Cambrian Stage 10

Cambrian Stage 10
~489.5 – 485.4 ± 1.9 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Chronology
−540 — – −535 — – −530 — – −525 — – −520 — – −515 — – −510 — – −505 — – −500 — – −495 — – −490 — – −485 — N ♇ P a l e o z o i c Ediacaran C a m b r i a n O T e r r e n e u v i a n S e r i e s 2 M i a o l i n g. F u r o n g. E Fortunian "Stage 2" "Stage 3" "Stage 4" Wuliuan Drumian Guzhangian Paibian Jiangshanian "Stage 10" Tremadocian               ← Orsten Fauna ← Burgess Shale ← Kaili biota ← Archaeocyatha extinction ← Emu Bay Shale ← Sirius Passet biota ← Chengjiang biota ← First Trilobites ← SSF diversification, first brachiopods & archaeocyatha ← First halkieriids, mollusсs, hyoliths SSF ← Baykonurian glaciation ← Dresbachian extinction   Major Glacial period Subdivision of the Cambrian according to the ICS, as of 2024.[1] Vertical axis scale: Millions of years ago
Etymology
Name formality	Informal
Usage information
Celestial body	Earth
Regional usage	Global (ICS)
Time scale(s) used	ICS Time Scale
Definition
Chronological unit	Age
Stratigraphic unit	Stage
Time span formality	Formal
Lower boundary definition	Not formally defined
Lower boundary definition candidates	FAD of the Trilobite Lotagnostus americanus
Lower boundary GSSP candidate section(s)	Duibian, Zhejiang, China
Upper boundary definition	FAD of the Conodont Iapetognathus fluctivagus.
Upper boundary GSSP	Greenpoint section, Green Point, Newfoundland, Canada 49.6829°N 57.9653°W / 49.6829; -57.9653
Upper GSSP ratified	2000[2]

Stage 10 of the Cambrian is the still unnamed third and final stage of the Furongian series.^[3] It follows the Jiangshanian and precedes the Ordovician Tremadocian Stage.^[4] The proposed lower boundary is the first appearance of the trilobite Lotagnostus americanus around 491 million years ago, but other fossils are also being discussed (see below). The upper boundary is defined as the appearance of the conodont Iapetognathus fluctivagus which marks the beginning of the Tremadocian and is radiometrically dated as 486.85 million years ago.^[5]

Naming

The 10th stage of the Cambrian has not been formally named by the ICS yet,^[3] although a number of local names exist. Several authors favor the name "Lawsonian" after Lawson Cove, in the Wah Wah Mountains of Utah.^[6][7] The lower part of the North American Skullrockian Stage corresponds roughly to the Cambrian Stage 10.^[8] The name "Nelegerian", after the Neleger River in Yakutia, was also proposed in 2011.^[9]

Stratotype

The ICS is still discussing which geological section and biostratigraphic marker will be used to define the base of the 10th Cambrian stage.^[10][11]

Likely candidates for the section are still investigated. A first proposal was a section near Duibian, Zhejiang province (China). Note recent publications favor Steamboat Pass in the House Range of Utah. If a conodont is used for the base the stage then many more sections would be likely candidates for the GSSP, e.g. in Australia, Kazakhstan and Canada.^[6]

Candidates for the biostratigraphic marker are the first appearance of a trilobite or conodont species. The trilobite Lotagnostus americanus was first suggested by the ICS, but has proven to be problematic.^[6][12] In 2006 another working group proposed the first appearance of Cordylodus andresi.^[13] The first appearance of Eoconodontus notchpeakensis is favored by many authors because it is globally widespread and is independent of facies (known from continental rise to peritidal environments).^[6]

The Eoconodontus notchpeakensis proposal would also incorporate a non-biostratigraphic marker to correlate the beginning of stage 10 globally. A carbon isotope excursion (the HERB-event) occurs in the lower part of the E. notchpeakensis range.^[6]

