This is a review of research achievements on the Permian-Triassic transition in South China. It comprises of five parts: (1) advances on the biostratigraphy and eventostratigraphy of the Meishan Section, the Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) of the Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB); (2) advances on the PTB research of deep water facies, especially the Dongpan Section in Guangxi; (3) advances on the PTB research of terrestrial facies, especially the Chahe Section in Guizhou; (4) correlation of the global change and biotic extinction between the PTB and modern times and its revelation to the status and future of the earth and mankind; and (5) the pattern and causality of the Permian-Triassic extinction. In the last part, it is concluded that the Permia-Triassic transitional interval constitutes a prolonged crisis period ranging from end-Guadalupian extinction to the end of Early Triassic, totaling 14 Ma. The environmental crisis and mass extinction peaked at the PTB, which displayed multiphase extinction rather than just one phase. Commencement of an extinctions prelude prior to the postulated bolide impact implies that the causes of PTB extinction largely lie in the intrinsic developments of the earth, especially those related with the integration of Pangea.

A morphologically more diverse assemblage of Longfengshaniaceae has been found in the uppermost Ediacaran (Sinian) Jiucheng Member, Yuhucun Formation at Jinning and Jiangchuan, eastern Yunnan, South China. A majority of them are different from the Longfengshania found in the Neoproterozoic Changlongshan Formation, Yanshan Mountain area, North China and the Little Dal Group, North America. They are mainly characterized by a more varied, often thallus-like appearance with no branches, such as oval, pyriform, spindle, shovel, heart, ribbon and balloon shapes, and more sturdy stalk-like projection (stipe) with a smooth connection on the basal part of the thallus. In addition, they appear to have a remarkable attaching organ of lanceolate, shuttle-like or short stem-like structure at the base of the stipe. Six distinct morphological taxa are recognized, including one new genus, two new species and three conformis species. The characteristics of the family and the genus Longfengshania are further discussed in this paper. The new discoveries of these carbonaceous macrofossils identified as Longfengshaniaceae algae on the basis of the diagnostic forms and anastomosis patterns of their thalli and stipes demonstrate that an important evolutionary radiation of metaphytes took place in the last Ediacaran stage. The flourishing of the benthonic thallophytes attached to the substrate from eastern Yunnan and considered to be photosynthetic alga probably provided continuous nutritional habitats for the explosion and diversification of the Early Cambrian Chengjiang biota .

In order to investigate the distribution characteristics of stable carbon isotope ratios (δ¹³C) in the desert plant Reaumuria soongorica, the δ¹³C values of leaves were measured in 407 individuals of 21 populations. Soil physicochemical properties including soil water content, soil total dissolved solids, soil total nitrogen, soil total phosphorus and soil organic content were also analyzed in order to survey the major factors influencing <δsup>13C values on spatial variation. Leaves and soil samples were simultaneously collected from the ten major distribution areas in Northwest China at altitudes from 394 m to 1 987 m above sea level, at latitudes from 36º10´N to 44º33´N, and at longitudes from 81°43´E to 106º37´E. These ten areas include Shihezi, Baicheng, Yiwu areas in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region; Anxi, Zhangye, Baiyin, Lanzhou areas in Gansu Province; Shapotou, Yinchuan areas in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region; and Alashan County in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The results show that the <δsup>13C value of R. soongorica ranges from -22.77 0 to -29.85 0 with an average of -26.52 0. Foliar <δsup>13C values in R. soongorica are not significantly correlated with altitude, latitude or longitude, and a spatial distribution trend of <δsup>13C values of R. soongorica is not obvious on a large scale. However, when <δsup>13C values of two R. soongorica populations under the same climate conditions are compared, <δsup>13C values increase obviously from east to west and from north to south. As none of the soil total dissolved solids, soil total nitrogen, soil total phosphorus, and soil organic content shows a uniform trend from east to west and from north to south, we suppose that the small-scaled spatial distribution pattern of <δsup>13C values of R. soongorica is mainly controlled by the soil water content.

The formation of the Paleogene in the Chengbei fault-step zone of the Dagang off-shore area is very complex and the stratigraphic division and correlation are relatively difficult. A method of micropaleontology-sequence stratigraphy is proposed herein. The study considers Well Zhangcan 1 as an example to prove that the scheme of stratigraphic division is feasible by conducting micropaleontology-sequence stratigraphy in the Guanjiapu area of the Chengbei fault-step zone. The application of micropaleontology-sequence stratigraphy method indicates that Member 1 of the Shahejie Formation in Well Zhuanghai 808×1 and Member 3 of the Dongying Formation of the Paleogene exist.

