA, Australia 3 Former Director of SEACARL, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS On the tripartite division of the Peninsular Malaysia, Kinta Limestone is among the important Paleozoic sequences covering Silurian to Permian in the Western Belt. It was considered as metamorphosed and rarely fossiliferous formation compared to the Western domain of the Peninsular. Diagenetic and surface alterations increased the difficulty in the application of traditional sedimentology to further characterize the sequence. Lithostratigraphic sections were described in the north of Kinta valley from some least altered outcrops and shallow borehole to assess the alteration and paleontological dating for the Kinta Limestone. Few samples were processed for micro paleontological study of phosphatic microfossils and some were retrieved to define the degree of thermal alteration and possibly to date the section. The tiny conodont elements are black coloured and with rough, deformed and fractured textural features indicating the degree of alteration on the host rock limestone. Based on the conodont colour-alteration indices (CAI) and textural observations, the Sungai Siput section was subjected to a very low grade metamorphism and surficial alterations. However, still some of the Kinta Limestone preserves some primary sedimentary features. Petrographic and SEM analyses of some samples showed that the limestone has some fossils that have a potential to refine the dating of the Kinta Limestone (e.g., conodonts and radiolarians). Therefore the ongoing research is focused on establishing a reference stratigraphic section for the Kinta Limestone using microfossils integrated with chemostratigraphy. Keywords: Paleozoic Conodont, carbonate, Kinta Limestone 47

48 Biostratigraphy and the evolution of the Permian basin, slope, and carbonate platform in the western portion of the Indochina Terrane: preliminary results Mongkol Udchachon 1,2, Clive Burrett 1,3 & Hathaithip Thassanapak 1,2 1 Palaeontological Research and Education Centre, Mahasarakham University, Mahasarakham 44150, Thailand; Mongkol.c@msu.ac.th 2 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Mahasarakham University, Mahasarakham 44150, Thailand 3 School of Earth Sciences, University of Tasmania, Box , Hobart, Tasmania, 7001, Australia The Permian Nam Duk Basin in the west of the Indochina Terrane in Central Thailand is well known. This basin is interpreted herein as an Early Permian basin by means of stratigraphic sequences, palaeontology, and sedimentology. The slope facies was identified in a close relationship between the basin facies and platform carbonates. The Nam Duk Basin was interpreted as an early-middle Permian backarc basin consisting mainly of shales, greywackes, siliceous shales, limestones, and cherts. These sequences belong to the Pang Asok Formation of the Saraburi Group. Due to lack of key fossils reported from this formation, it was previously assigned a Wordian age by means of lithostratigraphic correlation. However, our preliminary biostratigraphic investigation identified key faunas, including Sweetognathus subsymmetricus, S. whitei, Mesogondolella spp. and fusulinids such as Pseudofusulina sp. from a carbonaceous crinoidal limestone that overlies a black shale. These faunas indicate Artinskian- Kungurian ages. Thick-bedded limestones containing Verbeekina sp., Neoschwagerina sp., and other fusulinids of Middle Permian age were found in the upper part of this sequence. Detailed taxonomy of these faunas and analysis of the sequences is in progress. In other localities, Early Permian and Middle Permian limestone sequences are thick bedded with an abundance of shallow marine organisms. These sequences are interpreted to be platform and rimmed shelf, respectively. The slope facies of the Nam Duk is characterized by turbiditic limestones (allodapic limestone) intercalation with silicified shales and cherts. Conodonts such as Sweetognathus subsymmetricus, S.whitei, Mesogondolella bisselli, M. siciliensis, M. sp., Gullodus gulloides, and others were identified in these limestones and indicate an Artinskian- Kungurian age. Fusulinids such as Parafusulina sp., Pseudofusulina sp. and others were also found, as were fish remains. The Nam Duk Basin was possibly open during early Permian and closed during the late Early Permian time. The Early Permian carbonate platform evolved into a rimmed shelf during the Middle Permian. This interpretation is compatible the global sea-level curve of Ross and Ross (1995). Conodont biostratigraphy combined with fusulinid and radiolarian biostratigraphy, sedimentology. and sequence stratigraphy are important in order to understand the evolution of the basin, slope, and platform. Keywords: Biostratigraphy, Conodont, Fusulinid, Indochina Terrane, Nam Duk Basin, Slope facies 48

