Abstract:
The Silurian strata is mainly composed of clastic rocks in eastern Hubei, which is poorly studied due to poor outcrops and rare fossils. A newly identified set of purplish red, reddishbrown with a few yellowish green clastic rocks assemblage in eastern Wuhan, which was classified as the Fentou Formation previously, wasredividedasthe Qingshui Formation, equivalent to the “Lower Red Beds” in the Yangtze region. And its age was limited to the middle-late Aeronian to early Telychian characterized by the newly found trilobites, brachiopods, echinoderms, and fish fossils from the Formation. The discovery of Qingshui Formation in Wuhan indicates that the “Lower Red Beds” was deposited during the Aeronian in some areas of Yangtze region, that is, the lower boundary of the “Lower Red Beds” is likely diachronous, ranging from the middle–late Aeronian to the early Telychian. Based on the analysis of paleocurrent and paleogeography, the provenance of the lower part of Qingshui Formation is mainly from the east, while that of the upper part is from CathaysianOldland in the south, just like the “Lower Red Beds” in other areas of Yangtze region. The difference source area may prove that the bottom of “Lower Red Beds” in Wuhan area is obviously lower than that in other areas.