ICS AnnReport2018 PDF

International Commission on Stratigraphy
ANNUAL REPORT 2018
1. TITLE OF CONSTITUENT BODY

The International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS)
Summary and compilation of subcommission reports submitted jointly by:
Chair: David Harper

Professor, Earth Sciences and Principal
Van Mildert College, Durham University
Durham DH1 3LE, UK
Secretary-General: Philip Gibbard

Emeritus Professor, Scott Polar Research Institute,
University of Cambridge
Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 1ER, UK
2. OVERALL OBJECTIVES AND FIT WITHIN IUGS SCIENCE POLICY
Objectives
The International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) is a body of expert stratigraphers
founded for the purpose of promoting and coordinating long-term international
cooperation and establishing standards in stratigraphy. Its principal objectives are:
(a) Establishment and publication of a standard global stratigraphic time scale and the
preparation and publication of global correlation charts, with explanatory notes.
(b) Compilation and maintenance of a stratigraphic database centre for the global
earth sciences.
(c) Unification of regional chronostratigraphic nomenclature by organizing and
documenting stratigraphic units on a global database.
(d) Promotion of education in stratigraphic methods, and the dissemination of
stratigraphic knowledge.
(e) Evaluation of new stratigraphic methods and their integration into a
multidisciplinary stratigraphy.
(f) Definition of principles of stratigraphic classification, terminology and procedure
and their publication in guides and glossaries.
Fit within IUGS Science Policy

The objectives satisfy the IUGS mandates of:
• Fostering international agreement on nomenclature and classification in stratigraphy.
• Facilitating international co-operation in geological research.
• Improving publication, dissemination, and use of geological information
internationally.
• Encouraging new relationships between and among disciplines of science that relate
to geology worldwide.
• Attracting competent students and research workers to the discipline.
• Fostering an increased awareness among individual scientists worldwide of what
related programmes are being undertaken.
In particular, the current objectives of ICS relate to three main aspects of IUGS
policy:
(a) Development of an internationally agreed scale of chronostratigraphic units, fully
defined by Global Stratotype Sections and Points (GSSPs) where appropriate and
related to a hierarchy of units to maximize resolution throughout geological time.
(b) Promotion of international consensus on stratigraphic classification and
terminology, which is essential for advancement of earth-science research and
education.
(c) Establishment of frameworks and systems to encourage international collaboration
in understanding the evolution of the Earth.
3. ORGANISATION
ICS is organized in two types of constituent bodies: Subcommissions for longer-term

study, and Executive Task Groups (working groups) for more limited, shorter-term
tasks. ICS is managed by the Executive Committee, which consists of elected and
appointed officers. The current structure of ICS consists of the Executive Committee
and 16 Subcommissions that deal with the major chronostratigraphic units and aspects
of stratigraphic classification. The ICS Executive has initiated two new Executive
Task Groups on geochronology and web-page development. The web-age task group
has produced revisions to the ICS website and encouraged the rejuvenation of
websites for several subcommissions. Members are being recruited for the
geochronology task group under the leadership of Dr Brad Cramer.
Subcommissions:
Quaternary
Neogene
Paleogene
Cretaceous
Jurassic
Triassic
Permian
Carboniferous
Devonian
Silurian
Ordovician
Cambrian
Ediacaran
Cryogenian
Precambrian
Stratigraphic Classification
(a) Establishment and publication of a standard global stratigraphic time scale and the
preparation and publication of global correlation charts, with explanatory notes.
(b) Compilation and maintenance of a stratigraphic database centre for the global
earth sciences.
(c) Unification of regional chronostratigraphic nomenclature by organizing and
documenting stratigraphic units on a global database.
(d) Promotion of education in stratigraphic methods, and the dissemination of
stratigraphic knowledge.
INTERNATIONAL UNION OF GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES

The reports of each Subcommission are appended to this ICS summary compilation.
The subcommissions of ICS together approximately 350 titular members. When the
corresponding members of Subcommissions are added, several thousand
stratigraphers worldwide participate in the activities of ICS, and several thousand
more over the 50-year history of ICS. In addition, ICS maintains contacts with many
national stratigraphic committees. The members of the Full Commission (i.e. the 3
voting members of the Executive and the chairs of the 16 Subcommissions) represent
eight countries: United Kingdom (6 members), Canada (1), Italy (3), USA (4), China
(2), Russia (1), Austria (1) and Czechia (1). Among all subcommission officers and
the ICS executive, 16 countries are represented: United Kingdom (8 members),
Canada (4), USA (9), China (5), Italy (7), Australia (1), Spain (2), Russia (3), Czech
Republic (2), France (2), Germany (3), Brazil (2), Sweden (1), Poland (1), Austria (3)
and Norway (1). The voting members of ICS, i.e. all voting members of all
subcommissions who replied to our request to report include officers, represent over
39 countries: USA (53), China (32), United Kingdom (29), Russia (30), Canada (16),
Germany (20), Italy (28), Australia (13), Spain (12), France (9), Japan (8), New
Zealand (6), Argentina (6), Belgium (6), Netherlands (5), Brazil (8), Poland (7),
Czech Republic (8), Denmark (5), Sweden (6), Switzerland (3), Hungary (3), India
(4), South Africa (2), Austria (4), Tunisia (2), Bolivia (1), Guyana (1), Swaziland (1),
Estonia (2), Finland (2), Iran (2), Namibia (1), Norway (1), Portugal (1), Turkey (1),
Korea (1), Slovenia (1) and Jordan (1). The ICS is proud of its gender equality across
all the subcommissions. ICS and its subcommissions maintain websites; the URLs of
the websites are as follows:
Websites:
ICS main site: www.stratigraphy.org
Quaternary: www.quaternary.stratigraphy.org
Neogene: www.geo.uu.nl/SNS
Paleogene: wzar.unizar.es/isps/
Cretaceous: www.univ-brest.fr/geoscience/?ISCS/
Jurassic: www.jurassic.stratigraphy.org
Triassic: paleo.cortland.edu/sts/
Permian (newsletter): www.permian.stratigraphy.org
Carboniferous www.stratigraphy.org/carboniferous/
Devonian: www.unica.it/sds/
Silurian: www.silurian.stratigraphy.org
Ordovician: www.ordovician.stratigraphy.org
Cambrian: www.palaeontology.geo.uu.se/ISCS/ISCS_home.html
Ediacaran: www.paleo.geos.vt.edu/Ediacaran/
Cryogenian: being established
Precambrian: www.precambrian.stratigraphy.org
Stratigraphic Classification: issc.uni-graz.at/
3a. ICS Executive Officers for 2016-2020:

Chair: David Harper (Durham, England)
Vice-Chair: Brian Huber (Washington, USA)
Secretary General: Philip Gibbard (Cambridge, England)
Non-voting officers:
Information Officer: Dr Junxuan Fan (Nanjing, China)
Graphics Officer: Dr Kim Cohen (Utrecht, Netherlands)
ICS Subcommission officers:

A full listing of current officers (with addresses) is at the end of this main ICS report.
The individual subcommission reports include a listing of all voting members
(typically 20 in each subcommission).
4. EXTENT OF NATIONAL/REGIONAL/GLOBAL SUPPORT FROM SOURCES

OTHER THAN IUGS
Only a very few of the subcommissions have formal financial contributions from
external sources other than IUGS (through ICS), and they are very limited and listed
in the individual reports. Some activities that are associated with ICS goals, such as
distributing charts of the Geological Time Scale and placing this information onto
public websites, have received some minimal support from private companies and
professional organizations. Informally, every officer and member of ICS donates their
own time, office space, institutional facilities, and other components to the activities
of the organization. No officer nor executive receives any salary compensation from
IUGS or other ICS funds. Indeed, most officers personally contribute towards their
own travel and operational expenses.
5. INTERFACES WITH OTHER INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS
Active and highly fruitful interfaces with many international organizations and geo-
projects are a standard feature of ICS activities. ICS maintains a strong link with the
International Quaternary Association (INQUA) Commission on Stratigraphy
regarding the stratigraphy of the Quaternary, and with the Commission for the
Geological Map of the World (CGMW) in Paris regarding standardization of
chronostratigraphy and its colour scheme on charts, as well as producing the ICS
International Chronostratigraphic Chart. In addition, ICS is collaborating with the
IUGS Commission on Geoscience Information (CGI) as it develops GeoSciML as an
interchange format for geoscience data. ICS subcommissions are traditionally
affiliated with a considerable number of IUGS and IGCP activities. For example, ICS
members lead or participate or have participated in numerous, active IGCP projects:
e.g. 572, 575, 580, 587, 591, 596, 632, 653 and 655, and others serve on IGCP
national committees and the scientific board. ICS members maintains active links
with international research groups, including The Micropalaeontology Society
(TMS), the North American Micropaleontology Society (NAMS), International
Nannoplankton Association (INA) and the Association of American Stratigraphic
Palynologists (AASP), and international paleontological research groups on
Graptolites, Conodonts, Ammonites, Radiolarians (Interrad), Nannofossils,
Foraminifers, etc., and many ICS members serve on national stratigraphic
commissions and as editors of journals. There are close links between many ICS
stratigraphers and the International Ocean Drilling Project (IODP). ODP cores
routinely test the global correlation potential of a great number of bio-events since the
Jurassic, and this record is vital to develop integrated timescales at several scales of
resolution, and global paleo-climate models. The designation of GSSPs necessitates
close interaction with local and international groups concerned with conservation,
such as UNESCO (Geoparks Program), IUGS (Geosites Program) and ProGEO
(Geosites and Geoparks initiatives).
6. CHRONOSTRATIGRAPHIC STAGE AND SERIES NAMES AND

DEFINITIONS ESTABLISHED IN ICS
Quaternary:
Base Meghalayan Stage (=Base Upper Holocene Subseries)

