Upper Carboniferous corals from the Junggar Basin, northern Xinjiang, NW China

The Carboniferous strata are widely exposed in the Junggar Basin in northern Xinjiang. The following parts of these upper Carboniferous strata, 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, consist of marine volcanic-sedimentary sequences. In this study, nine genera and seventeen species of rugose corals as well as two genera and three species of tabulate corals are recognized from the limestone beds or interbeds, and siliciclastic rocks in the above-mentioned strata. Three new species of dissepimented solitary rugose corals are described from the Shiqiantan Formation. The geological age of these corals ranges mainly from the Bashkirian to the Moscovian. The abundance and diversity of corals in the West Junggar region are significantly lower than those in the eastern and southeastern regions. With regard to the composition of the coral fauna, the species of Caninophyllum from the Halaalate Formation and the widespread distribution of the genus Cystodendropora suggest that the coral assemblages from various regions of the Junggar Basin are comparable. Furthermore, in conjunction with a compilation of the published data on the upper Carboniferous strata from the Junggar Basin, almost half of the known coral species are endemic elements. This study suggests that the distribution and composition of the coral fauna are closely tied to the formation of trapped Junggar Ocean during the late Carboniferous.

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