In the 1960s, Pettijohn and Potter classified the geologic processes which formed primary structures into erosion, transportation, deposition, and deformation. The primary sedimentary structures are defined as those structures formed by the above processes during sedimentation or after sedimentation while before consolidation. They include various types of bedding, marks on the bedding surface, and deformational phenomena. In their classification on the primary sedimentary structures, stromatolites are defined as positive growth structures projecting from the former depositional surfaces, and are formed by the combined action of microbes and synsedimentary cementation. From the middle 1990s  to the present day, sedimentologists realized that microbes can also form a kind of primary sedimentary structures which do not project from the sedimentary surface, and they are formed by the combined action of microbial mat（or film）and all kinds of physical actions such as erosion, transportation, deposition and deformationThis kind of sedimentary structures are defined as the primary sedimentary structures formed by microbes, which belong to the fifth kind of primary sedimentary structures. Stromatolites were mainly developed in the Precambrian and the Phanerozoic shallow water environments which were not strongly changed by metazoan. Similar to that, the sedimentary structures formed by microbes were also mainly developed in the Precambrian and the tidal flat and lagoon environments in the Phanerozoic which were not strongly changed by metazoan. Therefore, the studies of this kind of sedimentary structures（the fifth kind of primary sedimentary structures） have great significance in the reconstruction of the Precambrian environments. The observation and preliminary study of the primary sedimentary structures formed by microbes in the Mesoproterozoic in Yanshan area provide a useful basis for the further study in the future. These structures include the palimpsest ripple, the wrinkle structure, the microbial sand chip and the spindle crack developed in the Chuanlinggou and Dahongyu formations. They represent the primary sedimentary structures formed by microbes in clastic rocks. The largescale palimpsest ripple and wrinkle structure developed in the nonstromatolitic limestones of the Member 3 of the Gaoyuzhuang Formation represent the primary sedimentary structures formed by microbes in carbonate rocks of the Mesoproterozoic.  

早在上世纪60年代，沉积学家Pettijohn和Potter曾经将形成原生沉积构造的地质作用划分为剥蚀作用、搬运作用、沉积作用和变形作用。在沉积期间和沉积之后到沉积物还未固结之前由上述作用所产生的沉积构造被定义为“原生沉积构造”，包括各种类型的层理、层面上的各种作用痕迹以及各种变形现象。在该分类之中，叠层石被定义为突出沉积面的正生长构造，这种构造由微生物与同沉积胶结作用共同构建而成。上世纪90年代中期至今，随着研究程度的深入，沉积学家们越来越认识到除了叠层石以外，微生物还会形成一种并不突出于底层面的原生沉积构造，并被认为是微生物席或微生物膜与各种物理作用营力共同作用的产物。这些作用营力包括剥蚀作用、搬运作用、沉积作用和变形作用。该类沉积构造被定义为微生物形成的原生沉积构造并被归为第五类原生沉积构造。正如叠层石主要产在前寒武纪以及显生宙未受到后生动物强烈改造的浅水环境中一样，微生物形成的原生沉积构造也主要发育在前寒武纪，以及显生宙的一些未受到后生动物强烈改造的潮坪和潟湖等环境之中。因此，该类沉积构造（第五类原生沉积构造）的研究，对于前寒武纪沉积环境重塑具有重要意义。燕山地区元古界串岭沟组和大红峪组碎屑岩中的变余波痕、皱饰构造和纺锤状裂缝，是碎屑岩中微生物形成的原生沉积构造的代表； 高于庄组第三段非叠层石碳酸盐岩（以灰岩为主）层面上发育大型皱饰构造和变余波痕，是碳酸盐岩中微生物形成的原生沉积构造的代表。这些沉积构造的发现和初步研究，为今后进一步深入研究奠定了良好的基础。

