Abstract　This paper is a continuation from Lithofacies palaeogeography of the Cambrian in Tarim area. The Tarim area in this paper refers to the present Tarim Basin and its surrounding mountainous areas, bounded on the north by the Middle Tianshan Mountains, on the south by the Kunlun Mountains, on the west by the boundary line of our country, and on the east by the Altun Mountains. It covers an area of more than 1 000 000 km2 .Based on the qualitative and quantitative data from the study of stratigraphy and petrology of totally 98 outcrops and well sections, according to the single factor analysis and multifactor comprehensive mapping method, the single factor maps of the Lianghekou Stage and Honghuayuan Stage of Lower Ordovician, the Dawan Stage and Guniutan Stage of Middle Ordovician, the Miapo Stage, Baota Stage, Linxiang Stage and Wufeng Stage of Upper Ordovician are compiled. Correspondingly, the lithofacies palaeogeography maps of the 5 geologic periods of Tarim area are compiled. The most important character of these palaeogeography maps is quantification. Quantification means that the determination of each palaeogeography unit is based on the accurate quantitative data and the quantitative single factor maps. These quantitative lithofacies palaeogeography maps are the original quantitative data in Tarim area. In the Lianghekou Age and Honghuayuan Age of Early Ordovician, the Tarim area was mainly a carbonate platform, in which various banks were distributed. Its northern and eastern parts were the South Tianshan Basin and the East Tarim Basin . Its southern part was the West Kunlun Platform. To the east, the East Kunlun Platform and the Qaidam Platform were developed. There were no lands and flats, but the basin area was larger .The lithofacies palaeogeographic characteristics were quite different from the Cambrian . It means that the transgression in the Early Ordovician was more extensive than that in the Cambrian. The lithofacies palaeogeograhy of the Dawan Age and Guniutan Age of Middle Ordovician was similar to that of the Liangheou Age and Honghuayuan Age, but the area of the western South Tianshan Basin became larger and the Keping Basin was formed. This is an important change. The lithofacies palaeogeography of the Miapo Age was similar to that of the Dawan Age and Guniutan Age, but the banks became less. It means that the transgression was more developed and might reach the peak. In the Baota Age, the clastic rocks were developed in southeastern Tarim Platform. It means that the Tarim Platform was beginning to change from the carbonate platform to the clastic platform，and it was the marker of regression. In the Linxiang Age and Wufeng Age of Late Ordovician, the Tarim Platform became a clastic platform. It was an important evolution. It means that the cycle of transgression and regression of the Cambrian and Ordovician in Tarim area was ended.

Abstract  This briefly introduces Palaeogeogaphical models and their facies indicators of Proterozoic Strata of the Ming Tombs District， Bejing， as well as some related sedimentary problems ， such as the isotopic geo-age of the Mid-Proterozoic Changzhougou Formation Archean Fuping Group by single zircon and SHRIMP method， the Chuanglinggou and Gaoyuzhuang Formations by Pb-Pb method; the world oldest iron cosmic spherules， the origin of double crested wave ripples on dolomite bed surface as a result of intraclastic grains; herringbone cross stratification in silicified dolomite composed by silicified pellets; the algal filaments and event message-bearing rocks in the Dahongyu Formation;  volcanic activities and earthquake water escape in the Chuanglinggou Formation; the discovery of dubiofossils in the Changzhougou and Gaoyuzhuang Formations; the discovery of authigenic monazite and regrowth zenotime in Changzhougou and Chuanglinggou Formations as well as the solar nebula material carbonaceous chondrite discovered for the first time from the Dahongyu Formation.

The greatest mass extinction event of the Phanerozoic severely damaged both terrestrial and marine organisms at the end of the Permian. In the aftermath of the mass extinction, microbial sediments were extensively deposited in a normal shallow-marine environment. Based on the lithologic evidence from the strata across the Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB) at Dawen of Luodian County of southern Guizhou, an extended hiatus at the PTB has been recognized, implying a major fall in relative sea level at the end of the Permian in South China and other paleoplates. The earliest Griesbachian Hindeodus parvus commonly occurs below the base of the microbialites at the Dawen section, indicating that onset of the microbialite growth had been at the earliest Triassic along with a rise of sea level and the transgression beginning from the earliest Early Triassic had provided accommodation for its development. The skeletal packstone above the microbialites contain abundant Isarcicella staeschei and I. isarcica, implying a sea level fall occurred during this time before a rapid sea-level rise at late time of the I. isarcicai Biozone. Four categories of the thrombolites are distinguished from the lowermost Triassic succession at Dawen: the spotted, the layered, the dendritic, and the reticular structures based on the preferred direction of mesoclots. Mesoclots are interpreted as products of coccoid-dominated microbial communities. The different types of mesostructures were formed by amalgamation of mesoclots, which might have been controlled by biotic and/or physical and chemical, oceanic conditions. The age and sedimentology of the microbialites in south China provide crucial evidence for reconstruction of paleoenvironmental change after the end-Permian mass extinction bio-event as well as synergetic evolution of organisms and environment.