Base Northgrippian Stage (=Base Middle Holocene Subseries)
Base Greenlandian Stage (=Base Lower Holocene Subseries)
Base Holocene Series
Base Calabrian Stage
Base Gelasian Stage (= Base Pleistocene Series and Base Quaternary System)
Neogene:
Base Piacenzian Stage
Base Zanclean Stage (= Base Pliocene Series)
Base Messinian Stage
Base Tortonian Stage
Base Serravallian Stage
Base Aquitanian Stage (= Base Miocene Series and Base Neogene System)
Paleogene:
Base Chattian Stage
Base Rupelian Stage (= Base Oligocene Series)
Base Lutetian Stage
Base Ypresian Stage (= Base Eocene Series)
Base Thanetian Stage
Base Selandian Stage
Base Danian Stage (= Base Paleocene Series and Base Paleogene System)
Cretaceous:
Base Maastrichtian Stage
Base Santonian Stage
Base Turonian Stage
Base Cenomanian Stage (=Base Upper Cretaceous Series and Base
Cretaceous System)
Jurassic:
Base Bathonian Stage
Base Bajocian Stage
Base Aalenian Stage (= Base of Middle Jurassic Series)
Base Toarcian Stage
Base Pliensbachian Stage
Base Sinemurian Stage
Base Hettangian Stage (= Base Lower Jurassic System and Base Jurassic
Series)
Triassic:
Base Carnian Stage (= Base Upper Triassic System)
Base Ladinian Stage
Base Induan Stage (= Base Triassic System)
Permian:
Base Changhsingian Stage
Base Wuchiapingian Stage (= Base Lopingian Series)
Base Capitanian Stage
Base Wordian Stage
Base Roadian Stage (= Base Guadalupian Series)
Base Sakmarian Stage
Base Asselian Stage (= Base Cisuralian Series and Base Permian System)
Carboniferous:
Base of Bashkirian Stage (= Base Lower Pennsylvanian Series and Base
Pennsylvanian Subsystem)
Base Viséan Stage
Base Tournaisian Stage (= Base Lower Mississippian Series and Base
Mississippian Subsystem and Base Carboniferous System)
Devonian:
Base Famennian Stage
Base Frasnian Stage (= Base Upper Devonian Series)
Base Givetian Stage
Base Eifelian Stage (= Base Middle Devonian Series)
Base Emsian Stage
Base Pragian Stage
Base Lochkovian Stage (= Base Lower Devonian Series and Base Devonian
System)
Silurian:
Base Pridoli Series
Base Ludfordian Stage
Base Gorstian Stage (= Base Ludlow Series)
Base Homerian Stage
Base Sheinwoodian Stage (= Base Wenlock Series)
Base Telychian Stage
Base Aeronian Stage
Base Rhuddanian Stage (= Base Llandovery Series and Base Silurian
System)
Ordovician:
Base Hirnantian Stage
Base Katian Stage
Base Sandbian Stage (= Base Upper Ordovician Series
Base Darriwilian Stage
Base Dapingian Stage (= Base Middle Ordovician Series)
Base Floian Stage
Base Tremadocian Stage (= Base Lower Ordovician Series and Base
Ordovician System)
Cambrian:
Base Jiangshanian Stage
Base Paibian Stage (= Base Furongian Series)
Base Guzhangian Stage
Base Drumian Stage
Base Wuliuan Stage (= Base Miaolingian Series)
Name Terreneuvian Series
Base Fortunian Stage (= Base Terreneuvian Series and Base Cambrian
System)
Neoproterozoic:
Base Ediacaran System
7. CHIEF ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2018
Full commission
• 2018 version of ICS Chronostratigraphic Chart, which includes revised
numerical ages, was posted on the ICS website (there were about 8 versions of
the chart in 2018).
• Several authors, university professors and other educators, and professional
societies were granted permission to use and reproduce the ICS International
Chronostratigraphic Chart in their productions.
• The GSSP for the base of the Cambrian Wuliuan Stage and the Miaolingian
Series was ratified by IUGS in June 2018. The article will be published in
Episodes in 2019.
• The GSSP for the base of the Permian Sakmarian Stage was ratified by IUGS
in July 2018. The article will be published in Episodes in 2019.
• The GSSPs for the base of the Holocene into the Greenlandian, Northgrippian,
and Meghalayan stages and their respective subseries/subepochs were ratified
by IUGS in June 2018. The article was published in Episodes in late 2018.
• The ICS Chair (D. Harper) and Secretary-General (P. Gibbard) were
interviewed by journalists of several different publications and television
regarding consideration of the 'Anthropocene Epoch' by ICS following
publication of the Holocene divisions.
• Also concerning the Holocene Subdivisions, record 'Twitter' responses were
received following publication of a press release compiled by Professor
Stanley Finney (IUGS Secretary General) following announcement of
ratification of the Holocene divisions.
Quaternary Subcommission
• Subdivision of the Holocene Series/Epoch into the Greenlandian,
Northgrippian, and Meghalayan stages and their respective
subseries/subepochs, defined by an existing GSSP (the base of the Holocene)
and two new GSSPs, was ratified by the IUGS EC on 14 June, 2018. This set
of proposals was published as follows:
News of this subdivision has been reported widely in the international media,
drawing significant attention to the important work of the ICS/ IUGS. The
GSSP for the Meghalayan Stage is in a speleothem and as such is the first
GSSP capable of being displayed in a museum without melting! It will be
showcased at the 36th International Geological Congress in Delhi in 2020.
• Chiba section approved by SQS to serve as GSSP for the Chibanian Age/Stage
and Middle Pleistocene Subseries/Subepoch. The Chiba proposal passed
scrutiny by high-level Japanese national committees. Voting within SQS
concluded on 16 November, 2018. The proposal received the following votes:
19 in favour, 2 against, 1 abstain. Following a recent amendment to the ICS
statutes whereby abstentions do not count towards the total used for
determining percentages, the proposal was passed by the SQS voting
membership with 90.5% and hence a clear supermajority. All 22 members of
SQS returned their ballot forms: 20 in favour, 1 against; approved by a
supermajority of 95%. The Chiba proposal will be submitted to ICS for
approval in 2019 after minor revision. If the Chiba section is ratified, it will
be the first GSSP to be hosted by Japan. There is already substantial media
interest in this prospect.
This follows SQS voting on November 8, 2018 on the following proposals: 1)

formalize the Lower/Early Pleistocene Suberies/Subepoch comprising the
Gelasian Stage/Age and the superjacent Calabrian Stage/Age, at the Monte
San Nicola GSSP. 20 in favour, 1 against. Approved by a supermajority of
95%. 2) formalize the term Middle Pleistocene. 20 in favour, 1 against.
Approved by a supermajority of 95%. 3) formalize the terms Upper/Late
Pleistocene. 19 in favour, 2 against. Approved by a supermajority of 90.5%.
These three proposals are therefore approved by supermajority and will be
submitted to ICS before the end of the year.
• The Anthropocene Working Group held an international workshop on October

6–8 at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz, Germany. It was well
attended (42 participants, including Phil Gibbard as AWG member and
Secretary General of ICS) and saw numerous presentations during the course
of two days including two talks on prospective GSSP sites: one by An Zhiseng
on a marine site in China, and another by Martin Head on the meromictic
varved deposits of Crawford Lake, southern Ontario.
Neogene Subcommission
• Discussion within some members of the Langhian and Burdigalian GSSP
Working Group (chair: Frits Hilgen) is an ongoing process. The main topic for
the WG would be to reach a consensus on a proposal for the Langhian GSSP.
Unfortunately, most of the WG members did not actively participate in the
discussion and this situation is slowing down the accomplishment of a
decision. It has been established that taxonomic issues exist as for the
historical criterion, the Praeorbulina datum. This problem, together with the
uncertainty related to the choice of what calcareous plankton event could be
associated with the top of C5Cn and useful for the recognition of the Langhian
base at low-latitudes, are still debated. Discussion among the few participating
members pointed to the option of having the Langhian GSSP defined at the
top of C5Cn in the La Vedova section in Italy (Turco et al., 2016), and
encouraged to explore the option of having an auxiliary boundary stratotype,
for which two alternatives were suggested. Namely it could be defined in the:
i) St. Peter’s Pool section (Malta), but the benthic oxygen and carbon stable
isotope record and the independent astronomical tuning have been not
published yet or ii) a Pacific (I)ODP core, at the equivalent stratigraphic level,
with the aim of incorporating the open ocean benthic isotope record and low-
latitude calcareous plankton events. Work is in progress for a proposal that
will be presented at the next STRATI 2019 meeting in Italy.
• The chair of SNS, as member of the Scientific Committee for the next
STRATI 2019 meeting, participated to the preliminary activities related to the
approval of the proposed scientific sessions and program. Two sessions related
to SNS and to the activity of the Burdigalian-Langhian WG are scheduled
during STRATI 2019 meeting.
Paleogene Subcommission
• In 2018 three important works have been published: 1) the ratified proposal of
the Chattian GSSP in the journal Episodes early 2018. 2) the “Atlas of
Oligocene Planktonic Foraminifera” by Wade, Olsson, Pearson, Huber,
Berggren (Eds.), a comprehensive re-assessment of the taxonomy,
evolutionary relationships, stratigraphic distributions, and paleoecology of
planktonic foraminifera from the Oligocene Epoch. This volume completes the
trilogy and the work of the Paleogene Planktonic Foraminifera Working
Group.
https://cushmanfoundation.allenpress.com/SpecialPublications.aspx, chapters
open access from UCL:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/earthsciences/research/micropalaeontology/research/atla
s, 3) a special monograph on The Cenozoic key sections of the West
Kamchatka structural-formational zone edited by Gladenkov Yu.B.,
Gladenkov A.Yu., Bordunov S.I. et al.. Moscow: Geokart-GEOS, 2018.
• The study on the Barton area (England) has been carried out, pointing out the
relevance and problems of these sedimentary successions for Paleogene
stratigraphy and timescales. A synthesis by Jerry Hooker and Chris King on
“The Bartonian unit stratotype: assessment of its correlation problems and
potential” has been published, showing that despite the problems of
correlation of the base of the type unit Bartonian, the Bartonian succession in
the Hampshire Basin as a whole does have important correlation value. The
multidisciplinary results of the Alum Bay section will be submitted by Cotton
et al. at the beginning of 2019 in a peer-reviewed journal.
• A sampling campaign has been carried out for the Rio Gor section (Granada
province, southern Spain) with the aim of studying a new section for the
Paleocene-Eocene transition, and to Monte Vaccaro (Piobbico, central Italy)
for the Eocene-Oligocene transition.
Cretaceous Subcommission
• Campanian GSSP: Members of the WG visited the Bottaccione section
(possible GSSP candidate) in May 2018 to refine the log and photograph the
S/C boundary. Further sampling for magnetostratigraphy and biostratigraphy
was undertaken in September 2018 by G. Muttoni, R. Coccioni and others.
Results of these studies will be available in early 2019. Potential GSSP/regional
reference sections across the Santonian/Campanian boundary will be studied
through a Canada-Japan joint research on Vancouver Island (Hasegawa and
Haggart). Haggart and Graham described a new occurrence of the crinoid
Marsupites from the Upper Cretaceous strata of the Nanaimo Group of
Vancouver Island, British Columbia. It is the first occurrence of Marsupites in
the North Pacific Province and provides an important link with the uppermost
Santonian of the European standard stage succession.
• Coniacian GSSP: The WG re-sampled the Salzgitter-Salder section for

