VOLUME 33 December 2017 Volume 33 Table of Contents EXECUTIVE’S COLUMN…………………………………………………………………..…….. 2 OBITUARY……………………………………………………………………………………..…5 SCCS REPORTS………………………………………………………………………………….7 ANNUAL REPORT TO ICS FOR 2016-2017…………………………………………………..….7 TASK GROUP REPORTS FOR 2016-2017 AND WORK PLANS FOR 2017 FISCAL YEAR………….11 Report of the task group to establish a GSSP close to the existing Viséan-Serpukhovian boundary…………11 Report of the task group to establish a GSSP close to the existing Bashkirian-Moscovian boundary………16 Report of the task group to establish the Moscovian-Kasimovian and Kasimovian-Gzhelian boundaries…....18 SCCS DOCUMENTS (CONTRIBUTIONS BY MEMBERS)…………………………………...……21 SHALLOW-WATER SIPHONODELLIDS AND DEFINITION OF THE DEVONIAN-CARBONIFEROUS BOUNDARY…………………………………………………………………………………….21 REPORT FOR PROGRESS FOR 2017 ACTIVITIES IN THE CANTABRIAN MOUNTAINS, SPAIN AND THE AMAZONAS BASIN, BRAZIL……………………………………………...………………26 TAXONOMIC AND STRATIGRAPHIC PROBLEMS CONCERNING THE CONODONTS LOCHRIEA SENCKENBERGICA NEMIROVSKAYA, PERRET & MEISCHNER, 1994 AND LOCHRIEA ZIEGLERI NEMIROVSKAYA, PERRET & MEISHCNER, 1994-CONSEQUENCES FOR DEFINING THE VISÉAN- SERPUKHOVIAN BOUNDARY………………………………………………………………………………...28 PROGRESS ON THE VISÉAN-SERPUKHOVIAN BOUNDARY IN SOUTH CHINA AND GERMANY……………………………………………………………………………………..35 POTENTIAL FOR A MORE PRECISE CORRELATION OF THE BASHKIRIAN AMMONOID AND FORAMINIFERAL ZONES IN THE SOUTH URALS…………………………………………..……42 CHEMOMETRICS AND CARBONIFEROUS MEDULLOSALEAN FRONDS: IMPLICATIONS FOR CARBONIFEROUS PHYTOSTRATIGRAPHY…………………………………………………...…45 MEETINGS……………………………………………………………………………………...48 THE 5TH INTERNATIONAL PALAEONTOLOGICAL CONGRESS, JULY, 2018, PARIS ……………48 THE XIX INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON THE CARBONIFEORUS AND PERMIAN (2019)……..53 THE XVII ARGENTINE SYMPOSIUM OF PALEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY (SAPP 2018)…..54 SCCS OFFICERS AND VOTING MEMBERS 2016-2020…………………….………………….55 SCCS CORRESPONDING MEMBERSHIP 2017………………………………………………….57 Newsletter edited by Dr. Wenkun Qie Thanks to all colleagues who contribute to this newsletter! Cover illustration: The cover shows the spectacular valley, cutting through the Tournaisian strata in Bolshoi Karatau Mountains, which is 700 meters to the northeast of the Akuyu section. (by the courtesy of Wenkun Qie) 1 Newsletter on Carboniferous Stratigraphy EXECUTIVE’S COLUMN Dear Fellow Carboniferous Researchers, During the 2016 fiscal year, there were several geological conferences, field meetings and workshops Welcome to the SCCS newsletter 2017, and the that were of substantial importance and interest for goal of the yearly compilation is to introduce some of SCCS members. The first one was the ICOS 4 the important events, reports, accounts of past (International 4th Conodont Symposium “Progress on conferences, notice of upcoming meetings, activities Conodont Investigation”), held on the 25th-30th June and issues that concern the subcommission. This 2017 in Valencia, Spain. The second one was the newsletter mainly includes SCCS annual report to ICS International Conference “Uppermost Devonian and for 2016-2017, the progresses on establishing GSSPs Carboniferous Carbonate Buildups and Boundary for the Viséan-Serpukhovian, Moscovian-Kasimovian Stratotypes”, held on the 15–22 August 2017 in and Kasimovian-Gzhelian boundaries provided by the Turkestan, Kazakhstan. The last one was The Kazan task group leaders and members, results of Golovkinsky Stratigraphic Meeting joint with Fourth International Conferences (“Uppermost Devonian and All-Russian Conference “Upper Palaeozoic of Carboniferous carbonate buildups and boundary Russia”, held in Kazan, Russia on the 19-23 stratotypes”) held in Kazakhstan, and the conference/ September 2017. field-workshop schedule for 2018 and 2019 along with themes and anticipated results. The ICOS 4, jointly with the International Subcommission on Devonian Stratigraphy (SDS) and In October 2015, we learnt of the sad news about the International Subcommission on Silurian (ISSS), the loss of long-term SCCS member Dr. Harold covered all aspects of conodonts, and the Devonian Richard Lane. He was a leading expert for and Silurian events, stratigraphy and palaeontology. Carboniferous conodonts and stratigrapher, and a The ICOS 4 included five days of scientific sessions respected program director in NSF. There is an and fifteen days of field trips to the most famous obituary for Rich in this Newsletter, and SCCS Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian and Carboniferous members Jim Barrick and Paul Brenckle had been outcrops in Central Pyrenees, Iberian Range, Prague preparing a memorial volume in Stratigraphy in honor Synform and Carnic Alps. The meeting provided a of Rich, which contains many