MAY 2014 41 ISSN 0619-4324 ALBERTIANA 41 • MAY 2014 CONTENTS Editorial note. Christopher McRoberts 1 Executive note. Marco Balini 2 Triassic timescale status: A brief overview. James G. Ogg, Chunju Huang, and Linda Hinnov 3 The Permian and Triassic in the Albanian Alps: Preliminary note. 31 Maurizio Gaetani, Selam Meço, Roberto Rettori, and Accursio Tulone The first find of well-preserved Foraminifera in the Lower Triassic of Russian Far East. 34 Liana G. Bondarenko, Yuri D. Zakharov, and Nicholas N. Barinov STS Task Group Report. New evidence on Early Olenekian biostratigra[hy in Nevada, Salt Range, 39 and South Primorye (Report on the IOBWG activity in 2013. Yuri D. Zakharov Obituary: Hienz W. Kozur (1942-2014) 41 Obituary Inna A. Dobruskina (1933-2014) 44 New Triassic literature. Geoffrey Warrington 50 Meeting announcments 82 Editor Christopher McRoberts State University of New York at Cortland, USA Editorial Board Marco Balini Aymon Baud Arnaud Brayard Università di Milano, Italy Université de Lausanne, Switzerland Université de Bourgogne, France Margaret Fraiser Piero Gianolla Mark Hounslow University of Wisconson Milwaukee, USA Università di Ferrara, Italy Lancaster University, United Kingdom Wolfram Kürschner Spencer Lucas Michael Orchard Univseristy of Oslo, Norway New Mexico Museum of Natural History, Geological Survey of Canada, Vancouver USA Canada Yuri Zakharov Far-Eastern Geological Institute, Vladivostok, Russia Albertiana is the international journal of Triassic research. The primary aim of Albertiana is to promote the interdisciplinary collaboration and understanding among members of the I.U.G.S. Subcommission on Triassic Stratigraphy. Albertiana serves as the primary venue for the dissemination of orignal research on Triassic System. Albertiana also serves as a newsletter for the announcement of general information and as a platform for discussion of developments in the field of Triassic stratigraphy. Albertiana thus encourages the publication of contributions in which information is presented relevant to current interdisciplinary Triassic research and at provides a forum for short, relevant articles including. original research articles, reports on research and works in progress, reports on conferences, news items and conference announcements, Albertiana Forum: letters, comment and reply, and literature reviews. Albertiana is published bianually by SUNY Cortland’s Paleontological Laboratory for the Subcommission on Triassic Stratigraphy. Albertiana is available as PDF at http://paleo.cortland.edu/Albertiana/ Cover Image: Triassic time scale. See Ogg et al., p. 3 Albertiana 41 1 Editorial Note Dear Friends of the Triassic. As I begin my tenure as Editor-in-Chief of Albertiana, are presented, but instead, is essentially a republication of Jim’s I look upon this opportunity as both an honor and a real chapter in The Geologic Time Scale 2012 (published by Elsevier). It challenge. Since the first volume was published in 1983, is my desire that this review contribution will stimulate discussion Albertiana has served the Triassic research community and and debate on the more pressing issues impeeding progress in Triassic Subcommission providing a vehicle for dissemination of developing a robust and integrated timescale for the entire Triassic original research, as a newsletter for the announcement of general and the business of the Subcommission (e.g., establishing the information and as a platform for discussion of developments in remining GSSPs). the field of Triassic stratigraphy, biostratigraphy, paleontology, A couple of changes of the journal are now in place and geochronology, magnetostratigraphy and other related disciplines. others will soon be implemented. This edition of Albertiana I am very grateful to Subcommission on Triassic Stratigraphy inaugurates a somewhat modified format – one that will likely Chair Marco Balini for offering me this opportunity to serve as change as I learn the ins-and-outs of Adobe InDesign©. We the new Editor-in-Chief. have also revamped the submission and review processes to both Before going any further, I wish to publicly thank Wolfram strengthen the quality of research and to streamline the path from Kürschner for his many years of service as editor to Albertiana. submission to publication. Additionally, I am also in the process Under Wolfram’s stewardship, Albertiana really transformed itself of migrating Albertiana’s web site (as well as other sites hosted into a professional and vital means of dissemination of research on paleo.cortland.edu) over to a new sever. The new instructions and news to the Triassic community — all this while overseeing for authors and of course past issues of Albertiana will always be the transition from print to an online format. Wolfram will available on the journal’s website whose URL will not change: continue his relationship as an associate editor and member of paleo.cortland.edu/albertiana. the editorial board. The editorial board has now expanded to With this note, I am asking that you consider submitting your 10 dedicated