The typical Mesozoic floras are mainly composed of Filicopsida, Cycadopsida, Ginkgopsida and Coniferopsida, as well as some Bryophyta, Lycopdopsida, Sphenopsida and other seed plants. The palaeoclimatic implications of main fossil plants of the Mesozoic except the angiosperms are dealt with in this paper based on their morphologic and anatomic features, taphonomic data, geographic distribution and comparisons with their living affinitive groups. The Mesozoic plants with palaeoclimatic significances are roughly divided  into four groups. The first one, which represents temperatehumid climate, consists of  bryophytes;LycopoditesandSelaginellites of  lycopods; sphenophytes; ferns including the Early Cretaceous Dicksoniaceae,Ruffordia of Schizaeaceae, Osmundaceae andCladophlebis with large pinnules, monolete spore ferns, the main elements of the Ginkgoales;conifersincludingAthrotaxoites,Cunninghamia,Elatocladus,Swedenborgia, Cephalotaxopsis,Sequoia,Taxus,Torreya, Ferganiella, Podozamites, andetc..The second group mainly includes  the Pinaceae of conifers and some of Ginkgopsida, especially the Czekanowskiales, which usually indicate a moderatecool climate. The third group indicates warm tropical and subtropical  climate, which mainly consists of ferns, such as Schizaeaceae, Marratiaceae, Matoniaceae, Dipteridaceae, Cyatheaceae, Gleicheniaceae and the possible sinopteridaceous fernOnychiopsis and  most of the Cycadales and Bennettitales. The fourth group adapted to warmarid climate is represented chiefly by the lycopodPleuromeiaand Isoetites; fernWeichselia; Bennettitales, such asOtozamites,Zamites,Ptilophyllum,Tyrmia, andetc; the Cheirolepidaceae includingPseudoflenelopsis,Flenelopsis,Hirmeriella and the possible cheirolepidaceous conifersBrachyphyllumandPagiophyllum; cupressaceous coniferCupressinocladus; as well as the possible desert plantEphedrites.

The section of the 10mdeep 37/ZK7 hole in Nyêr Co paleolake, western Tibet, contains abundant aquatic microfossils such as ostracods and charophytes. Of these, the ostracods are the most abundant group but have a low diversity. The ostracods that occur frequently and have a high abundance are Leucocythere mirabilis Kaufmann and Limnocythere dubiosa Daday, while others including Limnocytherellina, Eucypris and Candona that are of much less abundance. Charophytes occur in many horizons, but their oogonia are poorly preserved and what have been preserved are mostly the fragments of vegetal bodies and the membranes of ova. According to the analyses of the ecoenvironment of ostracods, combined with the Useries dating and sedimentary data of the section, as well as the relevant geochemical background values, the paleoenvironmental changes of the Nyêr Co Paleolake at 20000—2000 a BP were largely as follows. ① Around 20000 a BP, the lake water was relatively deep, the water temperature relatively low and the water quality  slightly salty. The climate was relatively coolwet and then became warmwet. ② During 18700—18100 a BP, the lake water had a high evaporation quantity, so that the lake area shrank and the lake became shallow gradually. The salinity increased and the climate was slightly warmdry. ③ During 18100—11800 a BP, the climate was coldwet. The lake water was relatively deep, the water temperature slightly low and the water quality relatively tasteless.However, there were several climatic fluctuations and the lake depth and hydrochemical properties changed with climatic oscillations in this period, suggesting that the climate in the lake district was characterized by a repeated alternation of relatively coldwet and coolslightly wet and became coolslightly dry at the late stage. ④ During 11800—10000 a BP,  the climate became slightly warmwet(11800—11000 a BP) and then became colddry(11000—10000 a BP). The ecoenvironment of the lake deteriorated and the number of ostracods decreased abruptly, which should be the response to the global Dryas event in the study area. ⑤ At 10000 a BP in the Holocene, the climate was slightly warmwet(10000—8700 aBPand 7000—4800 aBP), with slightly a coldwet climate (8700—7000 aBP); during 4800—3000 a BP, the climate became alternately slightly warmdry(4800—4600, 4400—4300 and 3800—3000 a BP) and slightly coldwet(4600—4400 and 4300—3800 a BP); and during 3000—2100 a BP, the climate was mainly colddry and by then the lakes had been nearly driedup.