The lithosphere of northeastern China is composed of the Erguna, Xingan, Songnen, Jiamusi blocks and Mesozoic Wandashan accretionary complex from west to east. Nd isotope model ages indicate that the Xingan and Songnen blocks have the same Nd model ages ranging from 500 to 1 000 Ma. These are obviously younger than those of the Jiamusi block (1 500-2 000 Ma) and the Erguna block (1 500-1 700 Ma), reflecting the different evolutions of individual blocks in the early times. Geochemical tracing analysis shows that the Nd model ages of Paleozoic supercrustal rocks in the four blocks are dominantly Mesoproterozoic, while those of Mesozoic granites are mainly Neoproterozoic. It is shown that the crust ages of the region are characterized by being younger in the lower part and older in the upper part. The Os isotope analysis also indicates that the lithosphere mantle of the region is characteristic of a younger age. The P-wave velocities of the region show more complicated structures in lithosphere and asthenosphere. First of all, notably different from traditional concept of the seismic lithosphere, the low velocity zone of the lithosphere beneath the region has no persistent and continuous top interface which is highly varied in depth and intersected with the high velocity layers, forming sharp velocity discontinuities beneath major tectonic belts, even up to the Moho beneath some tectonic units. But the bottom interface of the low velocity zone is relatively persistent, occurring at a depth of 230-240 km. Another feature is that the lithosphere is characterized by an overpass type  velocity structure vertically, in which the contoured velocity is distributed in the NE trending within the crust, in a nearly NS trending in the lithosphere mantle from a depth of 45 to 90 km, in a nearly EW trending in the upper part of the asthenosphere from 90 to 170 km and in a ring-like distribution with a diameter of about 300 km in the lower part of the asthenosphere from 170 to 240 km. The P-wave velocity is progressively increasing from 240 to 400 km.

Based on the high-resolution body wave tomo-graphic image and relevant geophysical data, we calculated the form and the vertical and tangential velocities of mantle flow. We obtained the pattern of mantle convection for East Asia and the West Pacific. Some important results and understandings are gained from the images of the vertical velocity of mantle flow for East Asia and the West Pacific. There is an upwelling plume beneath East Asia and West Pacific, which is the earth s deep origin for the huge rift valley there. We have especially outlined the tectonic features of the South China Sea, which is of the ]? type in the upper mantle shield type in the middle and divergent in the lower; the Siberian clod downwelling dives from the surface to near Core and mantle bounary (CMB), which is convergent in the upper mantle and divergent in the lower mantle; the Tethyan subduction region, centered in the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, is visible from 300 to 2 000 km, which is also convergent in the upper mantle and divergent in the lower mantle. The three regions of mantle convection beneath East Asia and the West Pacific are in accordance with the West Pacific, Ancient Asia and the Tethyan structure regions. The mantle upwelling originates from the core-mantle boundary and mostly occurs in the middle mantle and the lower part of the upper mantle. The velocities of the vertical mantle flow are about 1-4 cm per year and the tangential velocities are 1-10 cm per year. The mantle flow has an effect on controlling the movement of plates and the distributions of ocean ridges, subduction zones and collision zones. The mantle upwelling regions are clearly related with the locations of hotspots on the earth s surface.

The Daba Mountains define the southern margin of the East Qinling orogenic belt, and form the boundary of the Sichuan basin in the north and northeast. The Daba Mountains can be divided into two structural belts by the NW-striking Chengkou fault, namely the northern Dabashan thrust-nappe belt and the southern Dabashan foreland fold-and-thrust belt. The southern Dabashan fold-and-thrust belt is a southwestward extruding thin-skinned thrust wedge, showing obvious belted change in deformation style and deformation intensity along the dip direction, and can be divided further into three sub-belts, i.e. the imbricate thrust sub-belt characterized by imbricate stepped-thrust sheets, the thrust-fold sub-belt characterized by the combination of the equally-developed thrusts and related folds, and the detachment-fold sub-belt characterized by box folds and closed overturned-isoclinal folds on the outcrops. Several kinds of structures have been recognized or inferred, including imbricate thrust system, passive-roof duplex (triangle zone), fault-related folds, back-thrust system and pop-up structure. The NE-SW compressive stress from the Qinling orogenic belt and detachment layers in the covering strata are the two most important determinants of deformation style. After the collision between the North China block and Yangtze block at the end of the Middle Triassic, the northward intracontinental subduction along the southern edge of the Qinling orogenic belt was initiated, which led to the corresponding southward thrusting in the upper crust. The thrusting propagated towards the foreland through the Jurassic and extended to the southernmost part of the southern Daba Mountains around the end of the Early Cretaceous, with thrusting deformation to be preferentially developed along major detachment layers and progressing upwards from the Lower Sinian through the Lower Cambrian and Silurian to Middle-Lower Triassic.