针对类型１和类型２层序定义过程之中所存在的概念体系的不协调，1988年以后的层序地层学发 生了较多的变化，这些变化代表了层序地层学的重要进展之一。这些变化包括： （1） 成因地层层序的提出，表 明了一个“水下不整合面”———最大海泛面也可以作为层序界面；（2） 将强迫型海退沉积的顶面作为层序界面， 是为了始终将层序界面置于海平面变化的最低点，从而与全球海平面变化曲线保持一致； （3） 海侵—海退层序 模式，似乎代表了层序地层学的简单化；（4） 淹没不整合型层序，代表了快速海侵事件的产物。这些变化的基 础是将强迫型海退与正常海退区分开，以便能更准确地将暴露不整合面（subaerialunconformity，也有学者译为 陆上不整合面） 所形成的层序界面与“可以对比的整合面” 进行对比。也就是说，层序内部地层的叠加形式是 对沉积作用速率变化与基准面变化相互作用的响应，而且每一种叠加形式还代表了独特沉积的成因类型（即 “海侵的”、“正常海退的” 以及“强迫型海退的沉积”），对这些过程的研究即为层序地层学研究的核心内容。因 此，从正常海退与强迫型海退的区别去追索不整合面所构成的层序界面的水下整合部分——— “可以对比的整合 面”，产生了不同的认识及其所代表的不同的层序地层模式，最终代表了层序地层学从1988年以来的重要进展 之一。追索这个重要进展，对于深入理解层序地层学的发展具有重要意义。

The land surface process has significant impact  on the variation of water resource in the source region of the Yellow River, exploring the links between the land surface process and water cycle is significant in this region. In this paper, the preliminary characteristics of the background climatology and land surface process  over the source region of the Yellow River are presented. The research topics and and advances of the land surface process field experiments conducted in  the source region of the Yellow River are detailed, and the preliminary results from the data analysis, satellite remote sensing, data assimilation and numerical simulations are provided. And finally, the shortages and aspects which need to be improved are also pointed out. The proposed land surface process observations are prospected. The final objectives of these investigations are to explore the links and interactions between land surface process and water resource. These researches are to serve for the large scale water resource management in the source region of the Yellow River.

陆面过程对黄河源区水资源变化有重要的影响，探索黄河源区陆面过程和水分循环特征的关联机理有十分重要的意义。首先简述了黄河源区气候变化背景和陆面过程的基本特征，并详细介绍了近年来在黄河源区开展的一系列陆面过程野外观测试验及相关研究主题和研究进展;进一步给出了在野外试验观测资料分析、卫星遥感、数据同化应用和数值模拟等方面取得的阶段性成果;最后，指出了现阶段野外试验观测的不足和需要改进的方面，并展望了即将补充开展的陆面过程观测试验研究内容。所有这些研究的最终目标是探索陆面过程对水资源变化的影响和响应关系，服务于黄河源区水资源的宏观调配和科学管理。

The microbial-mat is actually a special microbial community that forms a longest and earliest ecosystem on the Earth，which has been a common view. However，both the complexity of microbial compositions and the diversity of forming environment and product，lead to several answers for the nature of the microbial-mat. Furthermore，different fields of interest find their own answers，such as it seems almost impossible to find only one single answer to the question: What are microbial-mats? Ultimately，the manifold answers of microbial-mats become the theoretical basis of the microbial-mat sedimentology, which is a young branch of sedimentology in the Earth's biological frame work. Most importantly，there are many difficulties for the further understanding of growth mechanism and formational process of the microbial-mat buildup in the geological history through the filter of the diagenesis. The problems are as follows: (1)benthic oolites within stromatolite of the Cambrian;(2)particular microbially-induced sedimentary structures (MISS)on the limetone bedding surface of the Mesoproterozoic;(3)thrombolites within a stromatolitic deposition succession of the Mesoproterozoic. Therefore，on the basis of manifold definitions of the microbial-mat，a brief introduction of the theoretical basis of the microbial-mat sedimentology will be meaningful for the further understanding of both the advance and the present situation of this young branch of sedimentology.

