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Early Cambrian bioconstructions in the Zavkhan Basin of western Mongolia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 May 2009

Peter D. Kruse ,
Anna Gandin ,
Françoise Debrenne  and
Rachel Wood
Peter D. Kruse
Affiliation:
Northern Territory Geological Survey, P. O. Box 2901, Darwin NT 0801, Australia
Anna Gandin
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Via della Cerchia, 3-53100 Siena, Italy
Françoise Debrenne
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Paléontologie, URA 12 CNRS, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, 8 Rue Buffon, Paris Cedex 75005, France
Rachel Wood
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK
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Abstract

The Neoproterozoic–Cambrian succession in the Zavkhan Basin of western Mongolia preserves early Cambrian bioconstructions of Nemakit-Daldynian to Botomian age. As elsewhere (Siberia, Morocco), the Nemakit-Daldynian bioconstructions in the upper Tsagaan Oloom Formation to lower Bayan Gol Formation interval were purely calcimicrobial. Spectacular calcimicrobial ‘patch reefs’ of presumed Tommotian age are present in the lower Bayan Gol Formation. In contrast, late Atdabanian–early Botomian bioconstructions are varied and well developed in the upper Salaany Gol Formation including, in addition to calcimicrobial bioherms, Gordonophyton–Razumovskia crusts, radiocyathan—archaeocyathan bioherms and thickets of the ramose archaeocyath Cambrocyathellus.

These latter Zavkhan Basin buildups show some ecological and sedimentological features in common with coeval bioconstructions in South Australia, which also developed under a tectonically active regime.

Type
Articles
Information
Geological Magazine , Volume 133 , Issue 4 , July 1996 , pp. 429 - 444
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

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