THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SYSTEM,SERIES AND STAGE BOUNDARIES AND CORRELATION OF BIOSTRATIGRAPHIC AND CHRONOSTRATIGRAPHIC BOUNDARIES IN THE DEVONIAN STRATA IN SOUTH CHINA

In this paper regional analysis and correlation have been conducted on the sequence stratigraphy of the Devonian strata in South China according to the theory of sequence stratigraphy created by P.R.Vail et al.from Exxon Corporation.The results of research have shown that more than twenty third-order sequences may be recognized from the Lochkovian to Famennian.The boundaries of various stratigraphic units such as system, series and stage of Devonian lithostratigraphy,biostratigraphy and chronostratigraphy of South China have been well defined,and by comparison the boundaries of biostratigraphy tend to be later in ages than their corresponding boundaries of sequence stratigraphy. In the light of the criteria for the recognition of sequence stratigraphy,the author at-tempts to establish a new auxiliary stratigraphic system with its defined boundaries of sys-tem,series and stage which are comparable with those of the biostratigraphy and chronos-tratigraphy.The results have revealed that a boundary system of sequence stratigraphy should be established to make things easy for stratigraphyic correlation in the field when-ever the degrees of research on lithostratigraphy,biostratigraphy and chronostratigraphy permit,and that all the boundaries of the system,series and stage of the Devonian strata in South China are located at the top surface of the highstand systems tract of relevant strati-graphic units'in the sequences except the boundary between the Frasnian and Famennian which is located in the starved section.