微生物席是一个特别的微生物群落，构成了地球上形成最早、延续时间最长的生态系，这已经成为共识。但是，由于微生物席生物构成的复杂性、发育环境和产物的多样性，对微生物席的属性还存在不同的答案。不同的答案意味着不同的研究领域，因为对一个基本问题，即“究竟什么是微生物席”，要获取一个单一的答案几乎是不可能的。微生物席定义的多重性答案，最终就成为地球生物学框架下一个年轻的沉积学分支——“微生物席沉积学”的概念体系和理论基础。最为重要的是，要穿越成岩作用“过滤器”，去了解地质历史时期的微生物席建造物的生长机理和发育过程，还存在若干的困难，这些困难表现在几个重要的现象之中，如：(1)寒武纪叠层石中的底栖鲕粒；(2)中元古界灰岩层面上特别的MISS(微生物诱发的沉积构造)；(3)中元古界叠层石白云岩序列中的凝块石。因此，基于微生物席的属性和特征所蕴含的微生物席的多样化定义，介绍微生物席沉积学的理论体系，对于深入理解这一年轻分支学科的现状和进一步发展具有特别重要的意义。

Ever since Kalkowsky created a term of stromatolite in 1908,research on stromatolites has continuously been expanded from different methodological perspectives;a century later stromatolites continue to be actively investigated to document the early history of life on Earth. Stromatolites provide an indirect and complex evidence of early life on Earth,and today they represent a diversifying signature of life activities in which much of the modern research is focusing. More enchantingly,modern stromatolites that are marked by the composition diversity not only does demonstrate that cyanobacterial mats are constructing stromatolites but also reflect that the translation from cyanobacterial mats to stromatolites is not a direct process. These typical examples reflecting the composition diversity of constructing stromatolites are:(1)large conical stromatolites that are made up of muddy sediments in Lake Untersee,Antarctica;(2)siliceous stromatolites that are formed in thermal lake at Frying Pan Lake in North Island of New Zealand as well as at the Yellowstone National Park in USA;(3)carbonate stromatolites in Bahamas,Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and Shark Bay of Australia. Because of both that stromatolites continue to be a puzzling and crucial piece in the map of life and that whether cyanobacterial mats may be the potential morphological precursors for ancient stromatolites is a continue debating problem,the composition diversity of modern stromatolites becomes a key and window for the further understanding of the formation of ancient stromatolites. On basis of lots researching fruits by many scientists,tracing these fruitful and starting researches on the composition diversity of modern stromatolites that could delegate rich and sophisticate information of sedimentation and microbial metabolism are meaningful to further understanding the sedimentilogical feature and the biological nature of stromalites;moreover,this work can enrich the researching content of mat sedimentology and broaden the studying domain of facies analysis.

自从 Kalkowsky 在 1908 年构筑了叠层石的术语之后,叠层石一直是地质学家采用不同方法研究和思考的主题,而且一直被当作证明地球早期生命历史的代表物而得到深入调查。叠层石确实为地球早期生命历史提供了间接而且复杂的证据,所以,现代叠层石确实代表着明显的生物信号而成为研究的焦点。最为引人注目的是,现代叠层石的多样化构成,确实表明了蓝细菌生物席建造了叠层石,而且进一步表明了微生物席转化成叠层石不是一个直接的作用过程。那些反映现代叠层石多样化构成的典型实例包括:( 1 )南极 Untersee 地区的湖泊相锥状泥质叠层石;( 2 )新西兰 North 群岛被称为煎锅湖的热水湖泊中以及美国黄石国家公园热泉中的硅质叠层石;( 3 )巴哈马台地、澳大利亚鲨鱼湾以及巴西东南部海湾碳酸盐沉积物构成的叠层石。由于蓝细菌微生物席是否代表了古代叠层石的形态学前体总是存在争议,而且在生命的图像中叠层石一直是一个迷惑的关键片段,因此,现代叠层石的多样化构成,将成为认识古代叠层石形成的关键和窗口。立足于前人的研究成果,追踪和总结现代叠层石的多样化构成,以及它们所代表的沉积作用和微生物新陈代谢活动丰富而复杂的信息,将不但丰富微生物沉积学的研究内容,还将拓宽沉积相分析的基本内容,对深入了解叠层石复杂的沉积学特征和生物学属性具有重要的科学意义。