foraminifera, dinoflagellate, calcareous nannofossil and carbon-isotope
studies. Preliminary results of the foraminiferal studies were presented at
Forams 2018, manuscript in preparation. The dinoflagellate analysis is in
progress. Dinoflagellate analysis of the Turonian-Coniacian boundary
succession of the Folwark quarry (SW Poland) has been completed; the results
were presented during the 19th Czech-Slovak-Polish Palaeontological
Conference & 11th MIKRO 2018 Workshop in Prague, October, 2018. The
WG worked on the Turonian-Coniacian succession of the Cauvery Basin, SE
India.
• Albian GSSP: Officers of the SCretS contacted the local authorities of the
Commune of Arnayon (Départment of Drôme) concerning the establishment
of a geopark for the protection of the site.
• Aptian GSSP: Discussion was initiated within the WG on the proposed GSSPs
and on the questions related to the selection of a GSSP. The proposed
chemostratigraphic correlation between Gorgo a Cerbara and the French
sections remains problematic. This indicates that there are still problems related
to biostratigraphy and chemostratigraphy. The chairs of this WG concluded
that the problems have to be discussed during a workshop planned for STRATI
2019.
• Barremian GSSP: The formal proposal for the Barremian GSSP at Rio Argos
(Spain) is in preparation and will be presented to the members of the WG in
early 2019.
• Hauterivian GSSP: A formal proposal of a GSSP site (La Charce, SE France)

has been compiled throughout the first half of 2018 and includes data on
biostratigraphy (ammonites, calcareous nannofossils), stable isotope
stratigraphy, organic matter and cyclostratigraphy. The protection of the La
Charce site is ensured by an Espace Naturel Sensible (ENS) considering the
major geological interest of the site.
• Valanginian GSSP: The WG has carried out denser sampling of one of the
GSSP candidate sections (Cañada Luenga, SE Spain) for chemostratigraphic
analysis better to constrain some biostratigraphic (ammonite, calcareous
nannofossils and calpionellids) events.
• Berriasian (J/K boundary) GSSP: In May 2018 the WG held a workshop at
Kroměříž (Czech Republic) to discuss the compilation of a shortlist of sites for
consideration as GSSPs. Fiume Bosso and the Vocontian Trough sites were
judged to be the best candidates; question marks remain over the localities of
Puerto Escano and Kurovice.
• Kilian Group: Results of the 6th meeting of the IUGS Lower Cretaceous
Ammonite Working Group (the Kilian Group) (20 August 2017 Vienna,
Austria) are now published. The Vienna meeting mainly dealt with the West
Mediterranean zonation (standard zonation) and its calibration with the Boreal,
Austral and Central Atlantic realms.
Jurassic Subcommission
• 10th International Jurassic Congress held in San Luis Potosí, Mexico
The 10th International Jurassic Congress was held in San Luis Potosí, Mexico.
The congress was co-organized by the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de
México (UNAM) and the Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí
(UASLP). Preparatory work for the congress started in 2013 and the
Organising Committee had expended an enormous amount of time and
resources on the organization and a complex set of arrangements. The
Congress sessions were all held at the Centro Cultural Bicentenario of the
Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Mexico. The theme chosen for
the Congress was “Marine and Non-marine Jurassic Systems”, organized
with a variety of 10 scientific sessions
Altogether, 81 delegates from 16 countries participated in the Congress and 77

oral and 15 poster presentations were given, triggering many interesting
debates. Besides the accomplishment of the working group for the base of
the Kimmeridgian (a formal proposal was submitted in 2016), progress
with the last remaining GSSP definitions, the base-Callovian, base
Oxfordian and base-Tithonian are progressing more slowly. A separate
session was devoted to the base-Callovian issue, mainly regarding the
historical proposed boundary stratotype for the Callovian Stage at
Albstadt-Pfeffingen, Germany. Eckhard Mönnig reported on current state
of this site and the much advanced studies on ammonite fossils. However,
strong condensation of the profile is a major concern, and there is still
likely a need to find an alternative candidate that meets all the formal and
practical requirements.
An extremely important part of any Jurassic Congress is the field excursion

programme before and after the Congress. The Jurassic System in Mexico
is developed in varied shallow marine, continental, and transitional
environments, a wide variety of tectonic regimes including continental
rifts, peri-arc marginal basins, epicontinental shelves, and pelagic
environments, and the pre- and post-Congress field trips offered an
opportunity to advance understanding in all these settings.
A special volume for 15 to 20 works presented at the congress, related to the

American Jurassic will be published by Journal of South American Earth
Science.
• The 11th Jurassic Congress will be held in Budapest in 2022 (with

organization led by Josef Pálfy, Eötvös University, Budapest, Hungary).
• Base Kimmeridgian GSSP Proposal.
Under the leadership of Prof. Andrzej Wierzbowski, the task group for the
base of the Kimmerdigian submitted a revised formal proposal to the ISJS
on 4th October 2018. Discussion and voting is currently underway.
Triassic Subcommission
• Norian GSSP candidate; Pizzo Mondello, Sicily: With the publication of Rigo
et al. (2018) and Mazza et al. (2018), which deal with the conodont
taxonomic issues connected with the Pizzo Mondello candidate the major
obstacle in the way of making progress on this boundary has been bridged. In
October-November 2018, a new Norian working group was assembled to
move forward towards a discussion, report compilation and vote on the two
proposed candidates. In addition Sr-isotope work on the Pizzo Mondello
section has been published.
• Olenekian GSSP: During a 3-day symposium “International symposium on

deep-time environmental & climatic extremes and biotic responses” (Wuhan,
Chin, May 22-24, 2018), the IOBWG chaired by Yuri Zakharov (Secretary of
the WG) met to discuss the GSSP candidate sections connected with
conodont and ammonoid biostratigraphy issues. They also visited the Chaohu
candidate section.
• Anisian GSSP: Spencer Lucas has accepted the task of leading a new WG on
the Olenekian-Anisian boundary, and has been promoting ideas about
possible new candidate sections. Sections in China remain some of the
strongest possibilities, but so far have not been formally proposed.
Permian Subcommission
• A formal proposal of the Sakmarian-base GSSP was submitted to International
Commission on Stratigraphy, which was approved by 100% in ICS. This
proposal then was submitted to IUGS on June 30, 2018 and formally ratified
by IUGS EC on July 21, 2018.
• A volume of Special Publication (The Permian Timescales. Geological

Society, London, Special Publication 450) has been published by Lucas, S.G.
and Shen, S.Z. (2018). This volume reviews the state of the art of the Permian
timescales of the SPS including geochronology, high-resolution
biostratigraphy based on various fossil groups (conodonts, fusulinids,
brachiopods, plant fossils, radiolarians etc.), magnetostratigraphy etc. and a
latest Permian timescale is also presented.
• A Special Issue on Integrative Stratigraphy and timescale of China has been

published online on Science China Earth Sciences (Springer) now. This issue
includes 13 periods and summarized the advances in stratigraphy and
timescale from Ediacaran to Quaternary in China during the last two decades.
The Chinese version will be published in late 2018 and the English version
will be published on the first issue in 2019.
• One regular issue of Permophiles (Issues 66) and a supplementary issue of

Permophiles for the 8th Brachiopod Congress (66-Suppl. Issue) have been
published in 2018. They are all available on the SPS website
(http://permian.stratigraphy.org/pub/pub.asp).
Carboniferous Subcommission
• The base of the Carboniferous: The members of the joined SDS/SCCS Task
group continued to gather new data in the critical time interval. As in the last
few years these data are often based on multi-disciplinary approaches, which
combine palaeontological, sedimentological, geochemical and petrophysical
methods and data. The focus of the activities of the task group members are to
test the proposal combining several criteria for the redefinition of the
Devonian-Carboniferous boundary agreed on at the Montpellier workshop
and to write regional syntheses for the DCB interval, which will be published
in special volume of Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments. In the
future some kind of calendar of palaeontological and geological events should
be taken into consideration when determining the boundary.
The phase of testing should terminate next summer with a formal decision of
the task group at a meeting to be held during the 19th International Congress
on the Carboniferous and Permian, followed by a formal vote on the new
criterion by SCCS. Assuming that this process can be concluded in 2019, the
look for a suitable section for the GSSP will start in 2020. It is the aim to
present a detailed proposal for the GSSP defining the base of the Tournaisian
Stage, and hence the base of the Carboniferous Period latest at the STRATI
meeting in 2023, with the clear objective to finalize the ratification process
before or at the International Geological Congress in 2024.
• Carboniferous Magnetostratigraphy: In the past years, the focus of the projects

group has been to find suitable sections which work for Carboniferous
magnetostratigraphy, which fill the data gaps in the Tournasian to late Visean
and early Bashkirian (Chokerian to Yeadonian European regional substages).
Mark Hounslow and colleagues have identified a number of potential targets
in Northern England, Scotland and southern Poland which had potential in
terms of their low thermal maturity (CAI <=2). Numerous samples have been
collected from these successions and detailed analysis is currently underway
to fully assess magnetostratigraphic data.
• Carboniferous Strontium isotopic stratigraphy: The residence time of Sr in the

ocean (~106a) is far longer than the ocean mixing time (~103a), the world’s
oceans are considered homogeneous with respect to seawater 87Sr/86Sr,
which has long been used as a tool for precise stratigraphic correlation and
dating. Chen et al. (2018) present a high-temporal-resolution and high-fidelity
record of Carboniferous-early Permian seawater 87Sr/86Sr based on
conodont bioapatite from the Naqing section in South China, in combination
with high-resolution carbon isotopic stratigraphy and conodont
biostratigraphy, providing an integrated stratigraphic framework and
timescale of Carboniferous.
• Carboniferous cyclostratigraphy: Cyclostratigraphy is a powerful tool in high-

