The Geological Society of America Geologic Time Scale 1888 2013
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The Geological Society of America Geologic Time Scale 1888 2013 CELEBRATING ADVANCES IN GEOSCIENCE 1,† 2 3 4 J.D. Walker , J.W. Geissman , S.A. Bowring , and L.E. Babcock Invited Review 1Department of Geology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA 2Department of Geosciences, ROC 21, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, USA, and Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, MSC 03 2040, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA 3Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA 4Department of Geology, Lund University, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden, and School of Earth Sciences, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION over the past few decades in establishing both numerical and relative ages, describe selected The Geological Society of America has One of the most important aspects of research proxies for time in the rock record, and note and sponsored versions of the geologic time scale in the geosciences is connecting what we examine comment on some future challenges. This paper since 1983. Over the past 30 years, the Geo- in the rock record with ages of events and mea- is intended to provide a general overview of logical Society of America Geologic Time sured rates and durations of geologic processes . geologic time scales. The most comprehensive Scale has undergone substantial modifi ca- In doing so, geoscientists are able to place esti- treatment of the geologic time scale is contained tions, commensurate with major advances mates on the rates of climate and evolutionary in the recent publication of Gradstein et al. in our understanding of chronostratig- changes, use astronomically forced depositional (2012), the most current defi nitive work on the raphy, geochronology, astrochronology, processes to tell time within sedimentary basins, geologic time scale from a global perspective. chemostratigraphy, and the geomagnetic examine the ways in which tectonic processes This book is the most recent in the series of ma- polarity time scale. Today, many parts of change crustal and mantle structure and infl uence jor publications by The Geological Society of the time scale can be calibrated with preci- landscape evolution and global climate patterns, London (Harland et al., 1964) and subsequently sions approaching less than 0.05%. Some and assess the temporal relations among magma- Cambridge University Press (Harland et al., notable time intervals for which collabora- tism, fl uid-rock interaction, and base/precious 1982, 1990; Gradstein et al., 2004; Ogg et al., tive, multifaceted efforts have led to dra- metal mineralization in many settings. A key re- 2008) and Elsevier (Gradstein et al., 2012). The matic improvements in our understanding quirement is establishing accurate ages of rocks current Geological Society of America Geologic of the character and temporal resolution that are directly associated with or bracket a geo- Time Scale (Fig. 1) incorporates information of key evolutionary events include the Tri- logic event or process. With efforts to estimate presented in the International Commission on assic-Jurassic, Permian-Triassic, and Neo- the chronology of geologic events beginning well Stratigraphy’s International Chronostratigraphic proterozoic-Phanerozoic boundaries (or over two centuries ago, this was commonly ac- Chart (Cohen et al., 2012) and in Gradstein transitions). In developing the current Geo- complished by establishing a relative geologic et al. (2012). Numerical dates used for bound- logical Society of America Time Scale, we time scale using the ranges of fossils and strati- ary positions are from Gradstein et al. (2012). have strived to maintain a consistency with graphic relationships. Beginning in the early The Geological Society of America (GSA) does efforts by the International Commission on twentieth century, the relative geologic time scale not directly “maintain” an international geo- Stratigraphy to develop an international was calibrated using numerical information. logic time scale. Rather, the society provides a geologic time scale. A geologic time scale is the ordered com- geologic time scale in a concise, logically orga- Although current geologic time scales are pilation of numerical ages and relative age de- nized and readable format that is largely based vastly improved over the fi rst geologic time terminations based on stratigraphic and other on the work of the International Commission on scale, published by Arthur Holmes in 1913, principles. Numerical ages, formerly called Stratigraphy (ICS) and related groups and pub- we note that Holmes, using eight numeri- “absolute ages” (Holmes, 1962), form a chrono- lications. GSA follows the work and recommen- cal ages to calibrate the Phanerozoic time metric time scale