Geoscience

More Progress on the Tenth “Golden Spike”

The documental research result of the multi-disciplinal study on the Cambrian Jiangshanian GSSP, carried out by the team under the guidance of Prof. Peng Shanchi from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, CAS, has been published recently. It appeared as both cover and back page of the journal on Eposodes, an international journal of Geosciences published by the the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS). The GSSP of the Jiangshanian Stage is the 10th “Golden Spike” erected in China. Its successful establishment in 2011 made China the top country in numbers holding GSSPs in the world. After the establishment of the Jiangshanian Stage, the global standard chronostratigraphical units of Cambrian System, created after China’s geological names, come up to four in numbers with the Furongian Series, the Paibian Stage, the Guzhangian Stage, and the Jiangshanian Stage, exceeding the “Chinese units” established for any other systems of the International Chronostratigrpahic Chart. The Jiangshanian is the 9th stage of Cambrian System or the 2nd stage of the Furongian Series. The base of Jiangshanian Stage is defined by the FAD (first appearance datum) of agnostoid trilobite Agnostotes orientalis, coinciding with the FAD of cosmopolitan polymerid trilobite Irvingella angustilimbata. The GSSP section of Jiangshanian Stage is located near the Duibian Village, Jiangshan City, Zhejiang Province, and the GSSP point lays at 108.2 m above the base of the Huayansi Formation.