This paper reports a kind of anatomically preserved bilaterally symmetrical marattialean synangia from the coal balls in coal seam No. 7 in Taiyuan Formation (early Early Permian) of Xishan coal field, Taiyuan, Shanxi. These synangia are the earliest in the geological time in the bilaterally symmetrical marattialean synangium ever found in the Cathaysian Flora so far. Compared with other anatomically preserved bilaterally symmetrical marattialean synangia in the world, these synangia are assigned into Eoangiopteris Mamay and a new species, E.shanxiensis sp. nov., is proposed. The diagnostic characters of the new species are as follows: The fertile pinnule is at least 2.6 mm wide but its length is unknown because of poor preservation. The midrib of the pinnule possesses a “C” shaped vascular bundle. The fertile pinnule is down-turned at its margin and the arrangement of the synagia is not affected. Synangia are 0.75~1.1 mm in height and 0.35~0.55 mm in diameter and consist of 8~12 sporangia arranged in two rows along the lateral veins. Synangia bear a short and conspicuous reptacle consisting of parenchyma enclosing vascular tissue. Sporangia are elongate with a conspicuous and solid tip and are 150~250 mm in diameter and 550~850 mm in height. The out-facing sporangial walls are 2~3 cells thick in the middle and lower part and 3~4 cells thick in the upper part of the sporangia and the cells are nearly isodiametric with the slightly thickening walls. The inner-facing and lateral sporangial walls are only one cell thick and the cells are tangentially elongate in the middle and lower part and radially elongate at the upper part of the sporangia with the thinner walls. Spores are numerous (probably more than one thousand in quantity), spherical, trilete and small (8~13 mm in diameter) with the smooth exine and slightly granular ornamented perine. The systematic position of the new species is discussed and it belongs to Psaroniaceae with great possibility. The paleophytogeographic significance of the new species is considered based on the distribution of the bilaterally symmetrical marattialean synangia in the Euramerican and Cathaysian floras. The environmental condition of the new species is discussed based on the constitution of fossil plants in the coal balls and the ecological anatomic structures of some plants.

According to the section measure and fossil collection of Benxi Formation of Niumaoling in Benxi of Liaoning Province, by detailed analysis of autecology and the composing structures of the communities, the palaeoenvironmental significance of the communities are discussed. And meanwhile, combined with the analysis of sedimentary facies and cycles of the section, the influence of the relative sea level changes to the replacement of the communities has been studied. The results shows that: (1) The lower and upper members of Benxi Formation were mainly controlled by tidal action while they were deposited, but the middle member was influenced mainly by river action. (2) The ecological positions of the benthic communities of Benxi Formation were mainly distributed between BA1 to BA3, which were located in the eulittoral zone, and the greatest depth of the sea water was generally not more than 60 meters. (3) The sea water depth was played a very important role in the change of environmental factors, and it controlled the replacement of the communities. In the case of little change in the depth of sea water, the substratum, water salinity and hydropower conditions were made a key role in the internal succession within a community and the replacement between two communities. (4) In Benxi period of Carboniferous, four cycles of relative sea-level changes can be identified according to the study of sedimentary facies and community palaeoecology, and one cycle is more than that can be found in the other part of North China, thus it indicates that the transgression of Carboniferous in the study area was earlier.

 Qualitative and quantitative methods were implied to analyze the relationship of the Late Carboniferous-early Early Permian brachiopod diversity pattern with sedimentary environmental changes in Jungar area of Inner Mongolia. The results show that the brachiopods diversity on the specific level is much higher in transgression sequences than in regression ones and the transgressions with larger scale and definite water depth is positive to the brachiopod diversity in the study area. Three peaks of the brachiopod diversification on the specific level can be recognized to correspond to the central period,late period of early Late Carboniferous, and the central period of late Late Carboniferous and brachiopod diversity reached the peak during the late period of early Late Carboniferous.