49 The Caprinae of the Tham Lod Rockshelter, a Late Pleistocene site in Mae Hong Son Province, Northwest Thailand Wattanapituksakul, A. 1,2, Filoux, A. 2, Shoocongdej, R. 3 & Tumpeesuwan, S. 1,2 1 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Mahasarakham University, Thailand 2 Palaeontological Research and Education Centre, Mahasarakham University, Thailand 3 Faculty of Archaeology, Silpakorn University, Thailand The Tham Lod rockshelter is a Late Pleistocene archaeological site located in Mae Hong Son Province, Northwest of Thailand (Shoocondej et al., 2007). Three areas were excavated and yielded a large number of mammal remains and stone tools. The different stratigraphic layers are dated between 36,000 and 12,000 years BP (Khaokhiew, 2004; Shoocondej, 2006; Shoocondej et al., 2007). The mammal accumulation was created by prehistoric hunter gatherers. The population of small bovid are represented by prime adult individuals. Initial investigation indentified only Naemorhedus sp. in the assemblage (Wattanapituksakul, 2006). More recent biometric and morphometric analyses performed on the dental remains identified 184 teeth, corresponding to a large size caprinid (Capricornis) and a small size one (Naemorhedus). Comparison with Pleistocene and Holocene sites from Southeast Asia and extant species show a small variation in the dental size. Indeed, although most of the specimens have the same size variation range, some specimens are bigger than the extant ones. This study elucidates the diversity of the Caprinae population in Southeast Asia during late Pleistocene time. References: Khaokhiew, C Geoarchaeology of Tham Lod rockshelter, Changwat Mae Hong Son, Northern Thailand. Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Earth Science, Departments of Geology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University. Shoocongdej, R. and other, Final report of Highland Archaeology Project in Pang Ma Pha Distric, Mae Hong Son Province Phase 2 vol. 2. Submitted to Thailand Research Found (TRF). (In Thai) Shoocongdej, R., 2006, Late Pleistocene Activities at the Tham Lod Rockshelter in Highland Pang Mapha, Mae Hong Son Province, Northwest Thaialnd. In Bacus, E.A., Glover, I.C. and Pigott, V.C. (editors), Uncovering Southeast Asian s Past, Singapore: NUS press. Wattanapituksakul, S Late Pleistocene mammal teeth from the Tham Lod rockshelter, Amphoe Pang Mapha, Changwat Mae Hong Son. Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Earth Science, Departments of Geology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University. 49

50 Permian echinoderms from Eastern Oman and Their Correlation with Timor and Australian Tethyan Echinoderms Gary D. Webster 1, Johnny Waters 2 & Alan Heward 3 1 School of Environment, Washington State University, Pullman WA 66164, USA; Department of Geology 2 Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608, USA 3 Petrogas E&P LLC, PO Box 353, PC112, Ruwi, Sultanate of Oman Permian echinoderms have been described from two areas in northeastern Oman. Crinoids were first described from shelf carbonates of the Early Permian Haushi Limestone (Saiwan of earlier usage) and Late Permian Khuff Formation from the Hashi area of eastern central Oman by Jell and Willink, (1993) and Webster et al. (2009). A platycrinoid and blastoids were described by Webster and Sevastopulo (2007) from deeper water basinal deposits of the allochthonous sediments of the Qarari Limestone on the Oman coastal Batain plain. These deposits are thought to have formed in the Batain basin, a failed arm of the Neotethyan Ocean. The Qarari Unit is the oldest interval in the Batain Group, which was obducted a few tens of kilometers to the northeast corner of the Arabian plate (Immenhauser et al., 2000). Recent collections of echinoderms from several localities on the Batain plain include specimens from both shelfal and deeper-water facies of the Qarari Unit and from clasts within the Aseelah. The Aseelah Unit is a slope conglomerate of probable Late Permian age containing pebble to boulder sized limestone blocks of Early to Late Permian age (Hauser et al., 2000; Peters et al, 2001). Fusulines from allochthonous shelfal Qarari carbonates suggest an age of Bolorian to early Murgabian (Tethyan terms) or Cathedralian to Roadian (North American terms) (Leven and Heward, 2013). This may revise the Sakmarian age of the allocthonous deeper-water Qarari as reported by Webster and Sevastopulo (2007) among others. Conodonts extracted from several of the main outcrops of the Qarari Unit should help clarify the age, or range of ages present. Neotethyan Permian echinoderms have been reported from Australia, India, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, Russia (southern Ural Mountains). Sicily, Southern China, Thailand, Tunisia, and West Timor. Echinoderms from these areas range in age from Sakmarian to Wuchiapingian. Both cooler water higher latitude and tropical environments are present within the various areas. The greatest diversity is found in the West Timor faunas, with 212 identified crinoid species among 91 genera, 16 genera of blastoids, and 3 genera of echinoids (Webster and Jell, 1999; Webster, personal communication). Australian Permian echinoderms show the second greatest diversity, having 48 named crinoid genera among 100 species. Intermediate diversities are known from Oman and Russia. As currently known, all other areas contain low diversity faunas of fewer than five genera. Oman Permian echinoderms have been recovered from four stratigraphic units: Haushi (Saiwan), Khuff, Qarari, and Aseelah. Sakmarian echinoderms (7 genera, 8 species identified) were reported from five horizons in the Haushi Limestone and are considered by Webster et al. (2009) to be more closely related to North American than to Neotethyan faunas. Qarari faunas currently under study contain a minimum of 8 genera of crinoids, 3 genera of blastoids, and 1 echinoid genus in common with Timor faunas. Although only two species of Qarari crinoids are considered conspecific with Timor taxa, species of the other identified genera show affinity with identified Timor taxa. Qarari specimens also have 6 genera of crinoids, 3 blastoids, and 1 echinoid in common with Artinskian faunas of Australia. There are a greater number of crinoids in the Qarari faunas that are questionably related to or identified to genus or higher taxonomic levels, many of which are also recognized in Timor or Australia. Thus, the Permian echinoderms of Oman are judged to have the greatest affinity to Neotethyan Timor and Australia faunas in the post Haushi fauna of the Qarari unit of Bolerian to early Murgabian age. Based on the paleogeographic reconstructions of Golonka (2002) the Oman crinoids were living on the southeastern edge of the Arabian plate in the western part of the Neotethyan sea at approximately 40 to 30 S latitude., Timor was in the equatorial belt at approximately 30 to 27 S, and Australia was at 65 to 55 S in colder southern waters. As the different tectonic plates moved toward lower latitudes during the Permian, the 50

