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

Christian Meister; Martin Aberhan; Joachim Blau; Jean-Louis Dommergues; Susanne Feist-Burkhardt; Ernie A. Hailwood; Malcom Hart; Stephen P. Hesselbo; Mark W. Hounslow; Mark Hylton; Nicol Morton; Kevin Page; Greg D. Price

doi:10.18814/epiiugs/2006/v29i2/003

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Episodes 2006; 29(2): 93-106

Published online June 1, 2006

https://doi.org/10.18814/epiiugs/2006/v29i2/003

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

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, Greg D. Price⁷

¹Département 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
²Museum der Naturkunde, Zentralinstitut der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institut für Paläontolgie, 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
⁵Department 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
⁸Department 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
¹⁰Le Chardon, Quartier Brugière, F-07200 Vogüé, France. E-mail: nicol.morton@wanadoo.fr

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Following votes by the Pliensbachian Working Group, the Jurassic Subcommission and the International Commission on Stratigraphy, IUGS ratified 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 significant temperature drop (~5 °C) 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 first 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.