Miaolingian

Last updated
Miaolingian
~509 – ~497 Ma
Chronology
Etymology
Name formalityFormal
Name ratified2018 [2]
Former name(s)Cambrian Series 3
Usage information
Celestial body Earth
Regional usageGlobal (ICS)
Time scale(s) usedICS Time Scale
Definition
Chronological unit Epoch
Stratigraphic unit Series
Time span formalityFormal
Lower boundary definition FAD of the Trilobite Oryctocephalus indicus .
Lower boundary GSSP Wuliu-Zengjiayan, Guizhou, China
26°44.843′N108°24.830′E / 26.747383°N 108.413833°E / 26.747383; 108.413833
Lower GSSP ratified2018 [2]
Upper boundary definitionFAD of the Trilobite Glyptagnostus reticulatus
Upper boundary GSSPPaibi section, Paibi, Hunan, China
28°23.37′N109°31.54′E / 28.38950°N 109.52567°E / 28.38950; 109.52567
Upper GSSP ratified2003 [3]

The Miaolingian is the third Series of the Cambrian Period, and was formally named in 2018. [4] It lasted from about 509 to 497 million years ago and is divided in ascending order into 3 stages: the Wuliuan, Drumian, and Guzhangian. The Miaolingian is preceded by the unnamed Cambrian Series 2 and succeeded by the Furongian series. [5]

Contents

It is named after the Maioling Mountains in southeastern Guizhou Province, China. [2]

Definition

A number of proposals for fossils and type sections were made before it was formally ratified in 2018. The most promising fossil markers were seen to be the respective first appearances of either trilobite species Ovatoryctocara granulata or Oryctocephalus indicus , [6] which both have an age close to 509 million years ago. [5] After some deliberation, the FAD of Oryctocephalus indicus was chosen to be the lower boundary marker, and the GSSP was placed in the Kaili Formation, Wuliu-Zengjiayan, Guizhou, China. [2] [7]

The Miaolingian-Furongian boundary has the same definition as the Paibian Stage. It is defined as the first appearance of Glyptagnostus reticulatus around 497 million years ago. [5]

Subdivision

The Miaolingian is subdivided into the following stages: [5]

Epoch / SeriesAge / StageAge lower boundary (mya)
Furongian
Stage 10 489.5
Jiangshanian 494
Paibian 497
Miaolingian
Guzhangian 500.5
Drumian 504.5
Wuliuan 509
Series 2
Stage 4 514
Stage 3 521

The Ordian stage, which is use in Australian chronostratigraphical scale, was originally supposed to be the lowest stage of the Miaolingian, but may belong to upper Series 2. As of 2024, the base of the Ordian is not defined yet. [8]

Major events

At the Cambrian Series 2–Miaolingian boundary, the first major trilobite extinction, known as the Olenellid Biomere boundary, occurred. In particular, trilobites of the families Ollenellidae and Redlichiidae have been extinct in Laurentia and South China, respectively. [9] The first O. indicus appear after this global extinction, and in areas where O. indicus fossils are absent, the Series 2–Miaolingian boundary is determined by chemostratigraphic data. [10]

Paleontology

Benthic graptolites have reached a wide distribution in the Miaolingian. Encrusting colonies of the Rhabdopleuridae and erect growing branching colonies of the Dithecodendridae families evolved already at the beginning of the Miaolingian. The most common Wuliuan graptolite genus is Sphenoecium , whose robust colonies were found all over the world. [11]

Related Research Articles

The Furongian is the fourth and final epoch and series of the Cambrian. It lasted from 497 to 485.4 million years ago. It succeeds the Miaolingian series of the Cambrian and precedes the Lower Ordovician Tremadocian Stage. It is subdivided into three stages: the Paibian, Jiangshanian and the unnamed 10th stage of the Cambrian.

Paibi, a village in Paibi Township, Huayuan County, Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture Hunan, China, is the location of the Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) which marks the boundary between the third and Furongian epochs of the Cambrian Period on the geologic time scale. Paibi was selected over the Kyrshabakty River section, Malyi Karatau, Kazakhstan, and the GSSP was ratified by the International Union of Geological Sciences in late 2003. It established the first formally agreed upon subdivision of the Cambrian. The village gives its name to the Paibian Age in the Cambrian Period.

The Paibian is the lowest stage of Furongian series of the Cambrian. It follows the Guzhangian and is succeeded by the Jiangshanian Stage. The base is defined as the first appearance of the trilobite Glyptagnostus reticulatus around 497 million years ago. The top, or the base of the Jiangshanian is defined as the first appearance of the trilobite Agnostotes orientalis around 494 million years ago.