51 paleoenvironmental and paleogeographical settings undoubtedly led to differences in faunal diversity and taxa. References: Golonka, J., Plate tectonic maps of the Phanerozoic. In Kiessling W, Flügel E, and Golonka J (eds) Phanerozoic Reef Patterns: Society for Sedimentary Geology Special Publication 72, p Hauser, M., Vachard, D., Martini, R., Matter, A., Peters, T., and Zaninetti, L., 2000, The Permian sequence reconstructed from reworked carbonate clasts in the Batain Plain (northeastern Oman): Comptes Rendus de l acadamie des Sciences, v. 330, p Hauser, M., Martini, R., Matter, A., Krystyn, L., Peters, T., Stampfli, G. and Zaninetti, L., 2002, The break-up of East Gondwana along the northeast coast of Oman: evidence from the Batain basin: Geological Magazine, v. 139, p Immenhauser, A., Schreurs, G., Gros, E., Oterdoom, H. W. K., and Hartmann, B., Late Palaeozoic geodynamic evolution of the northeastern Oman margin: Geological Magazine, v. 137, p to Neogene Jell, P. A., and Willink, R. J., Early Permian cladid crinoids from the Gharif Formation of Oman, in: Jell, P. A., (ed.), Palaeontological Studies in Honour of Ken Campbell, Memoir Association Australasian Palaeontologists, v. 15, p Leven, E. J. and Heward, A P., 2013, Fusulinids from isolated Qarari Limestone outcrops occurring among Jurassic Cretaceous Batain Group (Batain plain, eastern Oman): Rivista Iitaliana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia, v. 19 (1), p Peters, T., Al-Battashy, M., Bläsi, H., Hauser, M., Immenhauser, A., Moser, L. and Al-Rajhi, A., 2001, Geological map of Sur and Al Ashkharah, Sheet NF 40-8F and Sheet NF 40-12C, Scale 1:100,000, Explanatory Notes: Sultanate of Oman Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Directorate General of Minerals, 95p. Wanner, J., 1916, Die Permischen echinodermen von Timor: I. Teil. Palaontologie von Timor, v. 11, p , pl Webster, G. D., Angiolini, L., and Tintori, A., 2009, Permian crinoids from the Saiwan and Khuff Formations, southeastern Oman: Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia, v.115(1), p Webster, G. D., and Jell, P. A., 1999, New Permian crinoids from eastern Australia: Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, v. 43(1), p Webster, G. D., and Sevastopulo, G. D., 2007, Paleogeographic significance of Early Permian crinoids and blastoids from Oman: Pläontologische Zeitschrift, v. 81(4), p

52 Devonian Bryozoan Associations of Mongolia Ariunchimeg Yarinpil 1 1 Paleontological Center, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, ariuna_ya@magicnet.mn The first appearance of Devonian bryozoans were identified in Bryozoans are one of the widespread and taxonomically diverse.invertebrate fossils in Paleozoic deposits. All data obtained in this study are from Devonian Bryozoans from 51 localities (fig.1) of Mongolia. Altogether 127 bryozoan species, 66 genera, and 27 families from 5 orders are described. Incomplete bryozoan distribution makes it difficult to distinguish uninterrupted bryozoans associations. However, based on study of bryozoans from well known Devonian type sections (fig.1, big cycle) and an analysis of their distribution, eight associations are established. These bryozoan associations are: Amansair (beds with Eridotrypa minuta, Lochkovian), Turgengol (beds with Lioclema netshlavense, Pragian), Tsahir (beds with Amurodictya tsahirensis, Emsian), Durvendert (beds with Mongoloclema ignota, Emsian), Baishint (beds with Reteporina coalescens, Eifelian), Sagsai (beds with Minussina maculosa,givetian), Tailaguul (beds with Sulcoretepora consona, Frasnian), and Samnuuruul (beds with Intrapora lanceolata, Fammennian). These Bryozoan associations are considered to be biostratigraphic divisions of regional stratigraphic extent and are useful for dating and correlating these Devonian sedimentary sequences. The presence of characteristic bryozoan associations in different tectonic units makes it possible to trace and correlate these bryozoa-bearing beds widely. The geographic and stratigraphic distribution of Devonian bryozoans permits not only diagnose of each association with specific representative species (fig. 2), but also elucidates the biogeographic connections and migration patterns of these Mongolian fauna in relation to these spreading. Fig.1. Devonian outcrops and location of studied sections. 52

53 Fig. 2. Devonian representative bryozoans. References: Alekseeva, R.E., Devonian Biostratigraphy of Mongolia, Moscow: Nauka, v. 44. P.132. Alekseeva, R.E., Aristov V.A., Goryunova R.V., Ulitina L.M., and Erlanger O.A Emsian and Eifelian Reference Sections of Mongolia. In Stratigraphy and Geological Correlation, Vol. 4, No. 1 pp Gorjunova, R.V., Morphology, system and phylogeny of bryozoans (order Rhabdomesida). М.: Nauka, V.208. P.152. Morozova I.P., Gorjunova R.V., Ariunchimeg Ya Paleontology of Mongolia. Volume Bryozoa. М.:Nauka, P.168 Kopaevich G.V Ordovician, Silurian and Devonian bryozoans from Mongolia. М.: Nauka, P Nyamsuren, G Biostratigraphy and Devonian-Lower Carboniferous Conodonts of Southern Mongolia. Ph.D Thesis. Moscow. P.16. Romantchuk, T.V., Some new Early Devonian Bryozoa of the Upper Amur basin. Paleont. Journ. 4. pp

