Anisian

Anisian
246.7 – 241.464 ± 0.28 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
The Muschelkalk in Europe is mainly Anisian aged
Chronology
−255 — – −250 — – −245 — – −240 — – −235 — – −230 — – −225 — – −220 — – −215 — – −210 — – −205 — – −200 — Pz Mesozoic P Triassic J LP ET Middle Late E J Changhsing. Induan Olenekian Anisian Ladinian Carnian Norian Rhaetian Hettangian       ← Triassic–Jurassic extinction event ← Scleractinian corals & calcified sponges [1] ← Carnian pluvial episode ← Manicouagan impact ← Coals return [2] ← Full recovery of woody trees [3] ← Smithian–Spathian boundary event [4] ← Permian-Triassic extinction event Subdivision of the Triassic according to the ICS, as of 2024. [5] Vertical axis scale: Millions of years ago
Etymology
Name formality	Formal
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 Conodont Chiosella timorensis Base of magnetic zone MT1n
Lower boundary GSSP candidate section(s)	Desli Caira, Northern Dobruja, Romania Guandao, Guizhou, China
Upper boundary definition	FAD of the Ammonite Eoprotrachyceras curionii
Upper boundary GSSP	Bagolino, Lombardian pre-Alps, Italy 45°49′09″N10°28′16″E / 45.8193°N 10.4710°E / 45.8193; 10.4710
Upper GSSP ratified	2005 [6]

In the geologic timescale, the Anisian is the lower stage or earliest age of the Middle Triassic series or epoch and lasted from 246.7 million years ago until 241.464 million years ago. ^[7] The Anisian Age succeeds the Olenekian Age (part of the Lower Triassic Epoch) and precedes the Ladinian Age.

Stratigraphic definitions

The stage and its name were established by Austrian geologists Wilhelm Heinrich Waagen and Carl Diener in 1895. The name comes from Anisus, the Latin name of the river Enns. The original type locality is at Großreifling in the Austrian state of Styria.

The base of the Anisian Stage (also the base of the Middle Triassic series) is sometimes laid at the first appearance of conodont species Chiosella timorensis in the stratigraphic record. Other stratigraphers prefer to use the base of magnetic chronozone MT1n. There is no accepted global reference profile for the base, but one (GSSP or golden spike) was proposed at a flank of the mountain Deșli Caira in the Romanian Dobruja. ^[8]

The top of the Anisian (the base of the Ladinian) is at the first appearance of ammonite species Eoprotrachyceras curionii and the ammonite family Trachyceratidae. The conodont species Neogondolella praehungarica appears at the same level.

Especially in Central Europe the Anisian Stage is sometimes subdivided into four substages: Aegean, Bythinian, Pelsonian and Illyrian.

The Anisian contains six ammonite biozones:

• zone of Nevadites
• zone of Hungarites
• zone of Paraceratites
• zone of Balatonites balatonicus
• zone of Kocaelia
• zone of Acrochordiceras

Selected formations

• Sydney sandstone (New South Wales, Australia)
• Wianamatta Group – Bringelly Shale, Ashfield Shale (New South Wales, Australia)
• Lower and middle Besano Formation (Switzerland and Italy)
• Upper Ermaying Formation (Shaanxi and Shanxi, China)
• Favret Formation / Prida Formation (Fossil Hill Member) (Nevada, US)
• Grès à Voltzia (France)
• Guanling Formation (Guizhou and Yunnan, China)
• Moenkopi Formation (Holbrook and Anton Chico members) (SW US)
• Lower and Middle Muschelkalk (central Europe)
• Röt Formation / Upper Buntsandstein (Germany)

References

1. Payne, Johnathan L.; Lehrmann, Daniel J.; Wei, Jiayong; Orchard, Michael J.; Schrag, Daniel P.; Knoll, Andrew H. (July 23, 2004). "Large Perturbations of the Carbon Cycle During Recovery from the End-Permian Extinction" . Science. 305 (5683): 506–509. Bibcode:2004Sci...305..506P. doi:10.1126/science.1097023. PMID   15273391. S2CID   35498132.
2. Retallack, Gregory J.; Veevers, John J.; Morante, Ric (February 1996). "Global coal gap between Permian–Triassic extinctions and middle Triassic recovery of peat forming plants" . Geological Society of America Bulletin . 108 (2): 195–207. Bibcode:1996GSAB..108..195R. doi:10.1130/0016-7606(1996)108<0195:GCGBPT>2.3.CO;2 . Retrieved September 29, 2007.
3. McElwain, Jennifer C.; Punyasena, Surangi W. (October 2007). "Mass extinction events and the plant fossil record" . Trends in Ecology & Evolution. 22 (10): 548–557. doi:10.1016/j.tree.2007.09.003. PMID   17919771 . Retrieved October 4, 2025.
4. Widmann, Philipp; Bucher, Hugo; Leu, Marc; Vennemann, Torsten; Bagherpour, Borhan; Schneebeli-Hermann, Elke; Goudemand, Nicolas; Schaltegger, Urs (2020). "Dynamics of the Largest Carbon Isotope Excursion During the Early Triassic Biotic Recovery". Frontiers in Earth Science. 8 (196): 196. Bibcode:2020FrEaS...8..196W. doi: 10.3389/feart.2020.00196 .
5. "International Chronostratigraphic Chart" (PDF). International Commission on Stratigraphy . December 2024. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
6. Brack, Peter; Rieber, Hans; Nicora, Alda; Mundil, Roland (December 2005). "The Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) of the Ladinian Stage (Middle Triassic) at Bagolino (Southern Alps, Northern Italy) and its implications for the Triassic time scale". Episodes. 28 (4): 233–244. doi: 10.18814/epiiugs/2005/v28i4/001 . Retrieved 23 December 2020.
7. "ICS - Chart/Time Scale" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2025-01-01. Retrieved 2025-01-14.
8. The GSSP was proposed by Grădinaru et al. (2007)

Sources

• Brack, P.; Rieber, H.; Nicora, A. & Mundil, R.; 2005: The Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) of the Ladinian Stage (Middle Triassic) at Bagolino (Southern Alps, Northern Italy) and its implications for the Triassic time scale, Episodes 28(4), pp. 233–244.
• Grădinaru, E.; Orchard, M.J.; Nicora, A.; Gallet, Y.; Besse, J.; Krystyn, L.; Sobolev, E.S.; Atudorei, N.-V. & Ivanova, D.; 2007: The Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the base of the Anisian Stage: Deşli Caira Hill, North Dobrogea, Romania, Albertiana 36, pp. 54–71.
• Gradstein, F.M.; Ogg, J.G. & Smith, A.G.; 2004: A Geologic Time Scale 2004, Cambridge University Press.

External links

• GeoWhen Database - Anisian
• Lower Triassic timescale at the website of the subcommission for stratigraphic information of the ICS
• Lower Triassic timescale at the website of Norges Network of offshore records of geology and stratigraphy.

45°04′27″N28°48′08″E / 45.0742°N 28.8022°E / 45.0742; 28.8022