A new genus and species of primitive micropternodontid soricomorph insectivores, Prosarcodon lonanensis, is described from the Paleocene Fangou Formation, Shaanxi Province, People's Republic of China. Prosarcodon lonanensis sheds new light on the origin of the mammalian family Micropternodontidae, linking them to the Palaeoryctoidea and demonstrating an early Asian oc-currence of the micropternodontids prior to theirapparent restriction to North America. The pe-trosal bone of Prosarcodon is similar to that of Palaeoryetes puereensis from the North American Paleocene. Prosarcodon and Sarcodon were both specialized in the loss of a molar, unlike the younger genus Sinosinopa from Inner Mongolia (Nei Mongol), PRC.

Some limb bone fossils of a small sized bird were discovered from the brown-red sandy clay of the Early-Middle Paleocene Fangou Formation at Shimen region, Luonan County, Shaanxi Province, China. Its leg is straight, long and slender. Digit III is the longest digit but shorter than the tarsometatarsus. Hypotarsus with two narrow sulci. It is not clear whether such features as: tarsometatarsns without a foramen vasculare distale, metatarsi incompletely fused, represent primitive conditions or a juvenile stage of the bird. Therefore it is impossible to define its systematic position. It is named here Qinornis paleocenica n. gen. n. spec., incertae sedis.

在陕西关中西安与咸阳地区间的河流阶地沉积剖面中采集到一批古菱齿象-披毛犀化石，在研究化石标本的基础上，作了14C年代测定及孢粉分析，研究结果揭示了该区末次冰期极盛期的气候环境特征及其演变过程：大约在距今20ka时，气候温凉偏湿，适于古菱齿象-披毛犀动物群的生存，稍后气候明显变干、变冷，许多动物难于适应而大量死亡。事实说明，末次冰期极盛期似乎存在气候环境的冷干、凉湿颤动其间的凉湿阶段似反映了北半球高纬地区Hennch事件在这一地区的记录，表明了黄土高原与极地、高纬地区的遥相关关系。

研究陕西旬邑下墙完整的晚新生代红土-黄土剖面后证实，磁化率也可以作为分析红土气候特征的一个替代性指标，但最好的办法是以磁化率为主，同时参考粒度、地球化学等资料进行综合分析。本区新近系红土的磁化率曲线特点是高频率、低幅度、短周期，第四系黄土-古土壤的则是低频率、长周期。结合岩性、古生物、粒度及地球化学等资料得出，新近纪的气候在总体暖湿背景下有凉干-暖湿的交替，而第四纪的气候则是在总体冷干背景下的冷干-暖湿的交替。进入第四纪的气候突变及之后的气候亚突变，主导因素是该时期青藏高原的剧烈隆升，北极冰盖的形成与扩大也起着重要的作用。

陕西山阳盐地晚白垩世与早古新世的地层基本连续，其间的岩石地层界线不易确定。古地磁测试结果表明，盆地内上白垩统山阳组沉积始于70Ma，结束于65Ma，极性编号32，31R，31，30R和30。古新统鹃岭组沉积持续于65-61Ma之间。极性编号29R，29，28R，28，27R和27。Maastricht期与古新世界线位于古地磁年表编号29R中下部。在白垩系-第三系磁性界线之下不到20m处发现恐龙蛋化石，界线之上约30m赴发现古新世哺乳动物化石。磁性与生物地层界线基本一致。