54 Poster Presentation Abstracts 54

55 Mississipian/Pennsylvanian boundary interval in Central and East Iran Ali Bahrami 1, Iliana Boncheva 2, Mehdi Yazdi 1 & Ahmad Ebrahimi Khan-Abadi 1 1 University of Isfahan, 81746, Iran, Bahrami_geo@yahoo.com, meh.yazdi@gmail.com, abramian22@gmail.com 2 Geological Institute, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia 1113, boncheva2005@yahoo.com; Continental shelf deposits in Late Devonian had been extended further to Early Carboniferous in most localities of Iran. As a result of tectonic movements, related to the Hercynian epirogenetic phase, the extensive areas of Iranian platform sustained erosion, so that much thickness of lower Paleozoic rocks is missing. The variations of Carboniferous lithofacieses in Iran are considerable and Early Carboniferous platform, in Central and East Iran, covers structural blocks with different sedimentary characteristics which faults had main role in their separation. Middle Carboniferous event coinsides with a strong regression documented by terrigenous sedimentation, cross bedding facies and oolitic sandy limestones. Carboniferouis deposition in Iran reveals as a rich faunal oolitic limestone hosting conodonts together with brachiopods, gastropods, bryozoans, ostracods. Investigating the Carboniferous platform sediments and fauna in Central and East Iran a tendency of connection with the Global biological events was distinguishable. Our interest was focused on Middle Carboniferous Event and its influence on conodonts. Besides of their connection with anoxic events, Carboniferous bio-events are more often connected with sea- level changes - transgressions and regressions than to anoxic events. Concerning bio-event characteristics of Carboniferous conodont fauna there are indicators for global changes at Mississippian/Pennsylvanian boundary. The studied Sheshangosht, Kale-Sardar, Asadabad, Darchaleh and Howz-e-Dorah sections are examples for replacement of dominant in Early Carboniferous genera Gnathodus and Lochriea by post-event dominant genera Declinognathus and Idiognathodus in Late Carboniferous. After such global biological event as extinction, there is a demonstration of drastically increasing diversity of new conodont genera descendent of Gnathodus. The Mississippian/Pennsilvanian boundary is based on indicated two conodont zones Rahistognathus muricatus Zone and Declinognathus noduliferous Zone. Rahistognathus muricatus Zone is the uppermost conodont zone in Mississippian (Upper Serpukhovian), whereas Declinognathus noduliferous Zone is a marker of Middle Carboniferous boundary and is the lowermost conodont zone in Pennsylvanian. The Mississippian/Pennsilvanian boundary is placed at the first appearance of Declinognathus noduliferus (Ellison & Graves) which coincides with the global eustatic event reflected in shallowing of basins. Six conodont zones are indicated in studied sections including Mississippian/Pennsilvanian boundary. 55

56 Planktonic foraminifera and ammonite contents for the upper Valanginiyen-Aptian (Lower Cretaceous) of Eastern Anatolian, Olur-Erzurum,Turkey M. Kaya Çağlar 1, E. Kalkan 1, S.N. Raisosadatat 2, Ç. Özer 1 & Ö. Bilici 1 1 Ataturk University, Oltu Earth Sciences Faculty, Department of Geology Engineering, Oltu-Erzurum, Turkey; merkay- 4@hotmail.com 2 Birjand University, Department of Geology Engineering, Birjand, Iran; snraeisosadat@birjand.ac.ir 1 Ataturk University, Oltu Earth Sciences Faculty, Department of Geophysical Engineering, Oltu-Erzurum, Turkey The present study presents a detailed paleontological study of the Sogukcam Formation on a stratigraphic section of the Yeşilbaglar (Olur-Erzurum, NE Turkey). This formation includes the Deshayesites reported the first time from Turkey. It also contents a rich ammonite and planktonic foraminifera assemblage. Particular emphasis is paid to the rich ammonite faunas of the Upper Valanginian-Upper Barremian Crioceratites, the Upper Barremian Turkmeniceras, Barremian Heteroceras, the early Aptian Deshayesites deshayesi Zone and Deshayesites weissi Zone, the middle Aptian Acrioceras (Yesilbaglar Section). The identified planktonic foraminifera are including Globuligerina hoterivica (Upper Hauterivian), Hedbergella sigali (Barremian-Early Aptian), Globigerinelloides blowi (Lower Aptian) and Hedbergella gorbachikae (Late Aptian), Globuligerina spp., Globigerinelloides spp. Based of reported foraminifera four biozones of planktonic foraminifera from Sogukcam Formation samples are suggested; Globuligerina hoterivica, Hedbergella sigali,globgerinelloides blowi and Hedbergella gorbachikae Zones. The Upper Valanginian- Aptian assignment of this biozone is corroborated by its distinctive ammonite assemblage that are characteristic of late Valanginian-middle Aptian standard ammonite zones. Thus, in Olur, the deeper facies of the Sogukcam Formation took place sometime during the upper Valanginian- Aptian as previously assigned. To avoid diachronic interpretations of the Sogukcam formational contact, the ammonites analyzed in this study for biochronostratigraphic purposes. Keywords: Lower Cretaceous, Ammonites, Planktonic foraminifera, Sogukcam Formation, Deshayesites 56