As an important granular structure type of microbialites, oncoid has been given extensive concern by geologists for a long time. Seven aspects of research progress on oncoid, such as definition, classification, forming environment, microecosystem, material and texture composition, growth mechanism and controlling factors, have been summarized in this paper by way of field and laboratory and literature study. Various sedimentary environments are sutible for deposition of oncoid, such as offshore intertidal zone, subtidal zone, organic bank, interbeach sea, delta, estuarine, lagoon, river, lake, tufa. etc. The growth mechanism of oncoid could be summarized by adherenceentrapment, calcification (calcification of microorganisms, biofilm and extracellular polymeric substance) and organic matter mineralization. It is significant for the forming of oncoid that benthonic cyanobacteria capture subaqueous sediment grains by adherence or entrapment. Deposition of fine-grained calcite particles involving abiotic organic polymer instead of biological activity is another important process of sedimentation.Sequence stratigraphy is a deciding factor for the forming of oncoid that it is controlled by fluctuation of sea level. Water energy, water depth, oxygen content, salinity, acidity, temperature, and transportation of sediments change by fluctuation of sea level. Oncoids output adjacent to sequence boundary, in low stand system tract, in transgressive stand system tract, near to maximum flooding surface, and in high stand system tract. What is more, distinct differences of structural features and morphology of oncoids exist in defferent status of sequence stratigraphy. Cortex texture and morphology of oncoids have important denotative meaning of hydrodynamic environment because of additional information of water energy and wter depth indicated by biotic component, entrapped sediments and their changes. Factors of fluctuation of sea level, water depth, water temeprature, trophic level, and input of clay minerals all play important roals in the forming of oncoids. And these factors bear relations with ancient climate. The surface morphology of oncoid indicates the intensity of rolling on the sea floor and thus water energy, and water depth indirectly. The point sources of terrigenous input and platform morphology increase the spatial heterogeneity of nutrient distribution and thus trophic level. Nutrient element of nitrogen and phosphorus are essential for the growth of oncoid. The high ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus play decisive role in the composition of extracellular polymeric substance. H gele D.(2006) proposed that Alz oncoids fulfilled the definition of an ecosystem because all necessary trophic levels (e.g. primary producers, consumer, and decomposers) are present in complex communities of microbial mats and biofilms. Oncoids were formed in low-lying areas or depression with ralatively low depositional velocity. As a result, changes of platform morphology are partly responsible for the ptchy distribution of onciod-rich facies and oncoid types. Some oncoid-rich limestone strata are capped by sandstone and grainstone (such as ooid bars and calcarenite), which indicate that migration of terrigenous classtic deposits, intraclast and ooid may change the environment, and thus expire the growth and depostion of oncoid. A new type of oncoid, charactered by coreless, non-lamina, amorphism, rich of algae, clear algae, which is named as phycomycetes-clotted oncoid, was discovered in Mantou formation of Cambrian system in Weishan county, Shandong province, by means of field measurement and synthetical indoor analysis. It is considered that phycomycetes-clotted oncoid is a transitional type between oncoids and clots. Difination of oncoid will be developed with increasing studies all over the world. A new defination of oncoid has been proposed in this paper combining with personal research and previous research achievements. Oncoid is a kind of concretion forms carbonate grain that it is formed in microbially dominated ecosystem through adherence-entrapment of debris and carbonate mineral during growth of muciparous cyanobacteria or other microorganisms in-situ growth of free-lying or overturned on the sedimentary floor. Usually, Oncoids were classified by morphological feature of core (nuclei）and cortex（coatings）, characteristics of main components of oncoid, combining of morphology and forming environment.Classification of various types of oncoid is gradually reaches perfection with study progresses and newfounds. Oncoids were divided into micrite envelope oncoid, debris envelope oncoid, algae envelope oncoid, multiple envelope oncoid, radiated envelope oncoid and phycomycetes-clotted oncoid by texture component and texture features.Environment and growth mechanism of oncoid are becoming hot spots of carbonatite research. Scope of oncoid studies is becoming more and more extensively both on geologic history and geography. Synthetic interdisciplinarity study trend of paleogeography, sequence stratigraphy, micropaleontology, biochemistry,and geochemistry has been forming in recent years. Significance of oncoid study on multidisciplinary of earth science will be concerned in the near future.

