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A refined middle-late Mississippian chronostratigraphic framework established through biostratigraphy and chemostratigraphy in South China: Implications for redefining the base of the Serpukhovian Stage

Liu C, Cózar P, Coronado I, Du Y, Munnecke A, Li X, Hu X, Li M, Liu W, Wang P (2026)

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Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2026

Journal

Book Volume: 274

Article Number: 105392

DOI: 10.1016/j.earscirev.2026.105392

Abstract

The middle to late Mississippian period witnessed substantial transformations in global paleogeography, climate, marine environments, and ecosystems. Unraveling the causal relationships among these events necessitates the establishment of a unified chronostratigraphic framework applicable across various regions and depositional environments, a challenge that has yet to be fully addressed. In this study, we present the first comprehensive integration of late Visean to Serpukhovian foraminiferal and conodont biostratigraphy with δ¹³C stratigraphy from the Youjiang Basin in South China, along with a comparison to corresponding datasets from other regions in the Western Paleotethys. This study performs a detailed and precise correlation between foraminiferal, conodont, and δ¹³C stratigraphy from South China. Additionally, a synthesis of δ¹³C profiles and biostratigraphic records from the Paleotethys realm confirms the presence of two critical bioevents near the traditional Visean–Serpukhovian boundary, both within the interval corresponding to the Russian Venevian Substage (in ascending order): the first occurrence of Janischewskina delicata and ‘ Millerella ’ tortula , followed by the first appearance of Lochriea ziegleri . The younger bioevent is considered here as a rather suitable primary marker for the redefinition of the base of the Serpukhovian Stage, particularly because this level closely aligns with the nadir of a prominent positive δ¹³C excursion (designated as Vp3). By contrast, the slightly earlier first occurrence of J . delicata and ‘ M. ’ tortula coincides with the rising limb leading to Vp2 following the preceding negative δ¹³C excursion (Vn1), providing important auxiliary guides, although their local first occurrences are less consistent compared to those of L . ziegleri . The Visean–Serpukhovian boundary has not been formally defined biostratigraphically due to the scarcity of traditional Tarusian markers in the Chinese sections. However, based on foraminiferal bio- and δ¹³C chemostratigraphic records from the Vegas de Sotres section (Cantabrian Mountains, northern Spain), the base of the Tarusian can be tentatively positioned just below the nadir of another significant positive δ¹³C excursion (Sp1).

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APA:

Liu, C., Cózar, P., Coronado, I., Du, Y., Munnecke, A., Li, X.,... Wang, P. (2026). A refined middle-late Mississippian chronostratigraphic framework established through biostratigraphy and chemostratigraphy in South China: Implications for redefining the base of the Serpukhovian Stage. Earth-Science Reviews, 274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2026.105392

MLA:

Liu, Chao, et al. "A refined middle-late Mississippian chronostratigraphic framework established through biostratigraphy and chemostratigraphy in South China: Implications for redefining the base of the Serpukhovian Stage." Earth-Science Reviews 274 (2026).

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