Carbonate sediments deposited in normally-oxygenated shallow ocean waters of the latest Permian period, immediately prior to the end-Permian mass extinction, contain well-developed diverse shelly faunas. After the extinction of these skeletal metazoans, the sediments commonly comprise microbialites (regarded by most authors as benthic) and associated facies bearing evidence interpreted by many authors to indicate reduced oxygenation of the shallow ocean waters. However, the evidence of oxygenation state is inconsistent and the sequences have gaps, indicated in the following 5 points:
1) Shelly fossils occur commonly in post-extinction shallow marine limestones, and likely to have been aerated in contact with the atmosphere. Nevertheless, although the largest mass extinction in Earth history may have caused reduced body size in shelly organisms, such reduction is arguably due to environmental stress of lowered oxygenation. Discriminating between these controls remains a challenge.
2) Abundant pyrite framboids in many post-extinction limestones are interpreted by several authors as indicating dysoxic contemporaneous waters, so the organisms that lived there, now shelly fossils, were dysaerobic. However, verification is problematic because pyrite framboids scattered amongst shelly fossils cannot have formed amongst living organisms, which need at least some oxygen; synsedimentary framboid formation requires anoxic conditions in the redox boundary where sulphate-reducing processes work. Thus, framboids and shelly fossils found together means taphonomic mixing of sediments, destroying original depositional relationships so that it is not possible to determine whether the shells were aerobic or dysaerobic prior to sediment mixing. Furthermore, diagenetic growth of framboids is possible, as is import of previously-formed framboids from deeper water during upwelling. Thus, there is no proof of an environmental link between framboid size and occurrence, and contemporaneous oxygenation in these post-extinction shallow water facies, so we question the validity of this model in those facies, but consider that the model is valid for deeper water facies.
3) Some publications provide evidence of oxygenation, from redox-sensitive elements in post-extinction limestones, while others indicate low oxygen conditions. Redox-sensitive geochemistry requires further work to explore this issue at higher resolution of sampling than has been so far applied.
4) Biomarkers recorded in some post-extinction facies contain evidence of anoxic conditions (including green sulphur bacteria) but other examples lack these, which may be indicate fluctuations of water oxygenation. However, a key issue that has not yet been resolved is determination of whether biomarkers were imported into the sites of deposition, for example by upwelling currents, or formed where they are found. Thus, there is currently no verification that biomarkers of low oxygen organisms in shallow water settings actually formed in the places where they are sampled.
5) The common occurrence of small erosion surfaces and stylolites represents loss of evidence, and must be accounted for in future studies.
The oxygenation state of post-end-Permian extinction shallow marine facies continues to present a challenge of interpretation, and requires high-resolution sampling and careful attention to small-scale changes, as well as loss of rock through pressure solution, as the next step to resolve the issue.

The Cretaceous bird trackway originally labelled Aquatilavipes anhuiensis, in 1994, had previously been examined, photographed and replicated, but never described or illustrated in detail. However, it has been part of a widening discussion about the distribution of Aquatilavipes and Koreanaornis in China (and Korea). Here we illustrate and formally describe the holotype in detail and assign it to Koreanaornis (K. anhuiensis) as informally proposed by previous authors. We also demonstrate that most authenticated reports of Koreanaornis, including the Anhui occurrence, are from the Lower Cretaceous, not from the Upper Cretaceous as previously reported.

The Huanghekou Sag is located in the southeast part of the Bohai Bay Basin, northern China. Large-scale shallow lake delta developed in the Neogene provided suitable geological conditions for the formation of subtle oil-gas reservoirs in this area. The key for analyzing sandstone reservoir and sedimentary facies is by using seismic attributes (amplitude) to establish the relationship between lithology combination and seismic attributes. The lower unit of Late Miocene Minghuazhen Formationat of BZ34 block in the Huanghekou Sag was subdivided into 10 parasequence sets (PSS). Thicker sandstones mainly occurred in PSS1 and PSS10, whereas thin sandstones were mostly observed within other parasequence sets. Based on statistics and analyses of lithology, i.e., statistics of root-mean-square (RMS) amplitude and lithology of well locations in different parasequence sets of the study area, as well as 1-D forward seismic models of 7 types of lithology combinations, the establishment of a spatial distribution of 2-D sandbody, forward seismic models etc., we found that high amplitude peaks correspond to thicker sandbodies, while low amplitude indicates non-development of sandbodies (generally less than 2 m), and medium amplitude agrees well with large sets of mudstones interbedded with medium and thinner sandstones. Different sand-mudstone combinations genetically reflect a combination of multiple micro-facies, therefore, amplitude features can predict sandbodies as well as facies characteristics.

Baltica was one of continents formed as a result of Rodinia break-up 850-550 Ma. It was separated from Amazonia (?) by the Tornquist Ocean, the opening of which was preceded by Neoproterozoic extension in a network of continental rifts. Some of these rifts were subsequently aborted whereas the Tornquist Rift gave rise to splitting of Rodinia and formation of the Tornquist Ocean. The results of 1-D subsidence analysis at the fossil passive margin of Baltica provided insight in the timing and kinematics of continental rifting that led to break-up of Rodinia. Rifting was associated with Neoproterozoic syn-rift subsidence accompanied by deposition of continental coarse-grained sediments and emplacement of continental basalts. Transition from a syn-rift to post-rift phase in the latest Ediacaran to earliest early Cambrian was concomitant with deposition of continental conglomerates and arkoses, laterally passing into mudstones. An extensional scenario of the break-up of Rodinia along the Tornquist Rift is based on the character of tectonic subsidence curves, evolution of syn-rift and post-rift depocenters in time, as well as geochemistry and geochronology of the syn-rift volcanics. Itisadditionally reinforced by the high-quality deep seismic reflection data from SE Poland, located above the SW edge of the East European Craton. The seismic data allowed for identification of a deeply buried (11-18 km), well-preserved extensional half-graben, developed in the Palaeoproterozoic crystalline basement and filled with a Neoproterozoic syn-rift volcano-sedimentary succession. The results of depth-to-basement study based on integration of seismic and gravity data show the distribution of local NE-SW elongated Neoproterozoic depocenters within the SW slope of the East European Craton. Furthermore, they document the rapid south-eastwards thickness increase of the Neoproterozoic succession towards the NW-SE oriented craton margin. This provides evidencefor extensive crustal thinning occurring prior to the break-up of Rodinia and formation of the Tornquist Ocean.