Where: Shandong, China (36.5° N, 118.5° E: paleocoordinates 36.4° N, 116.1° E)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

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

• MN6, Aragonian, Middle Miocene. There are six layers, which are grouped into 3 members. These members contain 3 fossil-bearing beds. Sw1 is 25-30m thick and is exposed on the southern edge of the basin and tapers off towards the centre of the basin.

•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: lacustrine; gravel

Size class: macrofossils

Primary reference: C. C. Young. 1937. On a Miocene Mammalian Fauna from Shantung. Bulletin - Geological Society of China 17(2):209-244 [A. Turner/H. O'Regan/H. O'Regan]more details

Purpose of describing collection: biostratigraphic analysis

PaleoDB collection 43398: authorized by Alan Turner, entered by Hannah O'Regan on 13.08.2004

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)