resolution stratigraphic subdivision and correlation. As for the Palaeozoic
strata, astronomically calibrated floating time scales with time resolution of
400 kyr could be provided by the interpretation of cyclic variations in the
sedimentary records, and in combination of radiometric age, enable us to
improve the accuracy and resolution of geologic time scale. High-resolution
cyclostratigraphy based on magnetic susceptibility, covering the
Serpukhovian to late Moscovian icehouse climate, has been investigated in
the Luokun section of South China. They assigned the basal Serpukhovian in
Luokun with the numerical ages from GTS 2012 to construct floating time
scales ranging from 331.55±0.5 Ma to 323.2±0.5 Ma, and indicate that the
Serpukhovian Stage has a duration of 7.68±0.15 myr.
Devonian Subcommission
• Following failure of the joint SDS/Uzbekistan/RAS field expedition to
Zinzilban Gorge, Uzbekistan to find the nominated conodont taxon
Polygnathus excavatus 114, SDS reluctantly came to the conclusion that the
base Emsian cannot be defined at this level in Zinzilban. The SDS is
disappointed by this outcome as it was our intent that the GSSP should remain
in Uzbekistan. During 2017-18 we have informally considered how to
progress with redefinition of the GSSP. We continued these discussions at the
IPC in Paris with two presentations on new GSSP sections from Spain and the
Czech Republic. We meet again at STRATI 19 in Milan and will formally
request proposals for the base Emsian GSSP. We can then vote on these and
move one forwards for formal consideration by the ICS.
Silurian Subcommission
• Silurian Times No 25 was edited by the secretary, Renbin Zhan, and
distributed in March, 2018, posted on the web site, and circulated
announcements of upcoming meetings and publications, and the latest news
and recent publications on Silurian research.
• Work continued on the restudy of several potential GSSP candidate sections
for the Base of Aeronian (Yuxian section, China; Hlasna Treban section,
Czech Republic and Rheidol Gorge section, UK and base of the Telychian
(Bajiaomiao section, China and El Pintado Reservoir section, Spain).
• Formal proposal of the Hlasna Treban section for new Aeronian GSSP was
published (Štorch et al. 2018). Detailed study on morphology, systematics and
evolution of Demirastrites triangulatus (proposed Rh/Ae boundary marker
species) and related graptolites was submitted by Štorch and Melchin for
publication in Bulletin of Geosciences. Report on chitinozoan biostratigraphy
and fauna is currently in preparation by A. Butcher.
• The restudy of the Rheidol Gorge section is nearly complete and full paper
presenting the proposal of Rheidol Gorge as a candidate section for the base of
the Aeronian Stage is currently in preparation.
• Final reports including biostratigraphical, geochemical and geochronological
data on the base of Aeronian at the Yuxian section and base of Telychian at
the Bajiaomiao section, China are in preparation.
Ordovician Subcommission
• An article on the second Auxiliary Boundary Stratigraphic Section and Point
(ASSP) for the base of the Ordovician System in the Dayangcha section
(Northern China) have been prepared and submitted for publication in
Palaeoworld (Wang at al., in press). When it is published the proposal will be
submitted for voting in the Subcommission.
• Ordovician News 35 was published and is available from the ISOS webpage
(http://ordovician.stratigraphy.org/).
• ISOS supported Annual meeting of IGCP 653 in Athens, Ohio, USA during
June 2018.
Cambrian Subcommission
• A proposal for the Wuliuan Stage (formerly provisional Stage 5) and the
Miaolingian Series (formerly provisional Series 3) was forwarded to ICS in
March 2018 for approval. The conterminous base of the Wuliuan Stage and
the Miaolingian Series coincides with the FAD of the oryctocephalid trilobite
Oryctocephalus indicus, and the proposed GSSP section, the Wuliu-
Zengjiayan section, is at Balang Village in the Miaoling Mountains, eastern
Guizhou, China. The GSSP proposal was ratified by the IUGS in June 2018.
• The Cambrian Subcommission held its annual meeting in association with the
Ediacaran Subcommission (ISES) 12–16 August 2018 in Xi’an, China. The
conference was entitled International Conference on Ediacaran and Cambrian
Sciences (ICECS 2018). Chief organizers for the conference were Yaoping
Cai, Jian Han, Hong Hua, Kangjun Huanh, Jianni Liu, Xingliang Zhang
(chair) and Zhifei Zhang. The Subcommission sponsored one day-long session
and one morning session devoted to Cambrian geology, stratigraphy and
palaeontology. Several talks were devoted to primarily toward the base of the
Cambrian System. Most of the major Cambrian stratigraphic issues remaining
to be solved are in the lower half of the system, and the sessions were partly
aimed at addressing potential solutions. Subcommission members also
delivered talks or posters on other topics dealing with Cambrian stratigraphy.
An abstract volume and four field guides were published.
• The Subcommission’s webpage was updated in 2018.The webpage accounts
for the many important changes that have occurred with respect to global
chronostratigraphy of the Cambrian System, and includes updated contact
information, upcoming meetings, lists of important publications, and other
essential information.
Ediacaran Subcommission
• Terminal Ediacaran field workshop in Oman, January 13-22, 2018. This field
trip was sponsored by the Ediacaran. Six voting members of the Ediacaran
Subcommission and the Terminal Ediacaran Working Group participated in
this field workshop. The goal of this field workshop was to examine the
Shuram Formation, to investigate the stratigraphic relationship between the
Shuram negative carbon isotope excursion and the tubular fossil Cloudina, and
to discuss the possibility of using either the Shuram excursion or Cloudina
fossils as a criterion to define the terminal Ediacaran Stage.
• Terminal Ediacaran field workshop in Nevada (USA), 26 April – 2 May 2018.

Participants included 10 voting members of the Ediacaran Subcommission and
the Terminal Ediacaran Stage. Like the Oman field workshop, the Nevada
field workshop was also focused on the terminal Ediacaran stage, specifically
to examine the Shuram excursion preserved in the Johnnie Formation as well
as terminal Ediacaran tubular and trace fossils in the Deep Spring, Stirling,
and Wood Canyon formations.
• Building upon the success of the 2017 International Symposium on the

Ediacaran–Cambrian Transition (ISECT), which was co-sponsored by the
Ediacaran Subcommission and resulted in a thematic issue in “Canadian
Journal of Earth Sciences” focusing on the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition (see
Appendix Attachment 1), the Ediacaran and Cambrian Subcommissions
organized the 2018 International Conference on Ediacaran and Cambrian
Sciences (ICECS), held on 12-16 August, 2018 in Northwest University,
Xi’an, China (http://www.icecs2018.cn). Participants included 11 voting
members of the Ediacaran Subcommission and the Terminal Ediacaran Stage
Working Group. Four pre- and post-conference field trips were organized
examine Cryogenian, Ediacaran, and Cambrian successions in North and
South China. Of these four trips, Trip 2 (From Snowball Earth to Cambrian
explosion, rocks and fossils in Yangtze Gorges) is directly relevant to the
Second Ediacaran Stage Working Group, and Trip 3 (Precambrian-Cambrian
transition in the northern margin of South China) is directly relevant to the
Terminal Ediacaran Stage Working Group. With help from the
Subcommission and several funding agencies, we were able to offer financial
assistance to nine participants, seven of whom were graduate students and
post-doctoral fellows.
Cryogenian Subcommission
• Publication of special volume of Precambrian Research in 2018 entitled:
Descent into the Cryogenian. The special issue describes 10 key successions
of interest over 220 pages.
• Summary of all potential stratigraphic criteria for defining the basal
Cryogenian GSSP and critical appraisal of possible sections (Shields et al.,
2018, Precambrian Research v. 319, p. 1-5;
doi:20.1016/j.precamres.2018.08.15.
• A field workshop took place in the northern Flinders Ranges (October 20-26,
2018) attended by 18 corresponding members and 8 voting members of the
subcommission, organised by Grant Cox (Adelaide) and Maree Corkeon
(James Cook University).
Precambrian Subcommission
• The Subcommission is newly organized. The new Subcommission’s web page
is set up. Two proposals for votes are finalized: to change the notation of the
Precambrian in the ICS geological time chart; to define the boundary of the
Archean/Hadean.
Stratigraphic Classification Subcommission

• A new homepage for the ISSC has been established within the Graz-University
homepage: issc.uni-graz.at/. The old homepage at the University of Milan will not be
further maintained.
• Maria Rose Petrizzo, the long-standing secretary of ISSC stepped down with
the end of the year 2017.
• The new secretary of ISSC Jochen Erbacher (BGR, Hannover, Germany) was
appointed.
• A proposal by Hilgen et al. on unit-stratotypes and astrochronozones was
circulated. Following a lively discussion on this topic the proposal was revised
and a discussion began in early 2018 Formal separate voting on the revised
proposal by ISSC was divided into the two topics. The question: “Should
unit-stratotypes be formally defined?” received: Yes: 8 votes; No: 6 votes,
Abstention: 1 vote. “Yes” received 57,14%. Since the required majority of
60% was not reached, Unit-Stratotypes, were declined by the ISSC.
The second question: “Should Astrochronozones be formally defined?”
received: Yes: 9 votes; No: 5 votes , Abstention: 1 vote. “Yes” received
64,29%. Since the required majority of 60% was reached, Astrochronozones,
as suggested in the Hilgen et al. proposal, was approved by the ISSC.
Since only the Astrochronozones proposal was approved by ISSC members
Frits Hilgen decided to withdraw the proposal(s) on 3.8.18 since the two topics
were, he said, interdependent.
• New developments in stratigraphic classification The goal of ISSC is to
update, upgrade and implement the International Stratigraphic Guide (ISG).
The ISG is a most important official document with a large distribution,
which requires revisiting because of the fundamental advances of stratigraphy
in the last 30 years. A project was developed by ISSC under the
Chairmanship of Maria Bianca Cita following a workshop organized during
the 32nd IGC in Florence, entitled “Post-Hedberg Developments in
Stratigraphic Classification”. Background and motivation of this ambitious
project “New Developments on Stratigraphic Classification” are clearly
expressed in the introductory article (Cita, 2007 in Newsletters on
Stratigraphy). After all the various review articles in the coordinated series
are published, the reprinting of the various articles in a textbook is foreseen,
after passing the prescribed check points for approval in order to obtain the
permission to use the ICS and IUGS logos.
 
8. SUMMARY OF EXPENDITURE IN 2018:
The IUGS Executive Committee awarded ICS a budget of $40,000 for 2018 (a
reduction on previous years, limiting significantly the requests of the 16
subcommissions and the ICS Executive. Thus, $40,000 was available for ICS
activities in 2018. Expenditure is detailed in the appended financial spreadsheet
(Expenditure_Budgets).
9. SUMMARY OF INCOME IN 2018:
The IUGS Executive Committee awarded ICS a budget of $40,000 for 2018, reducing
significantly the requests of the subcommissions and the ICS Executive. No
additional income to the ICS is declared.
8. BUDGET PROPOSALS FROM ICS IN 2019
These have been itemised in detail in the attached spreadsheet
((Expenditure_Budgets).
10. WORK PLAN, CRITICAL MILESTONES, ANTICIPATED RESULTS AND

COMMUNICATIONS TO BE ACHIEVED NEXT YEAR:
• Revise the Chiba proposal for submission to ICS, with the ultimate purpose of
seeing the Chibanian Stage and its Middle Pleistocene Subseries ratified by
IUGS EC. Intrinsic to this will be a separate advance proposal to approve the
Lower/Early Pleistocene Subseries as defined by the Monte san Nicola GSSP
that already defines the base of the Quaternary System, Pleistocene Series and
Gelasian Stage; together with proposals to define the terms Middle and
Upper/Late Pleistocene.
• Focus then on identifying a GSSP for the Upper/Late Pleistocene and its
respective stage/age. This will, in part, require a reinvigoration of the Late
Pleistocene Working Group under the new co-leadership of Martin Head. This
objective ties closely with the INQUA Congress special session “The Last
Interglacial and interglacial comparisons: local records and global signals” to be
convened next summer 2019 by M.J. Head and E. Wolff.
• The Anthropocene Working Group is planning to hold a workshop in New

