About the SQS
The Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy (SQS) is a constituent body of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), the largest scientific organisation within the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS).
The SQS exists to promote and co-ordinate international co-operation and integration by applying the statutary scientific goals of the ICS to the Quaternary – the most recent geological system, the last 2.6 Ma:
- the establishment and publication of a standard and global geological time-scale for the Quaternary and the preparation and publication of global correlation charts,
- the unification of regional chronostratigraphical nomenclature by organising and documenting stratigraphical units on a global scale,
- the promotion of education in stratigraphical methods, and the dissemination of stratigraphical knowledge,
- the evaluation of new stratigraphical methods and their integration into a multidisciplinary stratigraphy, and
- the definition of principles of stratigraphical classification, terminology and procedure and their publication in guides and glossaries.
Collaborations
SQS closely collaborates with the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA) to address the stratigraphic needs of the global Quaternary community. Partnerships include:
- SACCOM: ongoing collaboration,
- SEQS: active collaboration since late 2024.
Enquiries
Please direct all enquries about the SQS to:
Dr Fabienne Marret-Davies
Quaternary Subcommission Secretary
University of Liverpool
f.marret@liverpool.ac.uk