57 Discovery of Fossil Crocodiles in Thailand and their Palaeobiogeography Komsorn Lauprasert 1 & Jeremy E. Martin 2 1 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Mahasarakham University, Khantarawichai, Mahasarakham 44150; lauprasert@gmail.com 2 School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, BS8 1RJ Bristol, United Kingdom Although there are few species of living crocodiles in Thailand, many taxa of neosuchian fossils have been recognized, particularly in the red non-marine sediments of the northeastern region (Khorat Plateau) during the last decade. The oldest member of Neosuchia in Thailand is Sunosuchus thailandicus Buffetaut and Ingavat 1980, which has been recovered from the uppermost part of the Phu Kradung Formation. New skull material allows for the first time a reassessment of the taxonomy of this animal, probably the largest freshwater predator of its epoch. The first goniopholid, Goniopholis phuwiangensis, was found in 1983 from the Sao Khua Formation. Twenty four years later, more skull elements of a goniopholid were described and identified to be a second goniopholid, Siamosuchus phuphokensis. A dwarf and possibly terrestrial atoposaurid neosuchian, Theriosuchus grandinaris, has also been discovered in the Mesozoic non-marine sediments of the Khorat Plateau on the basis of a nearly complete rostrum and dentary. In addition, an advanced neosuchian, Khoratosuchus jintasakuli, has been found from the Khok Kruat Formation. In the Cenozoic non-marine sediments, a new alligatorine Krabisuchus siamogallicus, from the Late Eocene of the Krabi Basin, southern Thailand, was described and the results indicated a close relationship of the Thai alligatorine being sister groups to the alligator clade. Besides, the Middle Miocene and Pleistocene of the Khorat Plateau, Gavialis cf. bengawanicus and Alligator cf. sinensis were also reported, and although they are no longer distributed in Thailand today, these taxa indicate a recent change in freshwater drainage across South East Asia. Therefore, the fossil record of crocodiles in Thailand ranges from the late Jurassic to recent times. Indeed, gaps in this fossil record exist (e.g. late Cretaceous-late Eocene), but the diversity of finds is particularly rich and will serve as an important comparative basis for our understanding of crocodilian evolution with other regions of the world. Key words: neosuchia, Goniopholidae, Pholidosauridae, Atoposauridae, Thailand 57

58 Tabulate corals and carbon isotope record of the Pridolian to Lochkovian stage boundaries in the Ulaanshand section of the Shine-Jinst area, South Mongolia Sersmaa, G 1 1 Mongolian University of Science and Technology, Ulaanbaatar, 46/520, Mongolia; sers_gon@yahoo.com The Shine-Jinst is key area of Paleozoic stratotype sections of Mongolia. Sediments of the section outcrop well and very fossiliferous. Tabulate corals and carbon isotope composition of limestone strata of the Amansair Formation were studied across the stage boundaries from Pridolian to Lochkovian of the Ulaanshand section in Shine-Jinst area. The Amansair Formation is divided into carbonate member and variegated member, in ascending order, according to the dominant facies (Fig.1). The carbonate member is subdivided to 3 beds. The lower bed (4) is composed primarily of calcareous sandstones, siltstones and thin bedded limestone. The middle bed (5) consists of massive limestone. The upper bed (6) is characterized by siltstone intercalated by thin beds of limestone. Fossils are represented by tabulate corals, brachiopods, bryozoans and crinoids. The upper variegated member consists of fine-grained and unfossiliferous, terrigenous deposits. Based on the tabulate species Favosites favositiformis and Favosites socialis, the age of Amansair Formation was determined as Pridolian to Lochkovian stage. A total of 107 limestone samples were measured for their δ 13 C values. A gradual shift in δ 13 C values from to was observed in the middle part of the Amansair Formation. Such a negative to positive of the shift of the δ 13 C values are also occurred in shallow-water carbonates at the Pridolian-Lochkovian boundary. Thus, based on the δ 13 C chemostratigraphic curves, in conjunction with the occurrence of tabulate corals, Pridolian-Lochkovian stage boundary should be existed in the middle part of the Amansair Formation of the Ulaanshand section of Shine-Jinst area in Southern Mongolia. Keywords: isotopes, carbon, Pridolian, Lochkovian, Ulaanshand section, Shine-Jinst, Mongolia. 58

59 Figure 1. Carbon isotope chemostratigraphy (δ 13 C) and Ulaanshand section in the Silurian-Devonian boundary interval in the Shine-Jinst, South Mongolia. 59