The Kaili Formation(凯里組) is a stratigraphic formation which was deposited during the Lower and Middle Cambrian. The formation is approximately 200 metres (660 ft) thick and was named after the city Kaili in the Guizhou province of southwest China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terreneuvian</span> First epoch of the Cambrian Period

The Terreneuvian is the lowermost and oldest series of the Cambrian geological system. Its base is defined by the first appearance datum of the trace fossil Treptichnus pedum around 538.8 million years ago. Its top is defined as the first appearance of trilobites in the stratigraphic record around 521 million years ago. This series' name was formally accepted by the International Commission on Stratigraphy in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fortunian</span>

The Fortunian age marks the beginning of the Phanerozoic Eon, the Paleozoic Era, and the Cambrian Period. It is the first of the two stages of the Terreneuvian series. Its base is defined as the first appearance of the trace fossil Treptichnus pedum 538.8 million years ago. The top of the Fortunian which is the base of the Stage 2 of the Cambrian has not been formally defined yet, but will correspond to the appearance of an Archeocyatha species or "Small shelly fossils" approximately 529 million years ago.

The Jiangshanian is the middle stage of the Furongian series. It follows the Paibian Stage and is succeeded by the still unnamed Stage 10 of the Cambrian. The base is defined as the first appearance of the trilobite Agnostotes orientalis which is estimated to be 494 million years ago. The Jiangshanian lasted until approximately 489.5 million years ago.

The Guzhangian is an uppermost stage of the Miaolingian Series of the Cambrian. It follows the Drumian Stage and precedes the Paibian Stage of the Furongian Series. The base is defined as the first appearance of the trilobite Lejopyge laevigata around 500.5 million years ago. The Guzhangian-Paibian boundary is marked by the first appearance of the trilobite Glyptagnostus reticulatus around 497 million years ago.

The Drumian is a stage of the Miaolingian Series of the Cambrian. It succeeds the Wuliuan and precedes the Guzhangian. The base is defined as the first appearance of the trilobite Ptychagnostus atavus around 504.5 million years ago. The top is defined as the first appearance of another trilobite Lejopyge laevigata around 500.5 million years ago.

Oryctocephalus indicus is a species of corynexochid trilobite from the Cambrian. Its first appearance is proposed for the lower boundary of the Wuliuan, which corresponds to the beginning of the Miaolingian. The species was first described by the British paleontologist Frederick Richard Cowper Reed in 1910 as Zacanthoides indicus. It was transferred to the genus Oryctocephalus by the American paleontologist Charles Elmer Resser in 1938.

The Wuliuan stage is the fifth stage of the Cambrian, and the first stage of the Miaolingian Series of the Cambrian. It was formally defined by the International Commission on Stratigraphy in 2018. Its base is defined by the first appearance of the trilobite species Oryctocephalus indicus; it ends with the beginning of the Drumian Stage, marked by the first appearance of the trilobite Ptychagnostus atavus around 504.5 million years ago.

<i>Ptychagnostus atavus</i> Extinct species of trilobite

Ptychagnostus atavus is a species of agnostid trilobite. It was originally described by Swedish paleontologist Sven Axel Tullberg as Agnostus atavus in 1880. It is used in biostratigraphy as an index fossil. Its first appearance at the GSSP section in the Wheeler Shale of Utah is defined as the beginning of the Drumian Age of the Miaolingian.

Stage 10 of the Cambrian is the still unnamed third and final stage of the Furongian series. It follows the Jiangshanian and precedes the Ordovician Tremadocian Stage. The proposed lower boundary is the first appearance of the trilobite Lotagnostus americanus around 489.5 million years ago, but other fossils are also being discussed. 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 485.4 million years ago.

<i>Lejopyge laevigata</i> Extinct species of trilobite

Lejopyge laevigata is a species of agnostid trilobite belonging to the genus Lejopyge. It existed during the Guzhangian to the Paibian Age of the Cambrian. It has a cosmopolitan distribution and is an important index fossil in biostratigraphy.

<i>Glyptagnostus reticulatus</i> Extinct species of trilobite

Glyptagnostus reticulatus is a species of agnostid trilobite belonging to the genus Glyptagnostus. It existed during the Paibian Age of the Cambrian. It has a cosmopolitan distribution and is an important index fossil in biostratigraphy. It was characterized by an unusual net-like pattern of furrows on both the cephalon and the pygidium.

Cambrian Stage 4 is the still unnamed fourth stage of the Cambrian and the upper stage of Cambrian Series 2. It follows Cambrian Stage 3 and lies below the Wuliuan. The lower boundary has not been formally defined by the International Commission on Stratigraphy. One proposal is the first appearance of two trilobite genera, Olenellus or Redlichia. Another proposal is the first appearance of the trilobite species Arthricocephalus chauveaui. Both proposals will set the lower boundary close to 514 million years ago. The upper boundary corresponds to the beginning of the Wuliuan.

