Middle Permian palaeo-seamounts in the area of Bayan Har are generally composed of volcanic basement and carbonate cap. Basaltic lava, volcanic breecia and polymictic breccia can be identified as the main kinds of rock in the basement of palaeo-seamounts. Massive bioclastic limestone and reef framestone formed the carbonate cap of the palaeo-sea- mounts. The contact relationship between carbonate cap and volcanic basement is a kind of conformity or depositional unconformity. Study of the structure and petrology of palaeo-sea- mounts suggests that the evolution history of the palaeo-seamounts in this area can be divided into five stages at least. They are the origin of the first volcanic basement, the formation of the first carbonate cap, the breaking of the first carbonate cap by renewed volcanism, the deposition of red calcareous mudstone and the rebuilding of the second carbonate cap at last. In one of the palaeo-seamounts, volcanic activation took place even after the reconstruction of the second carbonate cap. Lots of fusulinid fossils, such as Neoschwagerina craticulifera Schwager, Schwagerina sp. and Verbeekina sp., were found both in the carbonate cap and volcanic basement, showing that the palaeo-seamounts were originated and developed within the Maokou stage of Middle Permian.
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