60 Phu Noi: the spectacular locality of Phu Kradung Formation, the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous from northeastern part of Thailand Saitong Sila 1, Suravech Suteethorn 2, Wilailuck Naksri 1, Uthumporn Deesri 2, Chalida Laojumpon 2, Athiwat Wattanapituksakul 1,2, Paladej Srisuk 1 & Varavudh Suteethorn 1 1 Palaeontological Research and Education Centre, Mahasarakham University, Khamrieng, Kantharawichai District, Mahasarakham 44150, Thailand. 2 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Mahasarakham University, Khamrieng, Kantharawichai District, Mahasarakham 44150, Thailand. Phu Noi excavation site is located at Ban Din Chi, Kham Muang District, Kalasin Province, Thailand. The bone beds laid in greenish clay stones of the Phu Kradung Formation which referable to Late Jurassic-Ealy Cretaceous. Since 2008, Phu Noi become one of the richest non-marine fossil vertebrate locality in Southeast Asia. More than one thousand of bones have yielded from several layers of bone beds in the same area. Several new finding taxa are recognized including sauropod, theropod, ornithopod dinosaurs, crocodiles, turtles, bony fish; Isanichthys lertboosi sp. nov. (Deesri, et al. in press) and freshwater sharks; Acrodus kalasinensis sp. nov. (Cuny et al. in press). While other fossil materials are currently under study. This astonished locality are still discovery continuing unexpected vertebrate fossils which are well preserved and complete specimens. The potential information of the locality will contribute to a better understanding of the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous fauna diversity and evolution of Thailand and in Southeast Asia. Keywords: Phu Noi, Phu Kradung Formation, Southeast Asia. References: Cuny, G., Liard, R., Deesri, U., Liard, T., Khamha, S. and Suteethorn, V. Accepted. Shark faunas Cretaceous of northeastern Thailand, Paläontologische Zeitschrift. (in press) from the Late Jurassic-Early Deesri, U., Lauprasert, K., Suteethorn, V., Wongko, K. and Cavin, L. In press. A new species of the ginglymodian fish Isanichthys (Actinopterygii, Holostei) from the Late Jurassic Phu Kradung Formation, northeastern Thailand, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. (in press) 60

61 Shallow-water platform carbonates at the Devonian/Carboniferous boundary - an interdisciplinary study in Ertocoun and Nanbiancun sections (Southern China) Katarzyna Sobień 1, Xavier Devleeschouwer 2,3, Tomáš Kumpan 4 & Ondřej Bábek 5 1 Polish Geological Institute-National Research Institute, 4 Rakowiecka Street, Warsaw, Poland 2 Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, O.D. Earth and History of Life, rue Jenner 13, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium 3 Département des Sciences de la Terre et de l Environnement, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Av. F.D. Roosevelt 50, 1000 Brussels, Belgium 4 Department of Geological Sciences, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, Brno, Czech Republic 5 Department of Geology, Palacký University, Tř. 17. listopadu 12, Olomouc, Czech Republic The Nanbiancun and Ertocoun sections, located in the vicinity of the city of Guilin, represent Devonian/Carboniferous boundary intervals of shallow-water platform carbonates. In the Ertocoun section platform interior to platform margin facies are exposed with a deepening upward trend from microbial mounds into the talus microfacies being replaced by an upward shallowing succession higher in the section. Marginal slope facies exposed at the Nanbiancun section show different trends. At the base, a thick talus layer is exposed and overlain by a upward thinning succession of tempestite beds, which is interpreted as a deepening trend. Field gamma-ray spectrometry (GRS) as well as low-field magnetic susceptibility (X LF ) measurements were performed in both sections. In addition, laboratory rock magnetic analyses have been applied in order to determine the nature of magnetic components in these sections. Sixty-two and eight-four samples were collected and measured along Ertocoun and Nanbiancun sections, respectively. A decreasing trend in potassium (K) and thorium (Th) concentrations is noted in the Famennian interval of the Ertocoun section, which is followed by a slight K and Th enrichment just below the D/C boundary. A high and positive Th-K correlation (r = 0.81) suggests that both elements are present in fine-grained aluminosilicate minerals, which are diluted in non-radioactive carbonate. The lowermost Carboniferous is characterised by a second Th decreasing trend. In the middle part of the Ertocoun section, across the D/C boundary, a significant increase in low-field magnetic susceptibility (X LF ) is noted. A strong positive correlation between X LF and anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM; r = 0.93) suggests that fine magnetite grains are the main source of the magnetic susceptibility signal. The predominance of magnetite is especially visible in the interval just above the D/C boundary. Because the lowermost Carboniferous part of the section has extremely low K and Th concentrations it is not likely that the magnetite is land-derived eolian dust particles. It might be a result of specific environmental redox conditions in the basin. The section is characterized by inhomogeneous magnetic mineralogy and fluctuations in the concentration of high- and low coercivity minerals, which may indicate diagenesis as the major driving mechanism for the magnetic susceptibility signal. In the Nanbiancun section quite a similar, large-scale pattern is visible, however a prominent magnetic susceptibility peak, which coincides with the K and Th peak, is present in the lowermost Carboniferous. Unlike the Etcoucon section, this peak is presumably driven by detrital paramagnetic phyllosilicates. The petrophysical patterns across the biostratigraphic D/C boundary show some misfit, which may point to some diachronism between the inner platform and maginal slope sedimentary events. Alternatively, they might indicate some discrepancy in the biostratigraphy of the conodont-barren, shallow-water Etcoucun section This research has been carried out in the framework of IGCP 580 project titled Applications of Magnetic Susceptibility on Paleozoic Rocks and funded by PGI-NRI project, No (KS) 61