Cambrian Series 2 is the unnamed 2nd series of the Cambrian. It lies above the Terreneuvian series and below the Miaolingian. Series 2 has not been formally defined by the International Commission on Stratigraphy, lacking a precise lower boundary and subdivision into stages. The proposed lower boundary is the first appearance of trilobites which is estimated to be around 521 million years ago.

Westergaardodina is a species-rich genus of spine, U or W-shaped paraconodont known from Middle Cambrian to Lower Ordovician strata.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ctenocystoidea</span> Extinct clade of marine invertebrates

Ctenocystoidea is an extinct clade of echinoderms, which lived during the Cambrian and Ordovician periods. Unlike other echinoderms, ctenocystoids had bilateral symmetry, or were only very slightly asymmetrical. They are believed to be one of the earliest-diverging branches of echinoderms, with their bilateral symmetry a trait shared with other deuterostomes. Ctenocystoids were once classified in the taxon Homalozoa, also known as Carpoidea, alongside cinctans, solutes, and stylophorans. Homalozoa is now recognized as a polyphyletic group of echinoderms without radial symmetry. Ctenocystoids were geographically widespread during the Middle Cambrian, with one species surviving into the Late Ordovician.

References

  1. ↑ "Chart/Time Scale". stratigraphy.org. International Commission on Stratigraphy.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Yuanlong Zhao; Jinliang Yuan; Loren E. Babcock; Qingjun Guo; Jin Peng; Leiming Yin; Xinglian Yang; Shanchi Peng; Chunjiang Wang; Robert R. Gaines; Jorge Esteve; Tongsu Tai; Ruidong Yang; Yue Wang; Haijing Sun; Yuning Yang (June 2019). "Global Standard Stratotype-Section and Point (GSSP) for the conterminous base of the Miaolingian Series and Wuliuan Stage (Cambrian) at Balang, Jianhe, Guizhou, China" (PDF). Episodes. 42 (2): 165–184. doi: 10.18814/epiiugs/2019/019013 . Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-03-04. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  3. ↑ Peng, S. C.; Babcock, L. E.; Robison, R. A.; Lin, H. L.; Rees, M. N.; Saltzman, M. R. (2004). "Global Standard Stratotype-Section and Point (GSSP) of the Furongian Series and Paibian Stage (Cambrian)". Lethaia. 37 (4): 365–379. doi:10.1080/00241160410002081. Archived from the original on 2023-07-21. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  4. ↑ "International Chronostratigraphic Chart (2018)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-09-07. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "GSSP Table - Paleozoic Era". Archived from the original on 2023-10-08. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  6. ↑ Gozalo, Rodolfo; Álvarez, María Eugenia Dies; Vintaned, José Antonio Gámez; Zhuravlev, Andrey Yu.; Bauluz, Blanca; Subías, Ignacio; Chirivella Martorell, Juan B.; Mayoral, Eduardo; Gursky, Hans-Jürgen; Andrés, José Antonio; Liñán, Eladio (1 December 2011). "Proposal of a reference section and point for the Cambrian Series 2-3 boundary in the Mediterranean subprovince in Murero (NE Spain) and its intercontinental correlation". Geological Journal. 48 (2–3): 142–155. doi:10.1002/gj.1330. S2CID   129084517.
  7. ↑ Arne Thorshøj Nielsen, Per Ahlberg (2019). "The Miaolingian, a new name for the 'Middle' Cambrian (Cambrian Series 3): identification of lower and upper boundaries in Baltoscandia". GFF. 141 (2): 162-173. doi:10.1080/11035897.2019.1621374.
  8. ↑ John R. Laurie, Peter D. Kruse, Glenn A. Brock, James D. Holmes, James B. Jago, Marissa J. Betts, John R. Paterson, Patrick M. Smith (April 2024). "The quest for an Australian Cambrian stage scale". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. doi:10.1080/03115518.2024.2327045.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ Jih-Pai Lin, Frederick A. Sundberg, Ganqing Jiang, Isabel P. Montañez, Thomas Wotte (22 November 2019). "Chemostratigraphic correlations across the first major trilobite extinction and faunal turnovers between Laurentia and South China". Scientific Reports. 9 (1): 17392. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-53685-2. PMC   6874646 .{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ Courtney Birksmith, Glenn A. Brock, Marissa J. Betts, James D. Holmes, Zhiliang Zhang (2023). "Chronostratigraphy of the Cambrian Series 2 -Miaolingian boundary, western Stansbury Basin, South Australia". Conference: Palaeo Down Under 3 at Perth, Western Australia.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ↑ Jörg Maletz (8 December 2023). "Benthic graptolites (Graptolithina, Pterobranchia) in the Miaolingian (Cambrian Series 3)". Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments. doi: 10.1007/s12549-023-00595-x .


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