Upper Carboniferous Corals around the Junggar Basin, northern Xinjiang, NW China

The Carboniferous strata are widely exposed around the Junggar Basin in northern Xinjiang, among which parts of the Upper Carboniferous consist of marine volcanic-sedimentary sequences, including the Halaalate and Aladeyikesai formations in the West Junggar region, the Shiqiantan Formation in the East Junggar region, and the Qijiagou and Aoertu formations in the southern part of the basin. In this study, nine genera and seventeen species of rugose corals as well as two genera and three species of tabulate corals were obtained from the limestone beds or interbeds and siliciclastic rocks in the abovementioned strata. Three new dissepimented solitary rugose coral species were described from the Shiqiantan Formation. The geological age of these corals ranges mainly from Bashkirian to Moscovian. The abundance and diversity of corals in the West Junggar region are significantly lower than those in the eastern and southeastern regions. In terms of the composition of coral fauna, the species of Caninophyllum found in the Halaalate Formation together with the widespread distribution of genus Cystodendropora, we suggest that the coral assemblages from various regions around the Junggar Basin are comparable. Furthermore, in conjunction with a compilation of the published data from the Upper Carboniferous strata around the Junggar Basin, almost half of the known coral species are endemic elements. This study suggests that the distribution and composition of coral fauna are closely tied to the formation of trapped Junggar Ocean during the Late Carboniferous period.

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