62 Palaeozoic radiolarian assemblages and other key faunas from the Indochina Terrane: Palaeogeographic and tectonic implications Hathaithip Thassanapak 1,2, Mongkol Udchachon 1,2, Clive Burrett 1,3 & Feng Qinglai 4, 1 Palaeontological Research & Education Centre, Mahasarakham University, Mahasarakham, & 2 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Mahasarakham University, Mahasarakham, 44150, Thailand bthaithip@yahoo.com 3 School of Earth Sciences, University of Tasmania, Box , Hobart, Tasmania, 7001, Australia 4 State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes & Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan Early Permian radiolarian faunas were recently discovered in chert and siliceous shale sequences in the Indochina Terrane. Late Devonian radiolarians were also found at several localities in this terrane along with conodonts, tentaculitids, trilobites, and other fossils. These faunas are biostratigraphically, palaeogeographically, economically, and tectonically important. Radiolaria in cherts and siliceous shales of the E-lert Formation in the Loei Foldbelt have been identified in the western part of the Inodchina Terraine, Thailand. They are characterized by species of Albaillellaria, Latentifistularia, and Entactinaria. Twenty species of radiolarians have been identified, including; Albaillella asymmetrica Ishiga and Imoto, Albaillella sinuata Ishiga and Watase, Pseudoalbaillella scalprata m. scalprata Ishiga, Pseudoalbaillella scalprata m. postscalprata Ishiga, Pseudoalbaillella sp., Pseudoalbaillella sp. cf. Ps. u - forma m. I (Ishiga et al), Latentifistula crux Nazarov and Ormiston, Latentifistula patagilaterala Nazarov and Ormiston, Latentifistula sp., Latentifistula sp. cf. L. patagilaterala Nazarov and Ormiston, Latentibifistula sp. cf. L. triacanthophora Nazarov and Ormiston, Tetratormentum? sp., Pseudotormentus kamigoriensis De Wever and Caridroit, Ruzhencevispongus uralicus Kozur, Tormentum delicatum Nazarov and Ormiston, Raciditor spp., Stigmosphaerostylus sp. cf. St. itsukaichiensis (Sashida and Tonishi), Hegleria mammilla (Sheng and Wang), Copicyntra spp., Spumellaria gen. et sp. indet., sp. A. This assemblage indicates a Kungurian (late Early Permian) age. These results are useful for biostratigraphic correlation among stratigraphic sequences in Indochina, South China, Japan, and other regions. We have also recently studied Frasnian to Famennian radiolarian chert sequences from several localities along the eastern margin of the Loei Foldbelt. Radiolarians obtained from cherts include Astroentactinia multispinosa (Won), Trilonche davidi (Hinde), T. echinata (Hinde), T. elegans Hinde, T. guangxiensis (Li & Wang), T. cf. chiangdaoensis (Wonganan & Caridroit), T. palimbola (Foreman), T. hindea (Hinde), T. minax (Hinde), T. vetusta Hinde, T. sp., Triaenosphaera sp., Astroentactinia sp., Bisyllentactinia arrhinia (Foreman), Palaeoscenidium cladophorum Deflandre, P. sp., Polyentactinia aranea Gourmelon, Polyentactinia sp., Holoeciscus sp., Ceratoisicum sp., Albaillella sp., Deflantrica sp., Tlecerina sp., Archocyrtium venustum Cheng, Stigmosphaerostylus herculean (Foreman), S. variospina (Won), S. vulgaris Won, and S. sp. This assemblage indicates a Frasnian age for the cherts. Along the eastern margin of the Indochina Terrane in the Truongson Foldbelt of central Laos, two localities of siliceous shales and chert sequences contain the radiolarians Trilonche davidi, T. hindea, T. minax, T. palimbola, Stigmosphaerostylus spp. and Ceratoikiscum? sp. and the tentaculitids Homoctenus ultimus and Costulatostylionina vesca, which together indicate a Frasnian age. Abundant Middle-Late conodonts, including Polygnathus spp., Palmatolepis spp. and Icriodus spp., have also been identifiedf in limestones along the Loei and Truongson foldbelts. We are currently conducting detailed taxonomic studies of these materials. The widespread pelagic, deep-water shelf fauna of the Indochina Terrane is similar to that from South China and demonstrates that tentaculitids and conodonts may be both common and biostratigraphically useful for dating radiolarian cherts and shales in South East Asia. The similarity of these microfaunal assemblages suggests that the eastern and western margin of the Indochina Terrane were close to the South China Terrane during Late Devonian and Early Permian time. Keywords: Permian, Devonian, radiolarians, Indochina Terrane, Loei Foldbelt, Truongson Foldbelt 62

