DEFINITION OF CHINA’S SINIAN FAUNA

Parts of northeastern and southern

China are well known for Late Proterozoic-age sedimentary

deposits that host some of the world’s most spectacular early

animal fossils. One of the best studied sequences is the

Doushantuo formation of phosphatic sedimentary rocks

exposed in South China’s Guizhou province, dated to be

580–600 million years old. The Sinian fauna is therefore

older than the well-known Ediacaran metazoan fauna and is

currently the oldest known assemblage of multicelled animal

fossils on the Earth. The macrofossil assemblages are associated

with prokaryotic and eukaryotic microfossils and are

remarkable in the well-preserved cellular and tissue structures

and even organic kerogen. Many of the fossils are unusual

acritarchs, organic walled fossils with peripheral processes

such as spines, hairs, and flagellum, that cannot be confidently

placed into any living plant or animal group classification.

There is current debate about the origin of some of the fossils,

whether they may be metazoan embryos, multicelled

algae, filamentous bacteria, acritarchs, or phytoplankton.

See also PROTEROZOIC; VENDIAN.

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