typically expressed in thou- dations of these groups in promoting a better scale, estimated the beginning of the Cam- sands (ka) or millions (Ma) of years; relative understanding and use of geologic time through brian Period to within a few percent of the ages form a chronostratigraphic time scale. A its time scale. Many of these organizations in- currently accepted value. Over the past 100 geologic time scale is an invaluable tool for geo- clude geoscientists who are GSA members or years, the confl uence of process-based geo- scientists investigating virtually any aspect of members of the associated societies of GSA. logical thought with observed and approxi- Earth’s development, anywhere on the planet, mated geologic rates has led to coherent and and at almost any time in Earth’s history. History of Chronometric- quantitatively robust estimates of geologic This paper describes the history of the devel- Chronostratigraphic Geologic Time Scales time scales, reducing many uncertainties to opment of the Geological Society of America the 0.1% level. Geologic Time Scale and provides a brief his- “For it was evident to me that the space between tory of geologic time scales and their compo- the mountain ranges, which lie above the City of †E-mail: [email protected] nents. We also discuss important advances made Memphis, once was a gulf of the sea, like the regions GSA Bulletin; March/April 2013; v. 125; no. 3/4; p. 259–272; doi:10.1130/B30712.1; 1 fi gure; 1 table. For permission to copy, contact [email protected] 259 © 2013 Geological Society of America 260 America Bulletin,March/April2013 Geological Societyof GEOLOGIC TIME SCALE CENOZOIC MESOZOIC PALEOZOIC PRECAMBRIAN MAGNETIC MAGNETIC BDY. AGE POLARITY PICKS AGE POLARITY PICKS AGE PICKS AGE PERIOD EPOCH AGE PERIOD EPOCH AGE PERIOD EPOCH AGE EON ERA PERIOD AGES (Ma) (Ma) (Ma) (Ma) (Ma) (Ma) (Ma) HIST HIST. ANOM. (Ma) ANOM. CHRON. CHRON. HOLOCENE 1 C1 QUATER- 0.01 30 C30 66.0 541 CALABRIAN NARY PLEISTOCENE 31 C31 2 C2 * 1.8 MAASTRICHTIAN 252 EDIACARAN GELASIAN 2.6 70 Lopin- CHANGHSINGIAN 2A 32 C32 72.1 254 635 C2A PIACENZIAN WUCHIAPINGIAN PLIOCENE 3.6 gian ZANCLEAN 33 260 260 3 C3 CAPITANIAN 750 NEOPRO- CRYOGENIAN 5 5.3 C33 CAMPANIAN Guada- 265 80 WORDIAN 269 TEROZOIC 3A C3A MESSINIAN LATE lupian ROADIAN 7.2 83.6 272 850 4 SANTONIAN KUNGURIAN C4 86.3 279 TONIAN 4A CONIACIAN 280 C4A 89.8 Cisura- TORTONIAN 90 ARTINSKIAN 1000 1000 10 5 TURONIAN PERMIAN lian C5 93.9 290 SAKMARIAN STENIAN 11.6 CENOMANIAN 296 C34 ASSELIAN 5A SERRAVALLIAN 100 34 299 C5A 100 300 GZHELIAN 1200 13.8 LATE 304 KASIMOVIAN 307 1250 MESOPRO- 15 5B LANGHIAN ECTASIAN C5B ALBIAN MIDDLE MOSCOVIAN TEROZOIC 5C 16.0 C5C 110 VANIAN 315 PENNSYL- 1400 5D C5D 113 EARLY MIOCENE 320 BASHKIRIAN C5E 323 5E NEOGENE BURDIGALIAN 1500 CALYMMIAN 6 C6 APTIAN LATE SERPUKHOVIAN 20 120 331 6A C6A 20.4 EARLY 1600 M0r 6B C6B AQUITANIAN M1 126 340 MIDDLE VISEAN MISSIS- 23.0 M3 BARREMIAN SIPPIAN STATHERIAN 6C C6C 130 M5 131 347 1750 HAUTERIVIAN 7 C7 CARBONIFEROUS EARLY TOURNAISIAN 1800 M10 134 25 7A C7A 359 8 C8 CHATTIAN M12 VALANGINIAN 360 140 M14 139 9 C9 M16 FAMENNIAN OROSIRIAN M18 BERRIASIAN 2000 PROTEROZOIC 10 C10 28.1 LATE PALEOPRO- M20 145 372 2050 etal. Walker 11 C11 TEROZOIC 30 M22 TITHONIAN FRASNIAN 150 380 12 RUPELIAN 152 C12 LATE 383 RHYACIAN M25 KIMMERIDGIAN GIVETIAN OLIGOCENE MIDDLE 388 2250 M29 157 EIFELIAN 2300 13 C13 33.9 160 393 OXFORDIAN DEVONIAN 15 C15 35 164 400 EMSIAN SIDERIAN 16 C16 CALLOVIAN 166 PRIABONIAN 408 17 BATHONIAN 168 EARLY PRAGIAN C17 170 MIDDLE BAJOCIAN 411 2500 2500 37.8 170 AALENIAN LOCHKOVIAN 18 174 419 40 C18 BARTONIAN 420 PRIDOLI 423 19 LUDLOW LUDFORDIAN 426 NEOARCHEAN C19 TOARCIAN GORSTIAN 41.2 180 HOMERIAN 427 WENLOCK SHEINWOODIAN 430 2750 20 183 433 TELYCHIAN 2800 C20 LLANDO- PLIENSBACHIAN AERONIAN 439 EARLY 440 VERY 441 LUTETIAN 190 SILURIAN RHUDDANIAN 444 45 191 HIRNANTIAN 445 KATIAN MESO- RAPID POLARITY CHANGES RAPID POLARITY RAPID POLARITY CHANGES RAPID POLARITY 3000 21 SINEMURIAN LATE 453 C21 SANDBIAN ARCHEAN EOCENE 47.8 199 458 200 HETTANGIAN 460 201 DARRIWILIAN 22 MIDDLE 50 C22 RHAETIAN 467 3200 PALEOGENE DAPINGIAN 470 3250 23 C23 YPRESIAN 210 209 FLOIAN EARLY 478 24 480 ORDOVICIAN TREMADOCIAN PALEO- 485 C24 LATE AGE 10 55 NORIAN FURON- 490 ARCHEAN 220 JIANGSHANIAN 56.0 GIAN 494 3500 25 PAIBIAN ARCHEAN C25 497 THANETIAN 500 GUZHANGIAN 501 3600 26 228 Epoch 3 DRUMIAN 230 AGE 5 505 C26 59.2 509 60 SELANDIAN CARNIAN AGE 4 3750 Epoch 2 514 AGE 3 EOARCHEAN 27 61.6 237 520 C27 240 LADINIAN 521 MIDDLE 241 28 AGE 2 TRIASSIC JURASSIC CRETACEOUS C28 CAMBRIAN DANIAN ANISIAN TERRE- 529 4000 29 4000 65 247 NEUVIAN FORTUNIAN C29 PALEOCENE OLENEKIAN 66.0 250 EARLY 250 HADEAN 30 C30 INDUAN 252 540 541 Figure 1. Geological Society of America Geologic Time Scale. The Cenozoic, Mesozoic, and Paleozoic are the Eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. Names of chrono stratigraphic units follow the usage of the Gradstein et al.