Vol. 29 No.2 June 2006

Journal of International Geoscience

Published by the International Union of Geological Sciences

by Christian Meister1, Martin Aberhan2, Joachim Blau3, Jean-Louis Dommergues4,
Susanne Feist-Burkhardt5, Ernie A. Hailwood6, Malcom Hart7, Stephen P. Hesselbo8,
Mark W. Hounslow9, Mark Hylton7, Nicol Morton10, Kevin Page7, and Greg D. Price7

The Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point
(GSSP) for the base of the Pliensbachian Stage
(Lower Jurassic), Wine Haven, Yorkshire, UK

1 Département de Géologie et de Paléontologie, 1, route de Malagnou, c.p. 6434, CH-1211 Genève 6, Switzerland. E-mail: christian.meister@mhn.ville-ge.ch
2 Museum der Naturkunde, Zentralinstitut der Humboldt-Universit鋞 zu Berlin, Institut für Pal鋙ntolgie, Invalidenstr. 43, D-10115 Berlin, Germany. E-mail: martin.aberhan@rz.hu-berlin.de
3 Institut für Geowissenschaften, Diezstrasse 15, D-35390 Giessen, Germany. E-mail: joachim.blau@geolo.uni-giessen.de
4 Centre des Sciences de la Terre de l’Université de Bourgogne, UMR CNRS 5561: Paléontologie analytique et Géologie sédimentaire, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, F-21100 Dijon. France. E-mail: jean-louis.dommergues@u-bourgogne.fr
5 Department of Palaeontology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK. E-mail: S.Feist-Burkhardt@nhm.ac.uk
6 Core Magnetics, The Green, Sedbergh, Cumbria, LA10 5JS, UK. E-mail: hailwood@coremagnetics.com
7 Department of Geological Sciences, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, Devon PL4 8AA, UK. E-mail: M.Hart@plymouth.ac.uk; KevinP@bello-page.fsnet.co.uk
8 Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PR, UK. E-mail: stephen.hesselbo@earth.ox.ac.uk
9 CEMP, Geography Dept. Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, Lancaster, UK. LA1 4YB.E-mail: m.Hounslow@lancaster.ac.uk
10 Le Chardon, Quartier Brugière, F-07200 Vogüé, France. E-mail: nicol.morton@wanadoo.fr

Abstract 

 Following votes by the Pliensbachian Working Group, the Jurassic Subcommission and the International Commission on Stratigraphy, IUGS rati.ed the proposed Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the base of the Pliensbachian Stage (Lower Jurassic) at the base of bed 73b in the Wine Haven section, Robin Hood's Bay, Yorkshire Coast, UK. This level contains the characteristic ammonite association Bifericeras donovani Dommergues and Meister and Apoderoceras sp. Complementary data include: a) Strontium-isotope stratigraphy, based on analysis of belemnites which yield a calcite 87Sr/86Sr ratio for the boundary level of 0.707425 and data supporting interpretation of continuous sedimentation; b) Belemnite oxygen-isotope data indicate a signi.cant temperature drop (~5 oC) across the boundary at this locality; c) A Transgressive Systems Tract (TST) initiated in the Aplanatum Subzone (uppermost Sinemurian) continues into the Lowermost Pliensbachian (Taylori Subzone); it forms part of a transgressive facies cycle sensu Graciansky et al. (1998); d) The Upper Sinemurian to lowermost Pliensbachian at Wine Haven section has a predominantly normal magnetic polarity, but two discrete reversed polarity magnetozones are present. The .rst spans much of the latest Sinemurian Aplanatum Subzone. It terminates <0.5m below the Sinemurian-Pliensbachian boundary and may prove a valuable chronostratigraphic marker. The second extends from the latest Oxynotum Subzone probably through to the lower part of the Raricostatum Subzone.

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