The Upper Devonian orbital cyclostratigraphy and numerical dating conodont zones from Guangxi, South China

The hierarchically organized laminae, bundles, bundlesets and superbundlesets which correspond to a sub-Milankovitch, obliquity or precession, eccentricity and long eccentricity cyclothems, respectively, have been distinguished from the Upper Devonian Frasnian-Famennian (F-F) transitional carbonate successions deposited in the carbonate-basin and slope facies of Guangxi, South China. The durations of cyclothems are 8000-10000a, 16667a or 33333a, 100000a and 400000a, respectively. The ratio of eccentricity to precession, eccentricity to obliquity, and long eccentricity to eccentricity is 1 : 6, 1 : 3 and 1 : 4 in the Devonian, respectively. Orbital cyclostratigraphical studies show that the durations of the conodont falsio-valis Zone, transitans Zone, punctata Zone, Lower hassi Zone, Upper hassi Zone, jamieae Zone, Lower rhenana Zone, Upper rhenana Zone, linguiformis Zone, Lower triangularis Zone, Middle triangularis Zone and Upper triangularis Zone are 0.4, 0.4, 0.4, 0.3, 0.4, 0.2, 0.8, 0.6, 0.8, 0.3, 0.3 and 0.3 Ma from bottom to top, respectively, and the duration of the Frasnian is 4.3 Ma. The conodont is the normal marine organism of the latest mass extinction (the latest linguiformis Zone) and the first recovery (including the whole Lower triangularis and Middle triangularis Zone) in the F-F transition. The conodont mass extinction and recovery lasted 200000-100000a and 0.6 Ma, respectively. We consider that average durations of the fossil zones calculated by reported numerical ages divided by fossil zone numbers within a stage or series or system cannot discovery complications and non-uniformity of evolutionary organisms and environments.