Orleans, U.S.A., next summer (tentatively 7–8 November 2019). This will be
an opportunity to assess progress on potential GSSPs including the Crawford
Lake varved record. This meeting is timed to coincide with “The Mississippi:
an Anthropocene River Project”, which takes place in New Orleans 9–16
November.
The work of SQS is financed almost exclusively through research grants of

individuals working on prospective GSSP sections. Such funding is obtained
primarily from national and regional governmental research agencies, institutes,
and universities. The Anthropocene Working Group has been particularly
successful in obtaining funding owing to the high visibility of the Anthropocene
topic. However, it is difficult to obtain funding for SQS conference travel and
working group field trips, and ICS funding is accordingly critical to the activities
of SQS.
• The major plan is to finally reach an agreement for a Langhian GSSP
proposal, that is on a reliable/reproducible guiding criterion, complemented by
additional evidence useful for correlation, and reach a decision on the GSSP
section and auxiliary deep-sea core. A proposal will be submitted.
• Working will continue on the GSSPs for the Bartonian and Priabonian stages.
• A meeting of the Larger Foraminifera Working Group is scheduled for
February, 2019 in Bolca (Italy) in order to collect and share new, unpublished
data and to coordinate future work.
• In order to revise and find auxiliary sections better to characterize the
Paleocene/Eocene (P/E) and Eocene/Oligocene (E/O) boundaries, three field
campaigns will be organized: in Spain (Zumaia, Alamedilla, Rio Gor and
Caravaca sections) and in the USA (Wyoming, Polecat Bench section) for the
P/E boundary, and in the Marche area (Monte Vaccaro and Monte Cagnero
sections) for the E/O boundary. The proposal for the definition of the GSSP of
the Ypresian Stage (P/E boundary) in Dababiya (Egypt) was ratified by the
IUGS in August 2004. However, concerns have subsequently arisen over this
choice, since it was later found that the GSSP level was formed at the base of
a laterally restricted submarine channel that removed part of the underlying
Paleocene deposits. As a consequence, the ISPS Board is planning to propose
auxiliary sections in Italy (Alano) and in Spain (Zumaia).
• Potential funding sources external to IUGS: Most of the research that is
currently being done by the SPS members is financially supported by their
home countries´ research grants.
• Campanian GSSP. Restudy of the Bottaccione section, to provide a detailed
lithological log and to identify the precise sample positions of published
magneto- and biostratigraphical datasets, and take photographs of the
boundary succession, in order to write a GSSP proposal. The WG chair and
members will visit the Bottaccione section in early 2018.
• Coniacian GSSP. Fieldwork at the El Rosario section (NE Mexico) is planned
for February 2018. The discussion and voting within the WG regarding the
selection of the candidate GSSP section is planned for 2018.
• Albian GSSP. Finalisation of the official steps required for the protection and
easy accessibility of the GSSP site.
• Aptian GSSP. The work plan for 2018-2019 includes the organization of a
meeting to discuss events and candidate stratotype sections available in the
literature. A proposal for a candidate GSSP section will be ready for the
STRATI 2019 congress (July 2019).
• Barremian GSSP. The formal proposal of the Barremian GSSP is almost ready
to be discussed and voted within the WG in the first months of 2018 and the
outcome will be submitted to the SCS.
• Hauterivian GSSP. The proposal for the GSSP candidate La Charce section
(SE France) is almost ready to be discussed and voted within the WG. The
outcome will be submitted to the SCS in February 2018.
• Valanginian GSSP. Fieldwork is planned for late 2018 in order to resample the
two candidate stratotype sections (Vergol, SE France, and Cañada Luenga, SE
Spain) for chemostratigraphic analysis and to better constrain some
biostratigraphic events. The proposal will be sent to the members of the WG
for discussion and voting in 2019. An Upper Valanginian GSSP will be
discussed as well.
• Berriasian (J/K boundary) GSSP. A WG meeting is planned for May 2018 in
the Czech Republic, to discuss collected and published data from 2017/8.
Fieldwork will be concluded (Tre Maroua, Kurovice, Bosso, Brodno etc). By
the end of 2018, the WG should have a list of localities to be considered as
candidate GSSPs.
• Kilian Group. The 6th Kilian Group report will be submitted at the end of
2017, and should be published in Cretaceous Research in 2018 as for previous
reports (Hoedemaeker et al., 2003; Reboulet et al., 2006; 2009; 2011; 2014).
Jurassic Subcommission – no formal report received

• The principal objectives are to continue the formal processes for GSSP
proposals for both the base-Oxfordian and base Kimmeridgian stages.
• Specific GSSP Focus for 2019
• Beyond the progress with the base Kimmeridgian GSSP as outlined above, the
following goals are being actively worked towards.
• Oxfordian Task Group. Following the successful workshops in Provence in

2013 and Dorset in 2014 (and the publication of reports from both workshops)
we had hoped for rapid progress towards a formal proposal. Unfortunately not
much progress was made in 2018, but there will be renewed focus for 2019,
with perhaps a change in working group leadership.
• Base Tithonian and base Callovian GSSP. We expect the base Tithonian to
follow shortly after that of the Kimmeridgian, and finally the base Callovian.
This would complete all of the definitions of the base of all the Jurassic stages.
• Norian GSSP: The plan is to move forward towards a vote on the boundary
marker and GSSP section. This will be achieved by 1) the preparation of
document detailing the correlation potential of suitable markers, and details on
the candidate sections by the WG member for in early 2019. 2) Face to face
discussions will then take place at STRATI2019 in, a) late Triassic
presentation sessions, and b) a meeting of the STS. Following this the plan is
to move towards a vote in late 2019.
• Olenekian GSSP: During 2019 it is planned to complete collation of
information from IOBWG members to produce a document for distribution
among all the group, as a prelude to discussion and moving to a vote within
the WG before the end of 2019. Lower Triassic sessions and the STS meeting
at STRATI 2019 in July should allow some time for problems to be resolved
and new ideas to be developed. The goal of the WG chair is to have a GSSP
proposal to submit to STS for ratification in early 2020.
• Anisian GSSP: It is hoped that Lucas can encourage additional formal
proposals for Anisian GSSP candidate sections, since the Desli Caira section
in Romania (the only one formally proposed) is unlikely to move forward, an
important step which will bridge the major stumbling block at this boundary.
• The primary objectives are to complete the remaining two GSSPs (Artinskian
and Kungurian stages) and re-define/study the three GSSPs of the
Guadalupian Series (Roadian, Wordian and Capitanian). The Russian
Stratigraphic Committee has excavated the Dalny Tukas (Artinskian-base) and
Mechetlino Quarry (Kungurian-base) sections as well. The next target of SPS
is to publish the Sakmarian GSSP paper and complete the proposal for these
remaining two Cisuralian GSSPs.
• The priority for 2019 for the GSSP is to:
Completing the Artinskian-base GSSP proposal for discussion and voting in
SPS; intensively study and clarify the problems in the three defined
Guadalupian GSSPs; work on the replacement candidate section for the
Lopingian-base GSSP at Penglaitan, South China.
• A special volume entitled as ‘Global review of the Devonian-Carboniferous
boundary’ will be published in Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenviroments in
early 2019.
• In 2019, most VMs and CMs will meet in Cologne at the 19th ICCP in July,
29th-August, 2nd, we will have a Carboniferous GSSPs session, and a
detailed proposal for the GSSP defining the base of the Gzhelian Stage will
be submitted to the SCCS.
• A task group meeting for the Devonian-Carboniferous Boundary GSSP
reappraisal will be held in the 19th ICCP, and a formal vote on the new
criterion will be held by the SCCS before the end of 2019.
• An index for the Viséan-Serpukhovian boundary needs to be voted on by the
task group and SCCS in the next year.
• Formal proposals submitted for the revision of the basal Emsian GSSP at
STRATI 2019.
• Revision of the D/C boundary with the D/C Boundary Task Group
(Chairman: M. Aretz) in close collaboration with the Carboniferous
Subcommission. Progress towards selection of candidate stratotypes at
STRATI 2019. SDS contributions to the Palaeo2 special volume on the D-
C boundary.
• Three ISSS groups working on restudy of the base of the Aeronian GSSP, base
of the Telychian GSSP and base of the Wenlock GSSP will continue their
study of remaining candidate sections in Yuxian, China (Junxuan Fan et al.,
Aeronian GSSP); Bajiaomiao, China (Junxuan Fan et al., GSSP of the
Telychian stage); El Pintado Reservoir, Spain (David Loydell et al., Telychian
GSSP) and presumably also Trannon River section and Dyfnant Forest track
section, Wales (David Loydell et al., GSSP of the base of the Wenlock Series).
Further submissions of formal GSSP proposals are anticipated for early 2019.
• New results will be discussed within a special session “Silurian odyssey

towards advanced Stratigraphy and correlation” and ISSS Business meeting at
3rd International Congress on Stratigraphy (STRATI 2019) in Milano.
• Further update of the website for Silurian Subcommission by Hou Xudong.
The support of the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese
Academy of Sciences for this work is gratefully acknowledged.
• ISOS supported Annual meeting of IGCP 653 project will be held in
Novosibirsk, Russia during July 2019.
• An updated summary on Ordovician regional stratigraphy and geology: a

‘Global Synthesis of the Ordovician System’ is planned.
• Data will be gathered for Ordovician News 36.
• From 2014 to 2018 the Cambrian Stage Subdivision Working Group has made
five reconnaissance visits to sections in association with international field
conferences. Areas visited are Morocco and South China (2014), South
Australia (2016), Newfoundland (2017), and China (2018).
• In association with each of the field conferences, regional and/or global

correlation charts have been published in technical papers.
• The Cambrian Subcommission has devised a plan for subdividing the

Cambrian System into four series and 10 stages. The two lower series will
embrace two stages each, and the upper two series will embrace three stages
each. Through 2007, two series (Terreneuvian and Furongian) and four stages
(Fortunian, Drumian, Guzhangian, and Paibian) had been ratified. Since that
time, two stages have been ratified, the Jiangshanian in 2011 and the Wuliuan
in 2018.
• Beginning with the Jiangshanian Stage, the Cambrian Subcommission has

been interested in establishing ASSPs. An ASSP for the Jiangshanian was
approved in 2012.
• The Subcommission plans to have one field workshop to examine terminal
Ediacaran successions in Guadalupe, Extremadura, Spain, 17-24 October,
2019. Together with the field workshop, there will be a symposium to discuss
criteria for the terminal Ediacaran stage.
• Four voting members will organize a symposium at STRATI 2019 (Milano,