63 Diagenetic Responses of Pleistocene-Holocene Carbonates to Sea-Level Changes in the Celebes Sea, East Sabah, Malaysia Nor Syazwani Zainal Abidin 1, Bernard J. Pierson 2 & Aaron W. Hunter 1,3 1 Depatment of Geosciences, Faculty of Geosciences and Petroleum Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Bandar Seri Iskandar, Tronoh, Perak, Malaysia 2 Former Director of SEACARL, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS 3 Department of Applied Geology, Curtin University of Technology, Bentley, Perth, WA, Australia Limestones are particularly susceptible to drastic early diagenetic modifications, mainly cementation and dissolution, either during or shortly after deposition or during periods of subaerial exposure. Sea level fluctuations control the growth or demise- of a reef and the volume of sediment produced by the reefs and accumulated on a carbonate platform. This research was conducted to study recent sea level changes and their implications on the diagenetic features and processes of the limestones in the Celebes Sea, east of Sabah, Malaysia, focusing on two types of lithified limestone, i.e. beachrock, marine hardground and exposed reef limestone. The objectives are to analyse the nature of lithified limestones, to establish the diagenetic history of the carbonates, to determine the absolute age versus the present-day position of these limestones relative to sea-level, to generate a history of recent sea level changes and to reveal the implications of diagenesis response to relative sea level changes. The elevation of sampling sites from the current sea level was determined by manual leveling and in relation to a reference level of high tide during the field survey. A vertical profiling survey along the elevated reef rocks of Selakan and Sebangkat Islands and beachrock sequences in Sibuan and Maiga Islands have been conducted. The measured elevations were then corrected according to local tide predictions and normalized to mean sea level. Coral samples were taken at the highest point of the exposed reef rock surface and at several points along the sea level notch-opening in living position. Samples of beachrock were taken in different sequences of the exposed beachrock succession that may withstand subaerial exposure of a few hours during low-tide periods. A total of fifty five (55) core plugs were analyzed petrographically, with XRD, SEM, radiocarbon dating and stable isotopes techniques. Petrographical analyses show that fibrous aragonite cements are mainly found in beachrock and hardground, and locally in elevated reef samples. They formed after the formation of micritic envelopes and are characteristic of marine water cementation. The reef limestone underwent substantial diagenetic alteration after subaerial exposure. Partial to complete dissolution of former aragonite, followed by freshwater-reprecipitation of blocky and equant calcite in phreatic condition occur at the early stage of calcitization. Stabilization continues in freshwater-vadose zone and takes place in the intraseptal voids, forming coarse blocky calcite cements. Meniscus cement confirms the vadose diagenesis interpretation. Neomorphism yielding the characteristic cross-cutting calcite mosaic is locally observed in coral samples and occurs in a freshwater-phreatic environment. Stable isotope analyses yield depleted values of δ18o and heavier values of δ13c for aragonite cements of beachrock and hardground, indicating that the diagenesis occurred in marine waters and seems to reflect an equilibrium crystallization with atmospheric CO2. The calcite cements from elevated reef rocks give depleted values for δ18o and δ13c, suggesting a mixing between an original signature and a soilderived meteoric signature and meteoric water in origin. The age of cements determined for elevated reef indicates a Late Pleistocene or older age. This may explain that the reef islands of Selakan and Sebangkat were already exposed between 32,845 and 20,770 years BP, and the exposure indicates sign of a lower sea level which at this time the eustatic sea level was lower by about meters than present. Possible explanations are (1) the reef grew as a single entity and continued aggrading vertically to track the rising sea level in Pleistocene ( ka BP) and, since then, the eustatic fall in sea level resulted in exposing the reef islands; (2) the similar reef aggradation may have occurred between ka BP and, since then, both eustatic sea level fall and uplift occurred, forming the reef islands. Sea level notches-opening formed as a result of sea level fluctuations in Holocene and indicates that the sea level fluctuated approximately ~ 1.0 m above/below modern MSL. 63

64 This interpretation is confirmed with the formation of beachrock and hardground at the intertidal zone between 3,840 to 2,660 years BP and, since then, sea level rose until it reached its present level. Blocky calcite mosaic with meniscus fabric observed in the coral samples taken along the sea level notch, which indicates the depth to which the vadose zone penetrated, would then confirm the estimated minimum sea level changes in Holocene. From these findings, it appears that the sea level changes in Pleistocene- Holocene time reflect the varieties of diagenetic cements and alterations of these limestones. 1 2 A B Figure 1 (1) The tidal notch is almost completely exposed at low tide. It undercuts a Pleistocene marine terrace, without any evidence of former intertidal erosion higher than the present-day high tide level. Elevated Holocene marine deposits seem also absent from Selakan and Sebangkat islands.(2) Aragonite precursor (A) represents the original coral skeleton that was locally replaced by later fine to medium size blocky calcite crystals (B). Crossed polars. Subaerial exposure of the reef outcrops must have occurred after the islands had been exposed due to eustatic fall in sea level and/or uplift, and consequently formed the vadose character in diagenesis from meteoric water influence. The amplitude of minimum sea level changes in east Sabah is confirmed from the diagenetic character as diagenesis response to sea level changes results in the formation of vadose cement. By tracing the depth to which the vadose zone penetrated, and combining petrographic results and stable isotope data, the samples taken from the highest part and along the vertical profile of the reef (along the sea-level notch opening), are all vadose cement in character, i.e. blocky calcite mosaic and meniscus fabrics. This may indicate that the sea level changes in Holocene were of small amplitude, with fluctuations of approximately ~ 1 meter above/below MSL as estimated from the depth of the sea-level notch opening. From these findings, we conclude that the sea level fluctuations have influenced the diagenetic alteration of the Late Pleistocene reef by formation of meteoric-vadose diagenesis and marinevadose diagenesis for the Late Holocene beachrock in the Celebes Sea, east Sabah, Malaysia. This research, carried out at the South-East Asia Carbonate Research Lab (SEACARL), is financed by a SHELL grant to Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS and by a STIRF Fund, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS. 64