A quantitative analysis on the distribution of Baigendzhinian-Early Kungurian (Early Permian) brachiopod faunas in the western Pacific region

A data matrix of the presence/absence occurrence data of 222 genera from 25 faunal stations has been analysed by cluster analysis, nonmetric multidimensional scaling and principal coordinate analysis. Seven core faunal groups were revealed and interpreted as representing six biotic provinces and two subprovinces. They are the Verkolyma Province of northeast Siberia; the Sino-Mongolian Province along with northern border of China, Sikhote Alin and western central Japan; the Cathaysian Province of northeast Japan and the Yangtze and Indo-China Blocks; the Cimmerian Province from the Himalaya, south and central Tibet and Timor (these stations comprising the Himalayan Subprovince) and the Shan-Thai terrane, Sumatra and Irian Jaya (forming the Sibumasu Subprovince); the Westralian Province of Western Australia; and the Austrazean Province of eastern Australia and New Zealand. The palaeogeographical and plate tectonic implications of the recognition of Timor linked with the Himalayan-Tibetan faunas as one subprovince and Sumatra-Irian Jaya combined with the Shan-Thai fauna as another subprovince are discussed, as are the characteristics and palaeoclimatic implications of the two transitional provinces (Sino-Mongolian and Cimmerian).