Review of the Fossil Heritage Potential of Shenzhen (Guangdong, China): A Promising Area for Palaeontological Research

The area of the city of Shenzhen at the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong Province, China, comprises rocks that preserve, with few interruptions, around 1.8 billion years of geological history. However, to date, only few scientific studies within a palaeontological context have been conducted on the se...

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Main Authors: David Marius Kroeck, Yanxin Gong, He Chen, Lan Li, Tong Bao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Geosciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/14/12/316
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author David Marius Kroeck
Yanxin Gong
He Chen
Lan Li
Tong Bao
author_facet David Marius Kroeck
Yanxin Gong
He Chen
Lan Li
Tong Bao
author_sort David Marius Kroeck
collection DOAJ
description The area of the city of Shenzhen at the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong Province, China, comprises rocks that preserve, with few interruptions, around 1.8 billion years of geological history. However, to date, only few scientific studies within a palaeontological context have been conducted on the sediment rocks in Shenzhen. Herein, the fossil record and heritage potential of Shenzhen is reviewed. The few existing previous investigations revealed a rich terrestrial and marine fossil record and show the great potential of this area for future palaeontological research, particularly on the upper Palaeozoic and Mesozoic strata: Carboniferous successions show plant remains and a diverse benthic marine fauna; fossils from Upper Triassic–Middle Jurassic sediment rocks provide important data for terrestrial and marine palaeoecosystems of this time; and the discovery of dinosaur nests in the Upper Cretaceous strata complements the previously known distribution of dinosaurs in South China. Additionally, micropalaeontological and palynological data from the upper Palaeozoic as well as Cenozoic successions in Shenzhen reveal diverse assemblages of foraminifera, ostracods, diatoms, and sporomorphs. Moreover, fossil finds in equivalent rocks in adjacent areas indicate great potential for the units in the Shenzhen area, in which, so far, no fossils have been found.
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spelling doaj-art-1e42bf9307cc40e6a60b2e5e87c6265c2024-12-27T14:28:15ZengMDPI AGGeosciences2076-32632024-11-01141231610.3390/geosciences14120316Review of the Fossil Heritage Potential of Shenzhen (Guangdong, China): A Promising Area for Palaeontological ResearchDavid Marius Kroeck0Yanxin Gong1He Chen2Lan Li3Tong Bao4State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, ChinaShenzhen Museum, Shenzhen 518026, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, ChinaThe area of the city of Shenzhen at the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong Province, China, comprises rocks that preserve, with few interruptions, around 1.8 billion years of geological history. However, to date, only few scientific studies within a palaeontological context have been conducted on the sediment rocks in Shenzhen. Herein, the fossil record and heritage potential of Shenzhen is reviewed. The few existing previous investigations revealed a rich terrestrial and marine fossil record and show the great potential of this area for future palaeontological research, particularly on the upper Palaeozoic and Mesozoic strata: Carboniferous successions show plant remains and a diverse benthic marine fauna; fossils from Upper Triassic–Middle Jurassic sediment rocks provide important data for terrestrial and marine palaeoecosystems of this time; and the discovery of dinosaur nests in the Upper Cretaceous strata complements the previously known distribution of dinosaurs in South China. Additionally, micropalaeontological and palynological data from the upper Palaeozoic as well as Cenozoic successions in Shenzhen reveal diverse assemblages of foraminifera, ostracods, diatoms, and sporomorphs. Moreover, fossil finds in equivalent rocks in adjacent areas indicate great potential for the units in the Shenzhen area, in which, so far, no fossils have been found.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/14/12/316geoheritagefossil recordpalaeontologySouth ChinaCathaysia
spellingShingle David Marius Kroeck
Yanxin Gong
He Chen
Lan Li
Tong Bao
Review of the Fossil Heritage Potential of Shenzhen (Guangdong, China): A Promising Area for Palaeontological Research
Geosciences
geoheritage
fossil record
palaeontology
South China
Cathaysia
title Review of the Fossil Heritage Potential of Shenzhen (Guangdong, China): A Promising Area for Palaeontological Research
title_full Review of the Fossil Heritage Potential of Shenzhen (Guangdong, China): A Promising Area for Palaeontological Research
title_fullStr Review of the Fossil Heritage Potential of Shenzhen (Guangdong, China): A Promising Area for Palaeontological Research
title_full_unstemmed Review of the Fossil Heritage Potential of Shenzhen (Guangdong, China): A Promising Area for Palaeontological Research
title_short Review of the Fossil Heritage Potential of Shenzhen (Guangdong, China): A Promising Area for Palaeontological Research
title_sort review of the fossil heritage potential of shenzhen guangdong china a promising area for palaeontological research
topic geoheritage
fossil record
palaeontology
South China
Cathaysia
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/14/12/316
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