scientists whose expertise covers a broad range of research to be published in Albertiana. Although Albertiana may disciplines and extensive experience in the Triassic. The board not be able to compete with ISI journals in its impact factor, it will be managing individual manuscript submissions and their is the perfect place to publish your Triassic research (including peer reviews. preliminary research/results) and other contributions like reviews We are striving to improve not only the quantity and quality and/or discussion-type papers. We would also, of course, like to of submissions to Albertiana, but to raise the stature of the journal publish any news, announcements, or other information that making it the “go to place” to publish new and original research would be of interest to the Triassic research community. Given of interest to the Triassic community. Other components of the that Albertiana is a digital-only publication and electrons are journal (e.g., news, reviews, announcements, bibliographies, relatively cheep we would be happy to publish lengthy articles, all- etc.) will remain in place. We will continue to publish Albertiana color images and would consider special thematic issue requests. twice a year in electronic format and I have made it one of my Finally, once again, I look forward to working with the primary goals to keep journal production to a regular schedule. editorial team, our reviewers and authors. This issue’s feature article by Jim Ogg and others is a review of the Triassic time scale and should look somewhat familiar Christopher A. McRoberts to most of you. This invited contribution is not meant to be Editor-in-Chief, Albertiana an authoritative technical research paper in which new data Secretary General, Subcommission on Triassic Stratigraphy 2 Albertiana 41 Executive Note Dear Friends of the Triassic. It has been a long time since the last issue of Albertiana exception, but it surely cannot be the rule for discussion. In this was published, but we finally have a new issue ready. As you respect, WG leaders will be required to define deadlines and to will notice, we have a new Editor; Chris McRoberts who has promote discussions in Albertiana, and they will be made keenly enthusiastically agreed to accept responsibility for publication of aware that due to the shortage of funds, the organization of the newsletter. Albertiana now has a new layout. The Editorial meetings and workshops specifically dedicated to the eventual Board has been updated, and I warmly welcome aboard new definition of GSSPs is becoming more and more complex. members Arnaud Brayard, Margaret Fraser, Piero Gianolla, It pleases me to announce that there is also some good news Mark Hounslow, Wolfram Kürschner and Yuri Zakharov, who regarding future activities of the Subcommission. Next year are joining Aymon Baud, Spencer Lucas, Mike Orchard and STRATI 2015, the 2nd international symposium on Stratigraphy, me. I also would like to very warmly thank Wolfram Kürschener will be held in Graz (Austria) from July 19-23 (see the 1st circular for the tremendous amount of work he put forth over the past at the end of this issue). This event follows the st1 international years as Editor of our Newsletter. He has invested lot of time symposium held in Lisbon in 2013, and it is now the official collecting and editing manuscripts and perhaps most importantly, reference symposium of the International Commission of improving the layout of Albertiana from the original “basic” Stratigraphy. The Organizing Committee together with the ICS layout and paper print to its current much more effective two is actively planning for the event and sessions and excursions column organization and free PDF distribution. devoted to Triassic topics will be included. The ICS, in particular, I am confident that the new Editor and Board will come is showing an active interest and is providing support for the together in short order and work efficiently to produce a quality event. All Subcommissions have been invited to organize activities newsletter of which we all can be proud. We are hopeful that and discussions in the form of scientific sessions and/or in business these new improvements will also stimulate the discussion of meetings. In line with these suggestions and in cooperation with Triassic topics. After all, the mission of the STS is to define WG leaders, we will define and set goals with deadlines for 2015 standards by solving problems, and problems cannot be solved for each WG. These deadlines will not necessarily pertain to final without discussions. decisions for GSSPs, but they at least will include balloting for Albertiana is ready to host discussions on those Triassic GSSPs sections and possible primary marker events. The WGs from whose definitions are still pending. During the past few years, which results are expected include the base Olenekian (chair Y. these discussions and in a broader sense, the activities of the STS Zakharov), base Norian (chair W. Kürschner) and base Rhaetian Working Groups, have been significantly delayed.