There are 61 major peraluminous granitic bodies in Tibet (TPGs) along the south of the Bangong Co-Gêrzê-Amdo-Nujiang suture, whose lithology includes tourmaline granite, muscovite granite and two-mica granite. The TPGs have SiO₂ = 65.7%-79.52%, K₂O+Na₂O = 2.20%-12.51%, K₂O/Na₂O = 0.49-1.04 and A/CNK = 1.04-1.38. Al₂O₃ gradually decreases and the other oxides disperse with the increase in SiO₂. The rock series is mainly calc-alk series with high potassium. It has typical characteristics of strongly peraluminous granite. Based on the aluminum saturation index and QAP plots, the peraluminous granite plot is mostly within the continental collision granite (CCG) field, indicating that the peraluminous granites in Tibet formed in a continental collisional setting. Ab-Or-Q-H₂O phase diagram indicates the pressure of 0.5×10⁸-2×10⁸ Pa in TPGs, from which it can be deduced that the forming temperature was under 700°C. The TPGs mainly occurred at the collision stage between two continental crust plates, and the original magma is rooted in the remelting from the upper crust. It is the S-type granite in petrogenesis. The South Gandise belt and the Lhagoi Kangri belt have similar characteristics, suggesting that the two belts have the same magma source and the same tectonic setting.

Fluid inclusions that bear halite daughter minerals were discovered in volcanic rocks at Pingnan area in the Dongying sag. The samples of the fluid inclusions collected from the BGX-15 well drill cores are hosted in quartz of diorite-porphyrite. The daughter minerals are identified as NaCl crystals after being observed under a microscope and analyzed by in situ Raman spectroscopy at -185°C. The results of micro-thermal analysis show that the homogenization temperatures of primary fluid inclusions are between 359 and 496°C, and the salinities of fluid inclusions are from 43.26 to 54.51 wt-%. All fluid inclusions in the studied samples can be divided into five types including primary fluid inclusions and secondary fluid inclusions. The fact that five types of fluid inclusions were symbiotic in the same quartz grain implies that immiscibility happened in magma. Due to the decrease in temperature and pressure during the ascent of magma, the fluids became intensively immiscible. This process accelerates the degassing of CO₂ from magma, but the remnant fluids with high salinity are preserved in fluid inclusions. Thus, the primary fluid inclusions are mainly in NaCl-H₂O fluids and poor in CO₂. The results of our study indicate that the degassing of magma and accumulation of CO₂ gas at the Pingnan area are relative to the immiscibility of high salinity fluids. This discovery is important because it can help us have a further understanding of the mechanism of magma degassing and accumulation of the inorganic CO₂ in eastern China.

Gas hydrate is a recently-found new source of energy that mostly exists in marine sediments. In recent years, we have conducted gas hydrate exploration in the South China Sea. The Xisha trough, one of the promising target areas for gas hydrate, is located in the northern margin of the South China Sea, adjacent to several large oil and gas fields. The Xisha trough extends 420 km long with the water depth of 1 500 m in the west part and 3 400 m in the east part and deposits thick sediments with organic matter content of 0.41%-1.02%. Previous studies on topographical features, geological P-T conditions, structural geology, sedimentary geology and geophysical bottom simulating reflectors (BSR) in the Xisha trough suggest that this area is favorable for the formation and accumulation of gas hydrate. In this paper, we present geochemical analyses for the sediment and pore water from a piston core at Site XS-01 in the Xisha trough. Seven pore water samples were analyzed for their anion (Cl^-, SO₄^2-, Br^-, I^-) contents, cation (Na, K, Ca, Mg) contents and trace element (Li, B, Sr, Ba, Rb, Mn) contents. Eight sediment samples were analyzed for stable carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions. A number of geochemical anomalies such as anions (e.g. Cl^-, SO₄^2-), cations (e.g. Ca, Mg) and trace elements (e.g. Sr, Ba, B) were found in this study. For example, the concentrations of Cl- and SO₄^2- in pore water show a decreasing trend with depth. The estimated sulfate/methane interface (SMI) is only 18 m, which is quite similar to the SMI value of 23 m in the ODP164 Leg 997 at Blake Ridge. The Ca, Mg and Sr concentrations of pore water also decrease with depth, but concentrations of Ba, and Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca ratios increase with depth. These geochemical anomalies are quite similar to those found in gas hydrate locations in the world such as the Blake Ridge and may be related to the formation and dissociation of gas hydrates. The salt exclusion effect during the gas hydrate formation will cause an increase in major ion concentrations in the pore waters that diffused upward such as Cl. The anaerobic methane oxidation (AMO) may lead to the change of SO₄^2- and other cations such as Ca, Mg, Sr and Ba in pore water. Low δ¹³C value of authigenic carbonates is a good indicator for gas hydrate occurrence. However, the bulk sediment samples we analyzed all show normal δ¹³C values similar to biogenic marine carbonates, and this may also suggest that no gas hydrate-related authigenic carbonates exist or their amount is so small that they are not detectable by using this bulk analytical method. In conclusion, we suggest that the Site XS-01 in the Xisha trough of the northern margin of the South China Sea is a potential target for further gas hydrate exploration.

