Lengshuikou, Lintung, Shensi (Miocene of China)

Also known as Lengshuigou, Lantien District, Shaanxi

Where: Shaanxi, China (34.3° N, 108.9° E: paleocoordinates 34.2° N, 106.5° E)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

When: Shanwang Formation, Burdigalian (20.4 - 16.0 Ma)

• Originally dated to Middle Miocene (Chiu et al. 1979), now MN7, Astaracian, Tunggurian.

•From He et al. 2011: "40Ar/39Ar ages obtained from basalts of the Niushan and Yaoshan Formations, which underlie and overlie the Shanwang Formation, are 21.0 ± 2.5 Ma (2σ, full external error) and 17.3 ± 1.5 Ma (2σ, full external error), respectively. The 40Ar/39Ar age of the basalt in the Shanwang Formation is 17–18 Ma. Given the age constraints of the basalts of the Yaoshan and Shanwang Formations, the age of the Shanwang biota is estimated to be ca. 17 Ma, late Burdigalian of the Early Miocene,". Yu et al. 2021 support this, stating "Paleomagnetic and radio isotope dating data shows that the diatomaceous shale was deposited during Chron C5En, which places it at approximately 18.5 Ma during the Burdigalian stage of the Early Miocene, rather than in the Middle Miocene as previously thought."

Environment/lithology: terrestrial; marl

• Red marls

Size class: macrofossils

Primary reference: M. Chow. 1978. Tertiary mammal faunas of the Lantien Region, Shaanxi Province. Professional papers on Stratigraphy and Paleontology, Geological Publishing House, Peking. 7:98-108 [A. Turner/H. O'Regan/H. O'Regan]more details

Purpose of describing collection: biostratigraphic analysis

PaleoDB collection 41811: authorized by Alan Turner, entered by Hannah O'Regan on 21.07.2004

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• not a complete faunal list - 17 species all together. The full report was in press when this report was published.
Mammalia
 Proboscidea - Gomphotheriidae
Platybelodon sp.2 Borissiak 1928 gomphothere
Gomphotherium shensiensis1 Chang and Zhai 1978 gomphothere
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
 Artiodactyla - Suidae
Listriodon sp. von Meyer 1846 pig
Listriodon lishanensis n. sp. Lee and Wu 1978 pig
 Artiodactyla - Giraffidae
Palaeotragus sp. Gaudry 1861 giraffe
 Artiodactyla - Lagomerycidae
Lagomeryx sp.1 Roger 1904 ruminant
 Artiodactyla - Palaeomerycidae
Palaeomeryx sp. von Meyer 1834 ruminant
 Artiodactyla - Bovidae
"Oioceros" lishanensis Lee and Wu 1978 antelope
 Lagomorpha -
Tsaganolagus wangi1 Li 1978 placental
 Lagomorpha - Ochotonidae
Alloptox minor1 Li 1978 pika