Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Baoxia Du, Mingzhen Zhang, Bainian Sun, Aijing Li, Jing Zhang, Defei Yan, Sanping Xie, Jingyu Wu
Summary: Gansufructus saligna gen. et sp. nov. is a fossil eudicot plant discovered in the Early Cretaceous of Gansu Province, Northwest China, with alternate leaves, short petioles, linear-lanceolate shape, and carpels containing three to five seeds. Its leaf and axis characteristics suggest a terrestrial herbaceous habit.
NATIONAL SCIENCE REVIEW
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Edlley M. Pessoa, Alexandre C. Ribeiro, Nathan A. Jud
Summary: The newly discovered fossil leaf Baderadea pinnatissecta has simple morphology similar to some herbaceous Ranunculales. By comparing the leaf architecture with ferns, gymnosperms, and similar angiosperms, the fossil is confirmed to be an herbaceous eudicot angiosperm with unique characteristics.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xiaolin Wang, Kamila L. N. Bandeira, Rui Qiu, Shunxing Jiang, Xin Cheng, Yingxia Ma, Alexander W. A. Kellner
Summary: The Early Cretaceous Hami Pterosaur Fauna in Northwest China contains a significant number of specimens of Hamipterus tianshanensis, along with recently discovered sauropod fossils. These findings have expanded the knowledge of Chinese sauropods and indicate a diversification of somphospondylans in Asia during this time period.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Bao-Xia Du, Ming-Zhen Zhang, Jing Zhang, Ai-Jing Li, Shao-Hua Lin, Guo-Rong Ma, Jian-Guo Hui
Summary: A complete fossil plant from the early Cretaceous period was discovered in Northwest China, featuring slender adventitious roots, simple and deeply dissected leaves, and solitary fruits attached to creeping stems. Based on its morphological characteristics, it is identified as a herbaceous eudicot. Fossil records from contemporaneous deposits in Northwest China and eastern North America suggest a geographical radiation of Fairlingtonia on Laurasia. Its morphological features indicate a colonization of lake-shore environments under wet and bright conditions, with fast-growing and rapid propagation habitats.
JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATICS AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Fabiany Herrera, Weston L. Testo, Ashley R. Field, Elizabeth G. Clark, Patrick S. Herendeen, Peter R. Crane, Gongle Shi
Summary: Lycopodiaceae are a lineage of vascular plants with a long fossil history, and the discovery of Early Cretaceous lycopsid fossils provides compelling evidence for the early presence of crown Lycopodiaceae and Lycopodioideae. The discovery in Asia indicates the existence of crown Lycopodiaceae in the Early Cretaceous, and the similarities in stem anatomy with extant species help in understanding the growth and vascular anatomy of crown-group lycopsids.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Caizhi Shen, Rodrigo Pegas, Chunling Gao, Martin Kundrat, Lijun Zhang, Xuefang Wei, Xuanyu Zhou
Summary: The article explores the taxonomy of tapejarine specimens, focusing on a new postcranial specimen of Sinopterus dongi from the Jiufotang Formation in China. While abundant specimens exist, detailed revisions on the taxonomic issues are still lacking, highlighting the need for further comparative studies and taxonomic revisions.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Ya-Dong Wu, Jin-Hui Yang, Hao Wang, Yu-Sheng Zhu, Lei Xu, Bao-Quan Zhou, Rui Li
Summary: The Mesozoic basalts and andesites from the Siziwangqi area in northwestern China show evidence of a mantle-derived origin for the Ol-basalts, and a more differentiated, crust-derived origin for the Pl-basalts and andesites. The geochemical features suggest a mixing and fractionation process, with crustal melting induced by underplating of mafic magmas. The enriched isotopic compositions indicate recent lithosphere enrichment from subduction components, related to intracontinental extension of the North China Craton.
Article
Geology
Xin Wang, Chungkun Shih, Zhong-Jian Liu, Longbiao Lin, Kamal Jeet Singh
Summary: This study reports new materials of Callianthus from the Yixian Formation in northeastern China, revealing its characteristics as an aquatic plant and providing important information for the study of early angiosperms in the Early Cretaceous.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Biology
Li-Jun Chen, Xin Wang
Summary: This study reports a fossilized flower bud specimen, Archaebuda lingyuanensis, from the Early Cretaceous in China. It is the first recorded flower bud from this period, indicating that early angiosperm flowers had the ability to protect their internal parts and attract insects for pollination. This discovery is important for understanding the reproductive strategies of early angiosperms.
Article
Geology
Zbynek Rocek, Liping Dong, Marissa Fabrezi, Yufen Rong, Yuan Wang
Summary: The carpus (wrist) of fossil frogs is rarely preserved due to its small skeletal elements ossifying only postmetamorphosis. The structure of the carpus is well-known in temnospondyl ancestors, but its changes during the transition to anuran descendents are unknown. The Early Cretaceous Genibatrachus from northeastern China provides valuable information to bridge the gap in the evolutionary sequence of the carpus between temnospondyl amphibians and modern frogs.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Haolun Li, Huali Chang, Jyrki Muona, Yanchen Zhao, Dong Ren
Summary: The discovery of a new false click-beetle in the ancient times sheds light on the evolution of this small group. The ability of these beetles to adapt to different developmental substrates and the lack of direct correlation between highly specialized morphological features and lifestyle were revealed through this study. The invasion of angiosperms by Eucnemidae with two distinct morphological adaptations suggests implications for the evolution of all clicking elateroids.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Lei Ji, Junlai Liu, Xu Ding, Zhiming Luo, Jinlong Ni, Xiaoxiao Shi, Hai Nam Dao
Summary: By studying the dyke swarms in the southeastern North China craton, researchers have explored the response of the crust and lithospheric mantle to regional tectonic extension. The study reveals two stages of tectonic evolution, characterized by crustal thinning and lithospheric root collapse, which were caused by continuous tectonic extension and magmatic activities.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Ennong Tian, Lei Xie, Rucheng Wang, Xinhao Duan, Fangfang Huang, Xudong Che, Xiaoming Chen, Lijuan Wang
Summary: The Suzhou A-type granite pluton in Jiangsu Province, South China, contains the first Nb-Ta deposit discovered in China. The granites in this area have high Nb-Ta contents and evolved through progressive fractionation, with metaluminous-peraluminous characteristics. High temperature, high alkalinity and fluid enrichment were important factors for the extreme Nb enrichment in the Suzhou granites.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Huali Chang, Hai-Lu You, Li Xu, Waisum Ma, Diansong Gao, Songhai Jia, Mengli Xia, Jiming Zhang, Yu Li, Xirui Wang, Di Liu, Jie Li, Jianhua Zhang, Lili Yang, Xuefang Wei
Summary: The study reports the discovery of an early diverging somphospondylan sauropod mandible in the Ruyang Basin, Henan Province, China, with a tooth replacement rate of 76 days, intermediate between that of Brachiosaurus and typical late diverging lithostrotian titanosaurians.
Review
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Guang Zhu, Yuanchao Lu, Nan Su, Xiaodong Wu, Hao Yin, Shuai Zhang, Chenglong Xie, Manlan Niu
Summary: The Early Cretaceous was a peak period of destruction for the North China Craton, marked by intense extension and the formation of metamorphic core complexes, extensional domes, and rifted basins. The development of various extensional structures across the region indicates a stable stress state of NE-SE extension driven by plate margins. The spatial distribution of extensional structures aligns with the Paleo-Pacific slab rollback model following flat subduction, with temporal-spatial variation supporting the rollback model right after the flat oceanic slab.
SCIENCE CHINA-EARTH SCIENCES
(2021)