Subdivisions

Cambrian Stage 10 can be subdivided using different biostratigraphic zones. Several conodont zone and subzones can be distinguished. The same is true for trilobites.^[6]

References

1. "International Chronostratigraphic Chart" (PDF). International Commission on Stratigraphy. December 2024. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
2. Cooper, Roger; Nowlan, Godfrey; Williams, S. H. (March 2001). "Global Stratotype Section and Point for base of the Ordovician System" (PDF). Episodes. 24 (1): 19–28. doi:10.18814/epiiugs/2001/v24i1/005. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-11-27. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
3. "Latest version of international chronostratigraphic chart". International Commission on Stratigraphy. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
4. "Stratigraphic Chart". International Commission on Stratigraphy. Archived from the original on 2012-10-30. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
5. "GSSP Table - Paleozoic Era". Geologic Timescale Foundation. Archived from the original on 2023-10-08. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
6. Landing, E.; Westrop, S.R.; Adrain, J.M. (19 September 2011). "The Lawsonian Stage - the Eoconodontus notchpeakensis FAD and HERB carbon isotope excursion define a globally correlatable terminal Cambrian stage" (PDF). Bulletin of Geosciences: 621–640. doi:10.3140/bull.geosci.1251. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-08-29.
7. Miller, J.F.; Evans, K.R.; Freeman, R.L.; Ripperdan, R.L.; Taylor, J.F. (4 August 2011). "Proposed stratotype for the base of the Lawsonian Stage (Cambrian Stage 10) at the First Appearance Datum of Eoconodontus notchpeakensis (Miller) in the House Range, Utah, USA". Bulletin of Geosciences: 595–620. doi:10.3140/bull.geosci.1255.
8. Freeman, Rebecca L.; Miller, James F.; Dattilo, Benjamin F. (September 2018). "Linguliform brachiopods across a Cambrian–Ordovician (Furongian, Early Ordovician) biomere boundary: the Sunwaptan–Skullrockian North American Stage boundary in the Wilberns and Tanyard formations of central Texas". Journal of Paleontology. 92 (5): 751–767. Bibcode:2018JPal...92..751F. doi:10.1017/jpa.2018.8. S2CID 134012657.
9. N. P. Lazarenko, Ivan Ya. Gogin, T. V. Pegel, G. P. Abaimova (2011). "The Khos-Nelege River section of the Ogon'or Formation: a potential candidate for the GSSP of Stage 10, Cambrian System". Bulletin of Geosciences. 86 (3): 555–568. doi:10.3140/bull.geosci.1270.
10. "ISCS Working Groups: Working Group on the Stage 10 GSSP". International Subcommission on Cambrian Stratigraphy. Archived from the original on 2023-09-26.
11. P. Yu. Parkhaev, Yu. E. Demidenko, M. A. Kulsha (2020). "Zooproblematica Mobergella radiolata as Index Species of the Lower Cambrian Stage Units" (PDF). Стратиграфия. Геологическая корреляция (in Russian). 28 (2): 34. doi:10.31857/S0869592X20020064. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-01-30.
12. James Frederick Miller (2019). "Study and Use of Upper Cambrian to Lower Ordovician conodonts in central, southern, and western Laurentia, 1933–2018". Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments. 100 (4): 95–133. doi:10.1007/s12549-019-00380-9.
13. Miller, James F.; Ethington, Raymond L.; Evans, Kevin R.; Holmer, Lars E.; Loch, James D.; Popov, Leonid E.; Repetski, John E.; Ripperdan, Robert L.; Taylor, John F. (31 July 2006). "Proposed stratotype for the base of the highest Cambrian stage at the first appearance datum of Cordylodus andresi, Lawson Cove section, Utah, USA". Palaeoworld. 15 (3–4): 384–405. doi:10.1016/j.palwor.2006.10.017.

External links

• "GSSPs - The Cambrian System 2019". International Commission on Stratigraphy. Archived from the original on 2023-07-21.
• "GSSP Table - Paleozoic Era". Archived from the original on 2023-10-08.