papers on Devonian and great opportunity for all conodont workers to present Carboniferous stratigraphy and conodonts, and should and exchange their ideas. During the meeting, five be issued in 2018. distinguish conodont researchers were awarded the In early December 2017, SCCS Chairman Pander Medals. Since the ICOS 4 was joint with SDS Xiangdong Wang submitted the official annual report and ISSS meetings, only few SCCS members attended of Subcommission on Carboniferous Stratigraphy for this meeting and reported on: the conodont fauna 2016-2017 to the International Commission of around the DCB in South China, study progress on the Stratigraphy (ICS). The income of SCCS in this fiscal candidate GSSP for the Visean—Serpukhovian year includes the funds carried forward from 2015- boundary and Mid-Carboniferous conodonts and their 2016 ($ 1, 732) and the grant from ICS ($ 800), and evolution in South China. Results of recent work and the total number is $2,532. The main expenditures in their abstracts were published in the conference 2017 include the support for the International abstract volume (Liao and Valenzuela-Ríos, eds., conference “Uppermost Devonian and Carboniferous 2017). carbonate buildups and boundary stratotypes” in The International Conference “Uppermost Almaty and Turkestan, Kazhakstan (August 15-22, Devonian and Carboniferous Carbonate Buildups and 2017) and the Newsletter’s editing, printing and Boundary Stratotypes” in Kazakhstan was co- mailing, with a total amount of $ 2182. As for the organized by the K.I. Satpayev Institute of Geological budget in 2017-2018, the executive committee plan to Sciences and SCCS. Approximate 40 participants, apply for $3,450 from ICS to support SCCS voting including 4 current voting members, Markus Aretz, members, executives, and students to participating in Hans-Georg Herbig, Yuping Qi and Wenkun Qie, the 5th IPC (July 9th to 13th, 2018) and to edit and former SCCS chair Dr. Barry Richard, and former VM print the SCCS Newsletter 2018. Elena Kulagina, attended the meeting and visited the Results from Conferences and field meetings Upper Devonian (Famennian) and Carboniferous reef during November 1, 2016-October 31, 2017 : deposits in the northwestern part of the Bolshoi Karatau Mountains. These successions also expose 2 Volume 33 boundaries of the Carboniferous stages. Detailed Next important Carboniferous meetings: results of this meeting were published on the abstracts The 5th International Palaeontological and fieldtrip guidebook. Conference , Paris, 2018 The Kazan Golovkinsky Stratigraphic Meeting During the 2018, there will be several 2017 was organized in the Kazan Federal University, conferences and field meetings in which the SCCS and covered all aspects of Upper Paleozoic membership will participate but the most stratigraphy, bioevents, taxonomy, Nonmarine-Marine important one is the 5th IPC in Paris, France, correlation, the evolution of sedimentary basins and during July 9th to 13th. The task group for the their resources and other related fields. It aimed to redefinition of the base of the Carboniferous will provide a platform for discussion of research fields hold a workshop to discuss recent advances in the and for international exchange of ideas between new potential boundary criteria proposed in the research groups working on Upper Paleozoic. The last group meeting in Montpellier, 2016. Two post SCCS Chairman Xiangdong Wang, and the SCCS VM -conference fieldtrips (FT7 & FT8) are dedicated and CM Alexander S. Alekseev, Elena I. Kulagina etc. to the Paleozoic successions in France and were present. The meeting included three days of oral Belgium, and the Carboniferous MoNTCEAU- and poster presentations and several days of field trips LES-MINES LAGERSTäTTE in French Massif to the Carboniferous and Permian outcrops of Volga Central. Region. Several business meetings and workshops The 19th International Congress on the were also held during the meeting. SCCS members Carboniferous and Permian, Cologne, 2019 presented their latest research results, e.g. the In the summer of 2019, the XIX International problems of Bashkirian/Moscovian boundary Congress on the Carboniferous and Permian (Alexander S. Alekseev); the fusulinids data from (ICCP) will be held during July 29th and August Bashkirian/Moscovian boundary interval of Basu 2nd in Cologne, Germany at the Institute of section (Elena I. Kulagina); the updated Carboniferous Geology and Mineralogy, University of Cologne. chronostratigraphic scheme of China (Xiangdong It will include four days of scientific sessions and Wang) and other important issues. Their abstracts a mid-congress field trip. Pre-congress and post- were published in the conference abstract volume congress field trips are planned to visit (Nurgaliev et al., eds., 2017). Carboniferous and