DINOSAUR EGG FAUNAS OF THE UPPER CRETACEOUS TERRESTRIAL RED BEDS OF CHINA AND THEIR STRATIGRAPHICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Abstract

Dinosaur eggs are abundant and widely distributed in China.They play an important role in the division and correlation of Cretaceous terrestrial strata.By studying the lithostratigraphy,chronostratigraphy and dinosaur egg biostratigraphy of the Tiantai Basin,this paper presents preliminary comparisons among the dinosaur egg faunas and strata of the major Chinese basins in which dinosaur eggs have been found.These comparisons show that the dinosaur egg fauna of the Tiantai Basin is the oldest,and is successively followed by younger faunas from the Xixia,Laiyang and Nanxiong basins.Compared against the overall stratigraphic framework of the Upper Cretaceous terrestrial red beds of China,the strata of these four basins are early,early-middle,middle-late and late Late Cretaceous in age,respectively.