Wuliuan

Wuliuan
~506.5 – ~504.5 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	Formal
Name ratified	June 25, 2018 [2]
Former name(s)	Cambrian Stage 5
Usage information
Celestial body	Earth
Regional usage	Global (ICS)
Time scale(s) used	ICS Time Scale
Definition
Chronological unit	Age
Stratigraphic unit	Stage
First proposed by	Zhao et al., 2018 [3]
Time span formality	Formal
Lower boundary definition	FAD of Oryctocephalus indicus .
Lower boundary GSSP	Wuliu-Zengjiayan, Guizhou, China 26°04′51″N108°24′50″E / 26.0807°N 108.4138°E / 26.0807; 108.4138
Lower GSSP ratified	June 25, 2018 [2]
Upper boundary definition	FAD of the Trilobite Ptychagnostus atavus
Upper boundary GSSP	Drumian section, Wheeler Shale, Utah, U.S.A. 39°30′42″N112°59′29″W / 39.5117°N 112.9915°W / 39.5117; -112.9915
Upper GSSP ratified	2006 [4]

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. ^[5] 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. ^[6]

The 'golden spike' that formally defines the base of the age is driven into the Wuliu-Zengjiayan (乌溜-曾家崖) section of the Kaili formation, near Balang Village in the Miaoling Mountains, Guizhou, China. ^[7]

GSSP

Three sections were discussed as GSSP candidates: the Wuliu-Zengjiayan section near Balang in Guizhou province (China), a section on Split Mountain in Nevada (USA) ^[8] and the "Molodo river section" along the Molodo river (Sakha Republic, Russia). ^[9] The Wuliu-Zengjiayan section is an outcrop of the Kaili Formation in the Wuliu quarry. The first candidate for the beginning of the Wuliuan was the trilobite Oryctocephalus indicus , the second candidate was the trilobite Ovatoryctocara granulata . ^[10]

The Wuliu-Zengjiayan section was chosen as the formal base in 2018, with the first appearance of Oryctocephalus indicus being chosen as the defining marker for the GSSP. ^[3]

Major events

The base of Wuliuan stage (and, accordingly, the entire Miaolingian Series) is characterized by the first major extinction of trilobites, known as the Olenellid Biomere boundary. This event is linked by a sudden negative carbonate carbon excursion. ^[11]

Paleontology

Benthic graptolites have reached a considerable diversity in the Wuliuan. The most common graptolite genus of this age is Sphenoecium , whose robust colonies were found all over the world. ^[12] Numerous panarthropods, including trilobites, agnostoids, hurdiids and bradoriids, are known from Wuliuan deposits. ^[13]

References

1. "International Chronostratigraphic Chart" (PDF). International Commission on Stratigraphy . December 2024. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
2. "The Trilobite Papers Twenty" (PDF). PaleoNet. August 2018. p. 28. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
3. Zhao, Yuanlong; Yuan, Jinliang; Babcock, Loren E.; 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 . eISSN   2586-1298. ISSN   0705-3797. LCCN   78646808. OCLC   4130038. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
4. Babcock, Loren E.; Robison, Richard A.; Rees, Margaret N.; Peng, Shanchi; Saltzman, Matthew R. (June 2007). "The Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) of the Drumian Stage (Cambrian) in the Drum Mountains, Utah, USA" (PDF). Episodes . 30 (2): 85–95. doi: 10.18814/epiiugs/2007/v30i2/003 . eISSN   2586-1298. ISSN   0705-3797. LCCN   78646808. OCLC   4130038 . Retrieved October 10, 2025.
5. "ChronostratChart2018-08" (PDF). International Commission on Stratigraphy. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 July 2018.
6. "GSSP Table - Paleozoic Era". Archived from the original on 2023-10-08. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
7. Ahlberg, Per; Babcock, Loren E. "Subcommission on Cambrian Stratigraphy Annual Report 2017" (PDF). International Commission on Stratigraphy. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-07-16. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
8. F. M. Gradstein, J. G. Ogg, M. D. Schmitz, G. M. Ogg. "The Geologic Time Scale 2012". The Geologic Time Scale. Archived from the original on 2013-10-21.
9. "The 13th International Field Conference of the Cambrian Stage Subdivision Working Group" (PDF). Episodes. 31 (4): 440–441. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-11-05. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
10. Sundberg, F.A.; Zhao, Y.L.; Yuan, J.L.; Lin, J.P. (22 September 2011). "Detailed trilobite biostratigraphy across the proposed GSSP for Stage 5 ("Middle Cambrian" boundary) at the Wuliu-Zengjiayan section, Guizhou, China". Bulletin of Geosciences. 86 (3): 423–464. doi: 10.3140/bull.geosci.1211 .
11. 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. Bibcode:2019NatSR...917392L. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-53685-2. PMC   6874646 . PMID   31758094.
12. Jörg Maletz (8 December 2023). "Benthic graptolites (Graptolithina, Pterobranchia) in the Miaolingian (Cambrian Series 3)". Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments. 104 (2): 259–274. doi: 10.1007/s12549-023-00595-x .
13. Julien Kimmig, Stephen Pates, Rhiannon J. LaVine, L. J. Krumenacker, Anna F. Whitaker, Luke C. Strotz, Paul G. Jamison, Val G. Gunther, Glade Gunther, Matt Witte, Allison C. Daley, Bruce S. Lieberman (2023). "New soft-bodied panarthropods from diverse Spence Shale (Cambrian; Miaolingian; Wuliuan) depositional environments". Journal of Paleontology . 97 (5): 1025–1048. Bibcode:2023JPal...97.1025K. doi: 10.1017/jpa.2023.24 .

External links

• "Combined Image for Wuliuan Stage: GSSP of the Miaolingian Series and Wuliuan Stage in the Wului-Zengjiayan Section, Guizhou, China". Geologic Timescale Foundation. Archived from the original on 2022-05-26.
• 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 2024-03-28.
• "GSSPs - The Cambrian System 2019". International Commission on Stratigraphy. Archived from the original on 2023-07-21.