Italy, 2–5 July, 2019) to discuss criteria for the terminal Ediacaran stage. A
symposium will also be held at NAPC (University of California, Riverside,
23-27 June, 2019) on Ediacaran palaeobiology and stratigraphy. Many voting
members, including Subcommission executives, will participate in this
symposium.
• Members of the Ediacaran Subcommission affiliated to ICDP GRIND
(Geological Research through Integrated Neoproterozoic Drilling) will be
meeting at the Annual American Geophysical Union meeting on 13 December,
2018, in Washington, USA. Specifically, they will be discussing the proposal
to drill 13 cores through the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition in Namibia, Brazil,
and China.
• Subcommission discussions and a formal meeting took place at the IAS
congress in Toulouse (10-12 October 2018) during which a list of potential
GSSP successions, rated based ICS and Subcommission criteria, was drafted
for circulation. Australia was chosen to be the consensus target for the next
field workshop, with Namibia a likely focus thereafter, although this may
change following discussion of correlation criteria.
• The Subcommission is currently preparing to vote on two issues that were
discussed over the course of 2018. First, the Subcommission will vote on a
change of the ICS chronostratigraphic chart with respect to the currently
incorrect notation of the Precambrian. Second, the Subcommission is deciding
on the definition on the Hadean/Archean boundary. Further activities included
the preparation of a publication that summarizes the discussions on the
Haden/Archean boundary. The paper is planned for the journal Precambrian
Research. The activities of the Subcommission were presented at the Annual
Meeting of the Geological Society of America in Indianapolis, USA, 2018.
The chair established collaboration with the Division for Geochronology of
GSA.
• No major problems were encountered that would have prohibit or delayed
functioning of the Subcommission. The composition of the manuscript was the
only item that was delayed due to the inertness of 19+ co-authors in
responding to the manuscript layouts. This problem was addressed in October
2018 by forming a small author team of 3 to 4 colleagues, who work on the
paper. The remaining authors will be listed once all agreed on the final version
of the publication.
Stratigraphic classification
• For the chapters Biostratigraphy and Chronostratigraphy in the new
stratigraphical guide, new members of the workgroups will be invited and the
old concepts have to re-evaluated and/or new concepts have to be developed.
Workshops for these initial states will be organized in 2019 at STRATI 2019
in Milan.
• The session SSP2.1 Integrated Stratigraphy - Recent advances in stratigraphic
systems and age modelling will be held at the EGU General Assembly 2019
(EGU 2018), 7–12 April 2019, Vienna, Austria.
• A meeting of the Subcommission is planned for STRATI 2019 in Milan.
11. OBJECTIVES AND WORK PLAN FOR NEXT 4 YEARS (2016-2020)
The following is a summary of objectives of the ICS Executive Commission and a

selection of key goals noted in the detailed reports of each subcommission.
ICS Executive
• Define a substantial number of GSSPs, particularly for stages in the
Carboniferous, Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Cambrian systems; re-
evaluate GSSPs for the several Silurian stages and the Devonian-
Carboniferous boundary, and of the Cambrian System (Paleozoic Erathem,
Phanerozoic Eonothem), and select GSSP-defined subdivisions of the
Precambrian.
• Maintain website (and the ICS App) and its formal, permanent archive of the
global geostandards - GSSPs and the ICS International Chronostratigraphic
Chart.
• Coordinate websites and the information they contain among all
subcommissions and the Commission in order that they become the primary
global web-based entry point to information on the activities and
accomplishments of the subcommissions and ICS.
• Encourage subcommissions to regularly re-assess GSSPs and to develop new
initiatives and projects that utilise the refined International Stratigraphic
Chart.
• Encourage the recruitment by subcommissions of members from under-
represented countries/regions and of those at early career stages.
• Promote the preservation of GSSPs by local communities and national
stratigraphic commissions and dedication ceremonies, including the
placement of permanent markers, at all ratified GSSPs.
• Produce a new edition of the International Stratigraphic Guide with its joint
publication by IUGS and the Geological Society of America
• Continue development of a strong link between ICS and the Geobiodiversity
DataBase (GBDB) at the Nanjing Institute of Geology & Palaeontology
• Maintain close collaboration with all national stratigraphic commissions.
• Cooperate with One-Geology and the Commission on the Geologic Map of
the World to ensure that these projects continually incorporate the latest
revisions to the International Stratigraphic Chart.
• Serve as the primary international body setting global standards and
illustrating best practices in stratigraphy.
• Develop a new task group on radiogeneic data under the leadership of Dr
Brad Cramer.
• Develop and submit the GSSP proposal for definition of the Upper/ Late
Pleistocene and its respective Stage/Age.
• Continue to search for an Anthropocene candidate GSSPs, encourage
research on those already identified, hopefully for submission in 2020 or
soon thereafter.
• Continue to explore the fine-scale subdivision of the Quaternary.
• Proposal(s) for the Langhian GSSP will be submitted, with the purpose of
reaching a final decision within the WG and subsequently within the
Neogene Subcommission.
• The recurrent problem related to definition of Burdigalian GSSP is still

unresolved. The difficulty lies the absence of having the GSSP defined in
an astronomically-tuned deep-marine section, possibly in the
Mediterranean, that would guarantee the stratigraphic contiguity with the
other GSSP sections. Until today no good candidate section is available
and therefore the search for suitable sections and/or cores for defining the
Burdigalian GSSP will continue. In the absence of suitable Mediterranean
sections formally for defining the Burdigalian GSSP, the option to
identify this boundary in an (I)ODP core will be seriously considered
within the SNS, and discussion within the WG will involve voting and
corresponding members.
• To submit the proposal of the Priabonian GSSP to the Paleogene
Subcommission voting members, and subsequently to the ICS and the IUGS,
and, if ratified, to Episodes for publication during 2019.
• To submit the results of the multidisciplinary study of the Barton area in a
peer-reviewed journal.
• To advance the definition criteria for identifying the base of Bartonian Stage,
choose a type section and submit a GSSP proposal. The report on the
Bartonian GSSP proposal to be submitted to the ICS and the IUGS.
• To support the organization of field workshops and meetings to define the
Paleogene GSSPs pending definition.
• To produce an updated version of an integrated Paleogene Time Scale.
• Preparation of standardized regional correlation charts and paleogeographical
maps by the regional committees.
• Revise and find auxiliary sections better to characterise the following
boundaries: the Thanetian/Ypresian (Paleocene/Eocene) boundary (i.e.,
Alamedilla, Caravaca and Zumaia sections in Spain; the Forada and Contessa
sections in Italy; Polecat Bench in Wyoming); the Danian/Selandian
boundary: Contessa and Bottaccione sections in Italy; the Caravaca and
Sopelana sections in Spain; Selandian/Thanetian boundary: Contessa, Italy,
the base of the Bartonian: the Contessa and Bottaccione sections in Italy;
Alum Bay and Barton in the England; base of the Rupelian (Eocene/Oligocene
boundary), and the Monte Cagnero and Monte Vaccaro sections in Italy.
• 2017-2019: Inauguration of the Albian GSSP.
• 2017-2019: Finalisation of the proposals by the Working Groups for the base
of the Berriasian and the J/K boundary, base Valanginian, base Hauterivian,
base Barremian, base Aptian, base of the Coniacian, base Campanian. Voting
by members of the Working Groups to select a single GSSP candidate section.
• 2019-2020: Submission of the proposals GSSP candidate sections approved by
the Working Groups to the Cretaceous Subcommission Voting Members,
submit it to ICS, and possibly to Episodes for publication.
• 2017-2020: Continue to work and preparation of proposals for the definition of
substages for discussions at the forthcoming meetings: 10th International
Symposium on the Cretaceous (Vienna 21-26 August 2017), STRATI 2019-
3rd International Congress on Stratigraphy (Milan, Italy, July 2019), 36th
International Geological Congress (Delhi, India, 2-8 March 2020).
Jurassic Subcommission
• Completion of the stage GSSP definition process
• Develop strategy for substage definition process
• Develop website as forum for exchange ideas in relation to Jurassic
stratigraphy
• Realization of the International Continental Drilling Program (IGDP) – Early
Jurassic Earth System and Timescale (JET).
• Norian and Olenekian GSSP: Both move towards preparing a discussion
document among the working group members, as a prelude to moving
towards a vote on the candidate markers and sections.
• Anisian GSSP: Obtaining formal proposals for new candidate sections in
South China.
• Rhaetian GSSP: A 2-3 year stasis in this group has seen no significant
prospects of change. If this continues into early 2019, a new chair of this
working group will be sought to move forward at a faster pace.
• SPS Chair Shuzhong Shen, together with Junxuan Fan of the GBDB group,
are actively involved in organizing the IUGS Recognized Big Science
Programme “Reconstruction of Paleogeography and Deep Time Big Data
(DDE Programme)”. The main purpose and mission of DDE Program are to
provide a dynamically linked, palaeogeologically- and palaeogeographically-
referenced (spatially and temporally) digital earth database so a researcher,
teacher or student cannot only access the comprehensive datasets, but also
analyze the data spatially, temporally and genetically. A formal proposal has
been submitted to IUGS EC. This plan will be finally decided in the IUGS EC
meeting held in Febuary, 2019 in Beijing.
• Publishing the revised version of the proposals, organizing the field excursions
and establishing the remaining two GSSPs for the Cisuralian.
• Continue to work on the Guadalupian GSSPs and global correlation for
chemostratigraphy and geochronological calibration. Publish the official
papers for the three Guadalupian GSSPs.
• Within the next 4 years, it will be possible to select the defining events for all
of the stage boundaries and progress toward selecting candidate sections for
the GSSPs. We intend to use high-resolution biostratigraphy and combine it
with a multi-discipline approach (use of sedimentology, geochemistry, and
geological events) to establish as many of the remaining GSSPs as possible.
The realistic objective is to have two GSSPs ratified in the next four years.
• We will encourage and pay more attention to finding volcanic ash beds for
radiometric dating, in order to establish a more precise Carboniferous time
scale and facilitate the correlation of important Carboniferous events at global
scale.
• Using multi-discipline methods including palynological studies, U-Pb dating
and stable isotope studies, we will further promote marine and non-marine
correlation.
• We will organize at least one academic activity each year, either a workshop
(maybe combined with conferences) or joint workshop/field excursion.
• To establish working groups on dividing the Tournaisian and Viséan stages
because both of them represent too much time.
• To strengthen and to vivify the SCCS website, with membership lists revised,
tasks and newsletters updated in time, making it a genuine platform to bring
Carboniferous specialists together for collaboration and exchange of new ideas
and results.
• Integrate the Carboniferous databases from the entire World, combining the
Geobiodiversity Database (GBDB, a large compilation of data about sections)
at Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, the Paleobiology Database
(a large compilation of data about fossils) at the University of Wisconsin-
Madison, and other major databases, to facilitate the studies on Carboniferous
biota and stratigraphy.
• Redefine the base of the Emsian Stage.
• Redefinition of the Devonian/Carboniferous Boundary with the joint Task
Group.
• Annual meetings
• Principal work will be devoted to GSSP-related research activities – restudy
of some previously ratified but currently inadequate basal stratotypes.
Research on Aeronian and Telychian GSSP candidates will be completed
within this time span and new stratotypes will be chosen. We aimed to vote
on these candidate sections in 2019 in Milano but the date is not fixed at
present by delayed work on some of the candidate sections. The Homerian
working group will be established. Restudy of the Homerian GSSP will join
the program, along with further study on other potential sections suitable for a
new GSSP of the Wenlock Series.
• Application of astronomically tuned cyclostratigraphy integrated with