Abstract  14 ichnogenera are reported in the Daye Formation of Early Triassic from Huaxi of Guiyang, Guizhou Province of South China. They include Beaconichnus、Cosmorhaphe、Dendrorhaphe、Gyrochorte、Gordia、Micatuba、Mammillichnis、Megagrapton、Planolites、Palaeophycus、Phycodes、Phycosiphon、Rhizocorallium and Undichna, and are characterized by the fodinichnia-dominant trace fossil assemblage、distribution of paralleling bed surface、shallow tireing and minimized Planolites. The features indicate that the shallow marine environment of South China in the Early Triassic was still stressful and anoxic. Such conditions didn’t change until the Late Early Triassic. The presence of trace fossils from the Member 1 to Member 3 in the Daye Formatin embodies the ecological succession of marine ecosystem. Trace makers develop their diversity from previously single polychaeta in the Member 1 to diversified polychaeta until the appearance of crustacean represented by Rhizocorallium-maker on top of the Member 3 of the Daye Formation. The developing model of soft-bodied organisms herein during the recovery interval after the end-Permian mass extinction is similar to that represented by the trace fossils during the recovery interval after the Devonian Frasnian-Famennian extinction in Dushan of Guizhou. A comparison of the appearance probability of complex trace fossils such as Rhizocorallium and Thalassinoides before and after the end Permian mass extinction globally reveals the soft-bodied organisms experienced a longer protracted biotic recovery in lower latitude regions than that in higher ones.

A highly diversified macrofossil assemblage was discovered from the Jiucheng Member of uppermost Ediacaran of Jinning, Jiangchuan area in eastern Yunnan. Besides abundant Vendotaenia and Tyrasotaenia, the big multicellular benthos such as Tawuia-like and Longfengshaniaceaen fossils with diverse holdfast structures, have distinct dominance, while there are still some other macrofossils with peculiar configurations as well as indistinct relatives. There is an obvious distinction between this assemblage and the macrofossil assemblages from the Doushantuo Formation and the Shibantan Member of Dengying in South China. This paper has outlined the characteristics of some of the multicellular fossils from the Jiucheng Member at Jiangchuan. They include some macrofossils with different types of holdfast structures, and indistinct affinities as well. The discovery of the diverse-shaped macrofossil assemblages from the Jiucheng Member ineastern Yunnan indicates the diversification and radiation of metaphytes during the latest Ediacaran Period. The contemporary radiations of phytoplankton and benthic metaphyte maybe provide important contribution to the Early Cambrian explosion of animals.

The Choristodera represent a distinct diapsida clade that shows specialized aquatic and semi-aquatic adaptations in Mesozoic through Late Cenozoic terrestrial ecosystems.  The clade Choristodera has a long geologic range, from Late Triassic to middle Miocene, and a wide biogeographic distribution, including the North American Western Interior, Europe and East Asia.  Choristoderes once reached north above the Arctic Circle, and south to the 36 degrees north latitude.  Through their evolutionary history, choristoderes showed a considerable phylogenetic diversity with 24 valid nominal species in 11 genera and six families; other taxa appear to belong to the Choristodera but have no proper familial assignment.  Besides their phylgenetic diversity, choristoderes showed a considerable degree of ecomorphic diversification, including three basic ecomorphic types: a long-snouted gavial type, a short-snouted crocodile type, and a long-necked ecomorphic type showing homoplastic similarities to plesiosaurs, Mesozoic marine reptiles.  The phylogenetic diversity, geologic range and biogeographic distribution, and ecomorphic diversification of choristoderes reveal important evidence reflecting the evolution history of this distinct diapsida clade.

For the first time,systemtics studies are carried on the plant remains of the Yanghai in Turpan,Xinjiang, and 3 kinds of cereals are determined including Panicum miliaceum, Hordeum vulgare var. nudum, and Triticum aestivum. The Turpan area is arid due to the few precipitation thus the planty remains in the achaeologic sites are well preserved. These cereal crops were produced in the Turpan area. Among them, Panicum miliaceum may be the main cereal crops of ancient Yanghai people. By analysis on plant remains, the palaeoclimate 2800 years ago in Yanghai should be fit for agriculture production. Palaeoenvironmental analysis shows that the ancient Yanghai people tribes were located on an oasis with some grassland.  Populus euphratica, Salix sp., and Picea sp. etc. were distributed along the river or on the highlands.