QINLING PROVINCE-THE THIRD ORDOVICIAN CONODONT FAUNAL PROVINCE: INFLUENCE OF PLATE MOVEMENT

摘要

Before Tremadocian of the Early Ordovician, conodonts were cosmopolitan, faunal provincialism was not obvious. From Arenigian, Ordovician conodont faunal province differentiated. Provincial differences between Ordovician Midcontinent conodont faunas and those of Europe were first recognized by Sweet and others (1959), who distingushed a North American Midcontinent conodont faunal province and an Anglo -^sScandinavian -^sAppalachian province. Bergstrom (1971) considered that the lower Middle Ordovician deposits contain elements of at least three major conodont faunal provinces, namely the American Midcontinent province, the North Atlantic province, and the Australian province. Sweet & Bergstrom (1974) abandoned Australian province, and subdivided Ordovician conodont faunal provinces into the North American Midcontinent province and the North Atlantic province. Pei et Cai (1987) discovered a new Ordovician conodont faunal province in the South Qinling and named it Qinling province. Up to now, more and more examples proved that Qinling province existed indeed, its characteristics is distinct, and was widespread in the globe, forming the third Ordovician conodont faunal province. Discovery and establishment of Qinling province has important significance for research Ordovician faunal provinces, plate movement and reconstruction of palaeocontinents in the world.