radiometric data and high-resolution biostratigraphy in conjunction with
IGCP no 652 “Reading geological time in Palaeozoic sedimentary rocks”.
• We will work on further development of databases that would bring together

and make available information from all sources associated with the Silurian
researchers. One such database, operated by the Nanjing Institute of Geology
and Palaeontology (Geobiodiversity Database, GBDB), has been named as
the official database of the ICS.
• Special session entitled “Silurian odyssey towards advanced stratigraphy and

correlation” and ISSS annual business meeting will be held at 3rd
International Congress on Stratigraphy STRATI 2019 in Milano, Italy in July,
2019. This session will be focussed on GSSP-related research. Vote on new
Aeronian stratotype is planned as a principal programme point of the ISSS
Business meeting.
For further advancement and increased precision in correlation we need to
pay more attention to regional stratigraphy, regional scales and regional
chronostratigraphic schemes. There is a growing awareness that many biotic,
chemical and physical changes are not always synchronous, and that there
are strong local and regional signals that often depart from global
compilations. Ordovician regional stratigraphy and geology will be the main
goal for the period 2016-2020.
• To compile and publish an updated summary on Ordovician regional

stratigraphy and geology: a’ Global Synthesis of the Ordovician System’.
Special attention will be paid to precise correlation of the Ordovician
depositional sequences and sea level curves as well as stable isotope and
regional biodiversity curves. The target should be to compile the book in
time for the 13th International Symposium on the Ordovician System in
Novosibirsk in July 2019.
• To correlate Ordovician depositional sequences throughout the World.
• To design and execute a programme of radiogenic dating of key Ordovician

horizons (using Pb-Pb isotopes).
• The Ordovician website will be updated, including the development of a

database for GSSPs and ASSPs.
• The principal objective of the Subcommission for 2019 is to narrow
possibilities for horizons and GSSP stratotypes for the remaining undefined
stages, which are provisionally identified as stages 2, 3, 4, and 10.
• The ISCS has developed a prioritized plan for formalizing definition of the
remaining undefined GSSPs. The plan is:
Provisional Stage 10 is expected to be defined next, but a decision on a
GSSP is likely to be one or two years away.
• Following a decision on Stage 10, provisional stages 2, 3, and 4, are expected
to be defined in rapid succession. A decision on the preferred GSSP horizon
of any one of the three stages will restrict choices for the remaining two
stages, so the ISCS is approaching work toward definition of the three stages
as closely linked.
• A more long-term objective is re-examination of the Cambrian GSSP
(Terreneuvian Series, Fortunian Stage). Imprecision in correlating the lower
boundary of the Cambrian System has been encountered on all
palaeocontinents, and the ISCS is now engaged in seeking a practical
solution to remedy the problem. A decision on how to proceed with the
Cambrian GSSP is expected to be made following ratification of GSSPs for
stages 2, 3, and 4.
• The Subcommission annual newsletter will be distributed in February
2019. Secretary Dr. Marc Laflamme will be leading the effort to compile
and edit the annual newsletter.
• In 2019, the Subcommission will organize a field workshop in Spain and

two Ediacaran symposia at STRATI 2019 and NAPC.
• The 36th International Geological Congress (IGC) will be held in Delhi,

India, 2-8 March 2-8. Ediacaran successions in northern India are
important for SES stratigraphy. Voting members Mukund Sharma and
Shuhai Xiao have proposed a symposium on the Ediacaran System and,
working with Nigel Hughes at UC Riverside, the Ediacaran
Subcommission will develop a field workshop at IGC to examine the
Ediacaran and Cambrian succession in northern India.
• Following a very successful ‘Geobiology 2017’ conference in Banff,

Canada, the Geobiology Society will again host a 3-day meeting at the
Banff Conference Center from 9-13 June, 2019. This conference will
explore the modern tools of organic and inorganic geochemistry,
molecular biology and microbial ecology, sedimentary geology and
palaeontology, and ultimately will focus on the interpretation of the rock
record, and how the modern can be used to interpret the past. This
multidisciplinary conference is particularly relevant to Ediacaran
Subcommission members interested in interpreting the geochemical
signals that accentuate the Proterozoic.
• Building on two previous trips in Brazil sponsored by the Ediacaran

Subcommission, we will sponsor an extended field trip to examine
Ediacaran successions in Brazil and Argentina. The field trip is tentatively
scheduled for 5-30 July, 2020.
• A vote will be called to decide what criterion or which criteria will be the
most useful in dividing the Ediacaran System into series and stages
(particularly the second and terminal stages of the Ediacaran System). Our
goal is to finalize the discussion on TES by 2020.
• Current efforts are geared towards consolidating all data pertaining to the
Tonian-Cryogenian transition. This will inform future meetings and field
workshops, in order to facilitate the GSSP nomination and voting process
that we aim to complete in time for ratification at the 2020 IGC. We are
on course for that goal with potentially decisive field workshops next year
to Namibia and possibly Ethiopia.
• The Subcommission will vote on the Hadean/Archean boundary and the
proposed changes to the ICS chronostratigraphical chart. This vote will be
conducted in February 2019. The discussions in 2018 raised questions on the
establishment of subdivisions for the Hadean and in this context also the
Archean subdivision ‘Paleoarchean’. The focus of the activities of the
Subcommission therefore will be to explore various suggested ways of
subdividing the Hadean. The Subcommission will also consider practical
approaches for the Paleoarchean lower and upper boundaries. The
Subcommission is currently establishing collaboration with Dr. Brian
Zimmer, Appalachian State University, USA, to develop a plan to travel to
Australia and to digitalize the oldest fossils preserved in the Pilbara region. A
digital learning tool will contribute to the education of geoscience students in
the future. The chair of the Subcommission is considering the EGU General
Assembly in Vienna 2019, where a splinter session will offer the discussion
of the activities of the Subcommission with the attending geoscientists. An
ODU student will continue to help the chair assembling information on
Precambrian stratigraphic sections into a preliminary digital catalogue.
Stratigraphic Classification
• All the remaining review papers on the various branches of Stratigraphy will
be submitted and printed over this period.
• The series of papers may form the core of a textbook. Publication details,
including arrangements with Nägele & Obermiller, Stuttgart (the publishers
of Newsletters on Stratigraphy) remain to be worked out.
• ISSC will take the initiative to encourage special sessions and symposia at
conferences that advance stratigraphic principles, in collaboration with other
ICS subcommissions.
• ISSC will continue to participate in GSSP discussions with ICS
subcommissions.
• ISSC continues to interface with national stratigraphic commissions although
only in an advisory capacity.
• The current goal of ISSC is the publication of a new, multi-authored, really
multinational International Stratigraphic Guide—a guide not a code, simple,
clear, concise, user-friendly, for worldwide distribution and acceptance.
APPENDIX 1: ICS DIRECTORY OF OFFICERS 2016-
2020
COMMISSION EXECUTIVE
Chair: Prof David Harper

Department of Earth Sciences, Principal Van Mildert College, University of Durham, Durham
DH1 3LE, UK
Tel. +44 191 3347143; E-mail [email protected]
Vice Chair: Prof Brian Huber

Department of Paleobiology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013- 7012, USA
Tel. +1-202-633-1328; E-mail: [email protected]
Secretary General: Prof Philip Gibbard

Cambridge Quaternary, Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Downing Street,
Cambridge CB2 3EN, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1223 333924; E-mail: [email protected]
SUBCOMMISSION ON QUATERNARY STRATIGRAPHY
Chair: Prof. Martin Head

Department of Earth Sciences, Brock University, 500 Glenridge Avenue,
St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada L2S 3A1
Tel: 905-688-5550 ext. 5216; E-mail [email protected]
Vice Chair: Prof. Brad Pillans

Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University,
Canberra, Act, 0200, Australia
Tel: +61-2-6125 9644; E-mail: [email protected]
Secretary: Dr. Jan Zalasiewicz
Department of Geology, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
Tel: 0116 2523928; E-mail: [email protected]
SUBCOMMISSION ON NEOGENE STRATIGRAPHY
Chair: Prof. Isabella Raffi

Dipartimento di Ingegneria e Geologia,
Università degli Studi “G. d’Annunzio” di Chieti-Pescara,
Campus Universitario, Via dei Vestini 31, 66013 Chieti Scalo, Italy
Tel: +39 08713556421; E-mail: [email protected]
Vice Chair: Prof. Kenneth G. Miller
Department of Earth &Planetary Sciences, Rutgers,
The State University of New Jersey, 610 Taylor Rd.,
Piscataway, NY 08854-8066, USA
Tel: 732-445-3622; E-mail: [email protected]
Secretary: Prof. Elena Turco,

Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra,
Universita' degli Studi di Parma,
Parco Area delle Scienze 157,
43100, Parma, Italia.
SUBCOMMISSION OF PALEOGENE STRATIGRAPHY
Chair: Prof. Simonetta Monechi

Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Universitá di Firenze,
4, Via la Pira, I-50121, Italy
Tel: 00390552757657 E-mail: [email protected]
Vice Chair: Dr. Laia Alegret

Departamento de Ciencias de la Tierra, Universidad de Zaragoza
Calle Pedro Cerbuna, 12, E-50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Tel: 0034 876553465; E-mail: [email protected]
Secretary: Aitor Payros

Department of Stratigraphy and Paleontology, University of the Basque Country
(UPV/EHU), Ap. 644, E48080 Bilbao, Spain
SUBCOMMISSION OF CRETACEOUS STRATIGRAPHY
Chair: Maria Rose Petrizzo

Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra "A. Desio", Università degli Studi di Milano, via
Mangiagalli 34; I-20133 Milano, Italy
Tel. +39-02-503 15531; E-mail: [email protected]
Vice Chair: Dr. James Haggart

Geological Survey of Canada, 1500-605 Robson Street,
Vancouver, British Columbia V6B 5J3, Canada
Tel: 1-604-666-8460; E-mail: [email protected]
Vice Chair: Michael Wagreich

Department of Geodynamics and Sedimentology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14,
Vienna, A-1090, Austria
Secretary: Francesca Falzoni

Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra “A. Desio”, Università degli Studi di Milano, via
Mangiagalli 34, 20133 Milano, Italy
Tel: +39-02-503 15563; E-mail: [email protected]
SUBCOMMISSION ON JURASSIC STRATIGRAPHY
Chair: Prof. Stephen P. Hesselbo

Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PR, U.K
Tel: +44 1865 272029; E-mail: [email protected]
Vice Chair: Emanuela Mattioli

Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon, Terre, Planètes, Environnement, UMR 5276 CNRS,
Observatoire de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, France.
Tel.: +33 4 72445800; E-mail: [email protected]
Secretary: Gregorz Pienkowski

Polish Geological Institute - National Research Institute, 4 Rakowiecka St., 00-975
Warszawa, Poland
Tel.: +48 22 45 92 256; E-mail: [email protected]
SUBCOMMISSION OF TRIASSIC STRATIGRAPHY
Chair: Mark Hounslow

Centre for Environmental Magnetism and Palaeomagnetism, Geography Dept, Farrer Avenue,
Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, UK.
E-mail: [email protected]
Vice Chair: Wolfram M. Kuerschner

Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1047 Blindern, N-0316 Oslo,
Norway
Secretary: Christopher A. McRoberts

Department of Geology, State University of New York at Cortland, P.O. Box 2000,
Cortland, New York 13045, USA.
SUBCOMMISSION ON PERMIAN STRATIGRAPHY
Chair: Prof. Shuzhong Shen

Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
39 East Beijing Rd., Nanjing, Jiangsu, China 21008
Tel: +86-25-83282121; E-mail [email protected]
Vice Chair: Prof. Joerg W. Schneider
TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Geologisches Institut
Lehrstuhl Paläontologie, Bernhard-von-Cotta-Strasse 2
09599 Freiberg, Germany
Tel.: +49 (0)3731-39-2856; E-mail: [email protected]
Secretary: Prof. Lucia Angiolini

Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra “A. Desio”,
Via Mangiagalli 34, 20133 Milano, Italy
E-mail: [email protected] Re
SUBCOMMISSION ON CARBONIFEROUS STRATIGRAPHY
Chair: Prof. Wang Xiangdong

Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East
Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, China
Tel: +86-25-83282188; E-mail: [email protected]
Vice Chair: Svetlana Nikolaeva

Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD UK an
Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Profsoyuznaya ul., 123, Moscow,
117997 Russia.
Secretary: Wenkun Qie

Key Laboratory of Economic Stratigraphy and Palaeogeography, Nanjing Institute of Geology
and Palaeontology, CAS, 39 East Beijing Rd. Nanjing, Jiangsu 210008, China
SUBCOMMISSION ON DEVONIAN STRATIGRAPHY

Chair: Prof. John E. A. Marshall
School of Ocean and Earth Science, Univ. Southhampton,
Southhampton Oceanography Centre
European Way, Southhampton, SO14 3ZH, United Kingdom
Vice Chair: Prof. Carlton E. Brett

Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati,
345 Clifton Court, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221, USA
Tel: 513-556-6931; E-mail: [email protected]
Secretary: Dr. Ladislave Slavik

Institute of Geology AS CR, Rozvojova 269,
CZ-165 02 Praha 6, Czech Republic
SUBCOMMISSION OF SILURIAN STRATIGRAPHY
Chair: Petr Štorch

Institute of Geology CAS, Rozvojová 269, Praha 6, CZ 165 00, Czech Republic
Tel: +420-233087261; E-mail: [email protected]
Vice Chair: Carlo Corradini

Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche e Geologiche -Università di Cagliari, via Trentino 51,
I-09127 Cagliari, Italy
Tel: n/a ; E-mail: [email protected]
Secretary: Prof. Zhan Renbin

Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, China
Tel: +86 2583282132; E-Mail: [email protected]
SUBCOMMISSION ON ORDOVICIAN STRATIGRAPHY
Chair: Prof. Andrey Dronov

Geological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences,
Pyzhevsky per.7, 119017 Moscow, Russia
Vice Chair: Thomas Servais

UMR 8198 Evo-Eco-Paleo, CNRS-University of Lille, France
Tel: +33 (0)3 20 33 72 20; E-mail: [email protected]
Secretary: Ian Percival

State Geoscience Centre 947-953 Londonderry Road,
Londonderry 2753, New South Wales, Australia
SUBCOMMISSION OF CAMBRIAN STRATIGRAPHY
Chair: Prof. Loren E. Babcock

Department of Geological Sciences, 125 South Oval Mall, Ohio State University, Columbus,
OH 43210, USA
Vice Chair: Prof. Zhang Xingliang

Department of Geology, Northwest University, 229 Taibailu Street, Xi’an 710069, China
Secretary: Prof. Per Ahlberg

Department of Geology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 12, SE-223-62 Lund, Sweden
SUBCOMMISSION ON EDIACARAN STRATIGRAPHY
Chair: Prof. Shuhai Xiao

Department of Geological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnical Institute and University,
4044 Derring Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0420, USA.
Tel. +1-540-231-1336, email [email protected]
Vice Chair: Dr. Dmitriy Grazhdankin

Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics,
Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences,
Koptyug Avenue 3, Novosibirsk 630090 Russia
Secretary: Prof. Mark Laflamme
Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences, University of Toronto Mississauga,
3359 Mississauga Ronad N., Mississauga, Ontario L%L 1C6, Canada
SUBCOMMISSION ON CRYOGENIAN STRATIGRAPHY
Chair: Prof. Graham Shields-Zhou

Department of Earth Sciences, University College London,
London, WC1E 6BT, UK
Tel. +44-20-7679-7821, Email: [email protected]
Vice Chair: Prof. Galen P. Halverson

Dept. of Earth & Planetary Sciences, McGill University, 3450 University Street, Montreal,
Quebec, H3A 2A7 Canada
Secretary: Prof. Susannah M. Porter

Department of Earth Science, University of California at Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA.
Tel. n/a, Email: [email protected]
SUBCOMMISSION ON PRECAMBRIAN STRATIGRAPHY
Chair: Prof. Nora Noffke

Department of Ocean, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
Old Dominion University
4600 Elkhorn Avenue
Norfolk, Virginia, USA
Tel: +1 757 749 7090
Vice Chair: Douglas Galante

Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory
Rua Giuseppe Maximo Scolfaro, 1000
Campinas - SP CEP: 13083-100
Brazil
Secretary: Evelyn Ap. M. Sanchez Bizan

Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia
Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri
UFVJM - Campus JK
Alto da Jacuba, Diamantina, MG, Brasil, CEP 39100-000
SUBCOMMISSION ON STRATIGRAPHIC CLASSIFICATION

Chair: Werner Piller
Institute for Earth Sciences (Geology and Palaeontology), University of Graz, Heinrichstrasse
26, 8010 Graz, Austria.
Tel: +43 316 380 5582; E-mail: [email protected]
Vice Chair: Richard H. Fluegeman,

Department of Geological Sciences, Ball State University, 4130 West University Ave.,
Muncie, Indiana 47304, USA, Phone: (765)285-8267 E-mail: [email protected]
Secretary: Dr. Jochen Erbacher

Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe, Geozentrum Hannover, Stilleweg 2, D-
30655 Hannover, Germany.
Tel.: 0511 643-2795 E-mail: [email protected]
PL Gibbard
Cambridge University
7.12.18
DAT Harper
Durham University
14.01.2019
APPENDICES: REPORTS OF INDIVIDUAL SUBCOMMISSIONS
These were edited by the respective officers of the named

subcommissions and are presented here as submitted.

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International Commission on Stratigraphy

ANNUAL REPORT 2018

1. TITLE OF CONSTITUENT BODY

Chair: David Harper

Secretary-General: Philip Gibbard

2. OVERALL OBJECTIVES AND FIT WITHIN IUGS SCIENCE POLICY

Fit within IUGS Science Policy

ICS is organized in two types of constituent bodies: Subcommissions for longer-term

INTERNATIONAL UNION OF GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES

3a. ICS Executive Officers for 2016-2020:

ICS Subcommission officers:

4. EXTENT OF NATIONAL/REGIONAL/GLOBAL SUPPORT FROM SOURCES

5. INTERFACES WITH OTHER INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS

6. CHRONOSTRATIGRAPHIC STAGE AND SERIES NAMES AND

Base Meghalayan Stage (=Base Upper Holocene Subseries)

7. CHIEF ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2018

This follows SQS voting on November 8, 2018 on the following proposals: 1)

• The Anthropocene Working Group held an international workshop on October

• Coniacian GSSP: The WG re-sampled the Salzgitter-Salder section for

• Hauterivian GSSP: A formal proposal of a GSSP site (La Charce, SE France)

Altogether, 81 delegates from 16 countries participated in the Congress and 77

An extremely important part of any Jurassic Congress is the field excursion

A special volume for 15 to 20 works presented at the congress, related to the

• The 11th Jurassic Congress will be held in Budapest in 2022 (with

• Base Kimmeridgian GSSP Proposal.

• Olenekian GSSP: During a 3-day symposium “International symposium on

• A volume of Special Publication (The Permian Timescales. Geological

• A Special Issue on Integrative Stratigraphy and timescale of China has been

• One regular issue of Permophiles (Issues 66) and a supplementary issue of

• Carboniferous Magnetostratigraphy: In the past years, the focus of the projects

• Carboniferous Strontium isotopic stratigraphy: The residence time of Sr in the

• Carboniferous cyclostratigraphy: Cyclostratigraphy is a powerful tool in high-

• Terminal Ediacaran field workshop in Nevada (USA), 26 April – 2 May 2018.

• Building upon the success of the 2017 International Symposium on the

Stratigraphic Classification Subcommission

8. SUMMARY OF EXPENDITURE IN 2018:

9. SUMMARY OF INCOME IN 2018:

10. WORK PLAN, CRITICAL MILESTONES, ANTICIPATED RESULTS AND

• The Anthropocene Working Group is planning to hold a workshop in New

The work of SQS is financed almost exclusively through research grants of

Jurassic Subcommission – no formal report received

• Specific GSSP Focus for 2019

• Oxfordian Task Group. Following the successful workshops in Provence in

• New results will be discussed within a special session “Silurian odyssey

• An updated summary on Ordovician regional stratigraphy and geology: a

• Data will be gathered for Ordovician News 36.

• In association with each of the field conferences, regional and/or global

• The Cambrian Subcommission has devised a plan for subdividing the

• Beginning with the Jiangshanian Stage, the Cambrian Subcommission has

• Four voting members will organize a symposium at STRATI 2019 (Milano,

11. OBJECTIVES AND WORK PLAN FOR NEXT 4 YEARS (2016-2020)

The following is a summary of objectives of the ICS Executive Commission and a

• The recurrent problem related to definition of Burdigalian GSSP is still

• Application of astronomically tuned cyclostratigraphy integrated with

• We will work on further development of databases that would bring together

• Special session entitled “Silurian odyssey towards advanced stratigraphy and

• To compile and publish an updated summary on Ordovician regional

• To correlate Ordovician depositional sequences throughout the World.

• To design and execute a programme of radiogenic dating of key Ordovician