核形石作为微生物岩的一种重要颗粒结构类型，长期受到地质学家的广泛关注。通过广泛的文献资料调研，分别从核形石相关的定义、分类、成因环境、微生态系统、物质结构组成、生长机制、控制因素等7个方面总结了核形石的研究进展。并通过野外观测和室内综合分析，在山东微山寒武系馒头组中发现了一种核形石新类型，以无核心、无纹层、无定形、菌类含量高、菌结构清楚为显著特征，将其命名为凝块核形石。结合前人研究成果，提出新的核形石定义，并根据核形石的结构组成、结构特征及成因将核形石划分为泥晶纹层核形石、富屑纹层核形石、菌纹层核形石、复合纹层核形石、放射状构造核形石及凝块核形石等6种类型，认为凝块核形石是核形石向凝块石的过渡类型。

Geological records showed that an important biological extinction event happened during the Early-Middle Cambrian transition period, but there are controversial views about its orign. In order to reveal the response of microbial community to the biotic crisis and the marine environment change，microfabrics and organo-minerals in the oncoid cortices formed in that period at the North China Platform were studied. The study revealed that abundant microbial fossils exist in the oncoids. Study of microfabrics and organomineralization patterns in the oncoid cortices suggested that the oncoids were likely formed in seawater with high alkalinity and active bacterial sulfate reduction(BSR). Rich pyrite framboids and purported heterotrophic remains in the cortices represented an anoxic bottom-water condition，and facies and depositional sequence analyses suggested a shallow shelf environment. A wide correlation indicated that the time-equivalent oncoids or related microbialites were widespread in the North China Platform，and also well recorded in some other continents or plates. This may imply an extensive bloom of microbial communities in the aftermath of terminal Early Cambrian biotic crisis，which was likely related to a pervasive anoxia in shallow marine environments caused by LIP(Large igneous province) eruptions，and subsequently global warming and invasion of anoxic deep seawater onto the shelves at that time. The broad distribution of oncoids and other related microbialites at the Early-Middle Cambrian transition may have reflected an ecological response and rapid expansion of microbial community to the high-stressed environments where benthic metazoans had been largely suppressed during the biotic crises.

地质记录表明在早—中寒武世过渡期发生了一次重要的生物灭绝事件，但对其成因的认识仍存在分歧。作者试图通过对华北地台该时段广泛发育的核形石微组构和矿化过程研究，揭示微生物群落对灾变事件和海洋环境变化的响应。研究发现核形石内富含细菌化石；包壳的微组构和有机矿化特征表明其形成于细菌硫酸盐还原(BSR)作用活跃的高碱度海水条件，密集的莓状黄铁矿微粒和异养细菌残余指示为缺氧环境；而沉积相分析显示核形石发育于浅海陆棚背景。研究认为，同期的核形石及其他可对比微生物岩不仅在华北广泛分布，在其他大陆和板块上也有良好记录，表明在这个生物灾变期浅海环境有广泛的微生物群爆发，并可能与大火成岩省喷发、全球气温升高以及深部缺氧海水向陆棚侵进引起的浅海广泛缺氧相关。早—中寒武世过渡期广泛发育的微生物岩可能记录了底栖动物大量灭绝后，微生物群在缺氧水体中的快速繁盛与生态扩张过程。