The Dajishan deposit is a well-known tungsten and niobium-tantalum deposit in China. Due to the technological restrictions, little work has been done on the ages of ore-forming and related granite in Dajishan for a long time. By means of the single-zircon U-Pb isotopic method, the intrusion age is reported in this paper, which is (151.7±1.6) Ma for a patched granite body (the source granite for Nb-Ta). By quick neutron mobilization method, an ⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar age of mica from the major ore vein is determined, yielding ore-forming ages of 144 Ma and 147 Ma. Combining these age data with the occurrences of the main granite body, the patched body, the major ore veins and Na-Ta mineralization, the paper discusses their formation orders and relationships. These data also show that the Dajishan granite and its related mineralizations are the product of magmatism in the middle Yanshanian stage and a part of the secondary large-scale mineralization in the Mesozoic.

Recent mineral exploration in the Gangdise porphyry copper deposit belt, an important component of the Himalaya-Tethyan metallogenic belt, has led to the discovery of a number of deposits, as exemplified by the world-class Miocene Qulong porphyry Cu deposit. This paper reviews major advances in the studies of ore genesis and metallogenic regularity and progresses in mineral exploration of porphyry Cu deposits in the belt. Existing problems and suggestion for future exploration also are given.

This paper presents the fractal distribution of topography of seamounts from the West Pacific and the resource quantity of cobalt crust therein. The cobalt resource quantity has three to four variable fractal dimensions, corresponding to the distinct slopes and water depths of the seamount. The multiple fractal property of resource quantity may have resulted from various factors, such as types and components of cobalt crusts and ages of oceanic crusts hosting the seamounts. Individual seamounts display complex topography and quantity of cobalt crust, both in the same and different regions.

The Pearl River Mouth basin is one of the most important offshore basins in China. Petroleum exploration in the deep-water area is to start in the Baiyun sag in the basin. Due to the high cost of exploration in deep-water areas, the hydrocarbon migration and pressure evolution needs to be thoroughly probed before any actual exploration is to be done. Drilling results have indicated that the pore pressure is hydrostatic in shallow-water area. The mud diapirs found in the Baiyun sag indicate that there may be overpressure in the deep-water area. At present, little is known about hydrocarbon migration and pressure distribution in deep-water areas. On the basis of geological data from wells and basin modeling, the research comes to the following conclusions. (1) At least three episodic accumulations and releases of pressure had happened in the Cenozoic, which were closely related to the three regional tectonic movements: the Zhu-Qiong movement in the Late Eocene, the Nanhai movement in the Middle Oligocene and the Dongsha movement between the latest Middle Miocene and Late Miocene. The pressure release and associated hydrocarbon migration occurred primarily during the Dongsha movement, when most of the overpressure was released to hydrostatic pressure except for some overpressure in the deep-water area. (2) Both the measured pressure and the modeling results indicate that the pore pressure is hydrostatic pressure in the shallow-water area. Abnormally high pressure in the deep-water area is noted to be present. The difference of pressure distribution is caused by the lithologies, facies and faults. (3) The diapirs in the deep water cannot be driven by the overpressure because the maximum pressure is less than 9.0 MPa in the course of pressure evolution. (4) The fluids migrated to the shallow-water area and deep-water area along faults. Some faults connected the deep-water fans with the hydrocarbon source. Huge oil and gas fields may be formed in the deep-water area more favourably than in the shallow-water area.

Many achievements have been made in experimental studies of hydrocarbon migration in the clastic reservoir. On the other hand, few migration experiments have been reported in the carbonate reservoir simulation realm. This article is a tentative experimental study on hydrocarbon migration and accumulation in the carbonate reservoir, which is a complex media that includes a pore system and fracture system. This microcosmic experiment simulates oil-water displacement using a real core model. Plentiful seepage phenomena were observed in the microcosmic experiments. Three kinds of pathways were found in the plane: parall elpathway, oblique-cross pathway and network pathway. Three types of flow were found: continuous flow, sectioning flow and their combination. Three driving fronts were found in the experiment: piston front, encircle front and impulse front. All these vary with many factors such as fluid pressure, oil saturation, fissure configuration and wettability, and these factors affect each other. The results show that the relation between the fluid pressure and volume of flow is a complex segmenting correlation, instead of a simple positive correlation like the pipe flow that follows Darcy s law. The relation between fluid pressure and the speed of flow also follows the same correlation. Speed of flow relates to the angle and width of the fissure. Speed of flow in the wide fissure that has an acute angle with the pressure gradient is faster than that in a narrow fissure with a high angle with the pressure gradient.