Occurrence of Tannuolina in the lower Cambrian of Hazara Basin, North Pakistan and its biostratigraphical significance

1. Occurrence of Tannuolina in the lower Cambrian of Hazara
Basin, North Pakistan and its biostratigraphical significance
1 State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and
Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Nanjing 210008, PR China
2 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
3 Department of Earth Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Abbottabad, Pakistan
B. Pan1*, G.X Li1, M.M.S.S. Khan1, 2, S. Ahmed1, 2, Q.A. Jadoon3, Z.J. Yin1, M.Y. Zhu1, 2

2. Outline
 Background
 Geological setting and Sections
 SSFs assemblage
 Biostratigraphical implication
 Conclusions

3. 635Ma
Cryogenian
539Ma
520Ma
720Ma
Origin of Metazoan
Small Shelly Fossils
(SSFs)
Trace
Fossils
Figures from Crimes, 1989; Bengtson et al.,1990; Chen et al., 1999; Hua et al., 2003;
Shu et al., 2003; Conway Morris and Caron, 2007 ; Chen, 2012; Schiffbauer et al, 2014;
Yang et al., 2014; Yin et al., 2015; Geyer & Landing, 2016
Ediacaran
Background
Wenan
Biota
Ediacaran
Biota
Gaojiashan
Biota
• Micro-size
• Mineralized skeletal
• Early Cambrian
• Phosphatized (siliceous, calcareous, Phosphatic)
• Multiple phyla
Cambrian
Explosion
Zhu et al, 2019
Chengjiang Biota
(Soft-bodied Fossils)
Cambrian

4. Origin and Evolution
of early Metazoans
From Erwin et al., 2011
Palaeobiogeography
From Yang et al., 2018,
Biomineralization
Metazoans
Biostratigraphy
Stage 3
Stage 4
Fortunian
Stage 2
Series
2
Terreneuvian
Ediacaran
Cambrian
539
528
521
514
509
From Zhu et al., 2019 From Li et al., 2018
Significance of Small shelly Fossils

5. Tommotiids
Camenella
Dailyatia
Kelanella
Eccentrotheca
Lapworthella
Kulparina
Paterimitra
Tannuolina
Micrina
Mickwitzia
Crown-group
linguliform
brachiopods
Paterinid
brachiopods
Possible phylogenetic relationship among different
taxa of tommotiids and organophosphatic
brachiopods
Systematic taxa of tommotiids
Tannuolina
Micrina
Tommotiida
Camenellans
clade
Tommotiidae
Lapworthellidae
Kennardiidae
Eccentroth-
ecimorphs
clade
Sunnaginidae
Tannuolinidae

6. Tommotiids
Stage 3
Stage 4
Fortunian
Stage 2
Ediacaran
Cambrian
539
528
521
514
509
Series
2
Terreneuvian
Miaolingian
Palaeogeographical distribution Age range
Sunnaginia
Micrina
Tannuolina
Camenella
Kulparina
Regional
Biostratigraphical
Index Fossils Taxa:
Avalonia Australia South China

7. Tannuolina zhangwentangi Qian & Bengtson, 1989
paired
mitral
sclerites
sellate
sclerites
(number
unknown)
The stratigraphical range and biostratigraphical correlation of
Tannuolina from different regions in Cambrian
Only had been reported form
South China
We first discovered
T. zhangwentangi
from Pakistan and Lesser
Himalaya of Indian
subcontinent
Sclerites of T. zhangwentangi

8. Terreneuvian SSFs assemblages from Indian Subcontinent
Two SSFs Assemblages : Lesser and Tethyan Himalaya Zones;
They are correlative with the South China SSFs Biozones
From Hughes, 2016
Anabarites trisulcatus–Protohertzina anabarica Assemblage Zone (=South China Zone Ⅰ)
“informal halkieriid-bearing Zone” (= South China Zone Ⅳ, in Hughes, 2016)
?
Existence of
Index Fossils is
Problematic

9. Geological setting and Sections
Salhad section
Abbottabad City
Eastern Hazara Basin
North Pakistan
Lesser Himalaya,
Indian Subcontinent
Hazira Formation
T. zhangwentangi from
51-56m & 154-156m

10. Mitral sclerites
Mitral (A,B, F) and Sellate (C, D)
sclerites
Tannuolina zhangwentangi Qian & Bengtson, 1989
from Hazira Formation
Detailed structures
of mitral sclerites

11. Biostratigraphical implication
The stratigraphical range and biostratigraphical correlation of
Tannuolina from different regions in Cambrian
Five possible
heterochronous horizons
of Tannuolina
among different regions
1
2
3
4
5
T. zhangwentangi from
S. flabelliformis–T. zhangwentangi Assemblage Zone
South China and Pakistan
the second horizons
Represent
the uppermost Cambrian Stage 2

12. Biostratigraphical implication
Mostler, 1980
No
Fossil
Horizon
In previous
studies
“informal
halkieriid-
bearing
Zone”
(= South
China Zone
Ⅳ; in
previous
studies)
T. zhangwentangi
from Hazira Formation
51-56m & 154-156m
of Salhad section
S. flabelliformis–T.
zhangwentangi
Assemblage Zone
(Zone Ⅳ in South China)
=
Watsonella crosbyi
Assemblage Zone
Revised
Revised

13. SSFs from basal 6.3m of Hazira Formation
Biostratigraphical implication
No evidence of index fossils of the South China Assemblage Zone Ⅳ existing in this interval
Majority of these fossils
frequently occurred in
the Watsonella crosbyi
Assemblage Zone
in other palaeocontinents
(specifically in South China)

14. Conclusions
• For the first time, T. zhangwentangi has been recovered from the Indian subcontinent, previously
only known in South China
• The small shelly fossils (SSFs) assemblage from basal Hazira Formation (6.3m) formerly named as
the “informal halkieriid-bearing Zone” is more plausibly to be correlated with the Watsonella crosbyi
Assemblage Zone.
• The middle and upper part of the Hazira Formation exclusively bearing T. zhangwentangi can
directly correlate with the S. flabelliformis–T. zhangwentangi Assemblage Zone of South China
representing the uppermost Cambrian Stage 2.
• T. zhangwentangi is useful for the early Cambrian intercontinental biostratigraphical correlation.
• The Terreneuvian SSFs biostratigraphy between the Indian subcontinent and South China are quite
consistent, comprising of three (at least two) correlative SSFs Assemblage Zone (Zone Ⅰ, Ⅲ, Ⅳ of South
China)

15. The Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research
(2019QZKK0706)
Thanks for
Your Attention
Acknowledgements