The Shangxi Group is distributed in the northeastern “Jiangnan Oldland” in southern Anhui Province. It was subdivided into:Zhangqian, Banqiao, Mukeng/Huansha and Niuwu Formations from the lower to upper, and was dated as the Mesoproterozoic based on the isotopic dating of the rocks. The hot discussion on “Oldland versus Orogen” of this region prevailing in the 1980s, mainly focused on the age of the Shangxi Group and it was the key problem in determining the age of the orogen as well. We recently found the Radiolarian and Archaeooides fossils in the Niuwu Formation near Shexian County, southern Anhui Province. It is a new important discovery. The newly discovered Radiolarian and Archaeooides fossils show that the host Shangxi Group, or at least the Niuwu Formation was deposited during the Early Cambrian. Its palaeogeographic background should be a palaeoocean environment but not an oldland. The uplifting and metamorphism in this region should have occurred later. Such a discovery is very important for the palaeogeographic research and prediction and exploration of mineral resources, especially the petroleum and natural gas in this region and in South China.

Molartooth(MT)structure is an enigmatic structure which is mainly distributed in the nonstromatolitic carbonate rocks of the Precambrian. It is characterized by cracks and voids with various shapes and different sizes which are filled with homogeneous and equallysized microspar calcites. Due to its special distribution in the geologic times(from Neoarchean to Neoproterozoic)and its global distribution, there are no similar analogs in the Phanerozoic. Debates on the origin of the molartooth structure have continued until now and thus make it become the “molartooth structure enigma”. The molartooth structure developed in the micrite limestones of the Member 3 of Gaoyuzhuang Formation(from 1600 Ma to 1400 Ma)at Jixian section, Tianjin, has provided some important information for resolving the molartooth enigma. Their characters include(1)the particular configuration of the MT structures;(2)the obvious interface with rich organic matter and pyrite between the MT ribbon cracks and the host rock;  (3)the host rocks are characterized by nonstromatolitic micrite limestones with few liminites;(4)the special macroscopic fossils of algae which were simultaneously developed with the MT structures. Therefore, the MT structure can be interpreted as a type of the microbial induced primary structures formed by a complex process in a matground environment. As one of the most common sedimentary phenomena,the MT structure provides more significant information for understanding the complex Precambrian carbonate rocks.

Through the collaboration between Qinghai Oilfield Company and China University of Petroleum(Beijing), ostracoda Austrocypris fossil zone was found in the interval about 5120 m to 5140 m in Well Kun2, Qaidam Basin. By correlating with the  Austrocypris fossil zone in the western and northern margins of the Qaidam Basin, its top boundary was calibrated with a seismic event and traced on the seismic profile. The results indicate that the Austrocypris is an index fossil of the upper part of Lower Member of Xiaganchaigou Formation in the Qaidam Basin. Tracing along the seismic lines from Well Lengke1(or Shen88) in which Austrocypris was found and T4 seismic reflector surface was marked, to Well Kun2, after time to depth coversion the boundary between the upper and lower members of Xiaganchaigou Formation is determined to be at about 5040 m in Well Kun2. The T4 seismic reflector surface, the top boundary of Austrocypris fossil zone and the T5 seismic reflector surface（at the bottom of Xiaganchaigou Formation） are always parallel with one another between the two wells. The boundary between the upper and lower members of Xiaganchaigou Formation is reasonable and its position is supported by the loop correlation of seismic events. In conclusion, combining biostratigraphy with seismic stratigraphy, an effective correlation of the Cenozoic stratigraphic succession of  the red continental clastic rocks in the Qaidam Basin has been obtained.

The Cretaceous in northern Songliao Basin can be divided into three supersequence sets,eight supersequences and twentyeight sequences. Volcanic and coarse clastic successions formed during faulting stage contain three  supersequences and six sequences. Mediumcoarse grained clastics formed in the interim stage from faulting stage to depression stage contain one  supersequence and four sequences. During the depression stage the lithology is dominated by lacustrine and deltaic mediumfine grained clastics and can be divided into three supersequences and fifteen sequences. During the deposition of transgressive systems tract(TST)and highstand systems tract(HST)semideep and deep lacustrine dark mudstone were widely deposited. One supersequence and three sequences were identified during the shrinkage phase of lake basin when the lacustrine and deltaic mediumcoarse grained clastics were dominant.Supersequence set boundaries that were controlled by tectogenesis, include the top boundaries of Cretaceous bedrock, Yingcheng Formation and Nenjiang Formation, which correspond to regional unconformities formed by major tectonic phases of Yanshan Movement. Supersequence boundaries can be either supersequence set boundaries disconformities or erosional surfaces levels. At the supersequence boundaries, the depositional hiatus is quite long, so that channel downcutting, stratigraphic gap and exposure etc. widely exist. Supersequence boundaries are in accord with lithostratigraphic unit boundaries. Compared to supersequence boundaries, the depositional hiatus at sequence boundaries is shorter and sequence boundaries are not compatible with lithostratigraphic unit boundaries. Supersequence boundaries are characterized by truncation, onlap and toplap etc. on the seismic sections and sudden change of lithology and logging curve.

