earth science

Nanxiong Formation

Nanxiong Formation is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Nanxiong Formation rather than just read about it. In short: The Nanxiong Formation (also known as Yuanpu Formation) is a Late Cretaceous geologic formation in Jiangxi and Guangdong Provinces. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.

Key takeaways

Nanxiong Formation belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Nanxiong Formation to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Nanxiong Formation from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Nanxiong Formation (also known as Yuanpu Formation) is a Late Cretaceous geologic formation in Jiangxi and Guangdong Provinces. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.

Description It consists of continental siliciclastic red beds, with fauna which similar to that of the Nemegt Formation. It has been dated to about 66.7 ± 0.3 million years ago. It is the lowest unit of the Nanxiong Basin, a small graben created during Mesozoic rifting. Buck et al. state that it overlies Jurassic granite basement, and is conformably overlain by the Shanghu Formation. Alternative stratigraphic schemes for the Nanxiong basin have been proposed, one of which refers to the Nanxiong succession as the Nanxiong Group, and dividing it into the Yuanpu, Zhutian and Zhenshui formations, and overlying the Albian to Turonian Changba Formation. The age of the Nanxiong basin as a whole has been constrained to 72 to 62.8 mya.

The depositional environment is made up of alluvial fan facies consisting of sheetflood deposits and ephemeral braided rivers. Adjacent to these are ephemeral saline playa facies recording features such as root traces, desiccation cracks, and calcareous paleosols. In situ desert varnish and minor paleosol development on alluvial facies due to inactivity are indicative of arid conditions. Stable carbon and oxygen isotopes from Dinosaur eggshells were used to estimate a mean annual temperature between 22–27.6 °C (71.6–81.7 °F), with positive isotope perturbations around the K/Pg boundary indicating periods where temperatures may have exceeded 27 °C (81 °F). Subsequent research has reinterpreted many of the vertebrate fossils from the Nanxiong Formation as instead coming from the Hekou Formation, with the "Nanxiong Formation" instead equivalent to the Guifeng Group.

Fossil content

Dinosaurs

Ornithischians

Sauropods

Theropods

Crocodilians

Squamates

Turtles

Ichnofossils

Oofossils

See also List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations Dalangshan Formation

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Nanxiong Formation

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Nanxiong Formation claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Nanxiong Formation before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Nanxiong Formation ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Nanxiong Formation

In research: Nanxiong Formation appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Nanxiong Formation in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Nanxiong Formation is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Campanian Stage, Cretaceous China, Fossiliferous stratigraphic units of Asia, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Nanxiong Formation outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Nanxiong Formation in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Nanxiong Formation means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Nanxiong Formation out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nanxiong Formation in simple terms?

Why does Nanxiong Formation matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Nanxiong Formation?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Nanxiong Formation.