Orogenpalaeogeography is a main branch of tectonopalaeogeography. From a tectonic perspective of mobilism, it  studies palaeogeographic reconstruction in orogenic areas, where the geological records have become timely  unsuccessional and displaced, distorted even mixed spatially. The key to reconstruct marinecontinental features and basinrange patterns in geohistory as objectively as possible is to find, within a given time constraint, the “disappeared” tectonopalaeogeographic units and the later “appeared” tectonopalaeogeographic units in the existed geological records of the studied area. Based on a large number of examples, the paper expounds various possibilities, such as continent crustal disintegration, submergence, subduction, erosion, thrustingnappe structuring, strikeslipping, cataclasm, being evolved into younger orogenesis, etc， which might result in the “disappearance” and “appearance” of the tectonopalaeogeographic units in the study area. Specially, the East Asia continental margin is characterized by accretion of a series of moving allochthonous tectonostratigraphic terranes, which has been taking place since Late Jurassic. The occurrence of disappearance and later appearance is generally related  to the development of largescale fracture zones, especially tectonic boundary fractures. The activities of intracontinental fracture zones obviously controlled the basinrange patterns, basin development, sedimentary evolution and key geological events. In addition, it should be noticed that the neogenic structures, formed in the segmentation stage of fracture zone, constrained the palaeogeographic reconstruction. In short words, orogenpalaeogeography must be one of the key means to advance tectonopalaeogeography a positive role in restoring palaeogeographic features of the Tethyan archipelago, and reconstructing cycles of the global palaeocontinental evolution, especially regional evolution of the orogenic areas or areas reformed by orogenies.

Geological statistical methods are used to analyze the changing regularities of the chemical components of the sediments from the studied section, to investigate the relationships among the elements, and finally to reveal the factors affecting the sediments and their chemical components, as well as the palaeoenvironmental evolution of the strata. According to the Rtype and Qtype factor analyses, the sediments and their chemical components of the section are mainly affected by terrigenous materials. The volcanic material is the second most important influencing factor, while diagenesis and biogenic materials only play a limited role. The palaeoenvironmental evolution was a mixture of the above four types of sediments with different origins, and during the depositional process, volcanic eruption happened at least seven times. These volcanic events and volcanic materials might seriously affect the living environment of marine reptiles and other animals, and thus, they may be one of the most important causes which led to their massive deaths during this period.

The reservoir heterogeneity of clastic reservoir of the Shahejie Formation in Dongying Sag is analyzed based on the macro and micropetrophysical characteristics. There are various types of the reservoir sandbodies in the  Shahejie Formation. Statistic analyses on the macropetrophysical properties indicate that porosity and permeability with different genetic types are quite different in their distribution. Sandstones of the fluvial facies, subaquaeous distributary channel of(fan)deltafront facies and mouth bar facies are the best reservoirs. The porosity distribution of the different microfacies is generally characterized by a normal distribution. The sandbodies of deltafront mouth bar and subaqueous distributary channel have larger peak value of porosity. Heterogeneity parameters indicate that the heterogeneity of subaqueous distributary channel of(fan)deltafront is the most serious. Synthetic analyses have been made on the various micro heterogeneous parameters and the porosity texture of the reservoir is divided into 5 types. The reservoir with large pore and moderatethin throats is the best one which is developed in the lower part of subaquaeous dietributary channel of(fan)delta and the mediumfine grained sandbodies of mouth bar. Results of the heterogeneity researches can be correlated with the field testing results  quite well. Thus they have significant implications for the further petroleum exploration and waterinjection exploitation.

Emergence of the physical geography oriented palaeogeography started the physical geography in time perspective, which has been extended from palaeogeography into environment change during its development in China. The regional tradition of geography based palaeogeography focuses on the construction of modern natural environment by reconstructing the history of the regional environment. The earth science tradition of geography based environment change focuses on the characteristics and mechanisms of the earth system from the clue of time. In addition, the manenvironment tradition based on manenvironment system change is the third aspect of the physical geography in time perspective. In broad sense, manenvironment system change may be regarded as the environment change which includes the human factor as a driving force and the objects impacted by environment change. If palaeogeography is defined by the manenvironment relation, instead of environment, it is a science on the manenvironment system change.