Working Group on the Early/Middle Pleistocene Boundary
Co-convenors: Professor Brad Pillans (Canberra), Professor Martin Head (St.Catherine’s, Canada)
Members:
Professor Thijs Van Kolfshoten (Leiden)
Professor Anastasia Markova (Moscow)
Professor Jiaqi Lui (Beijing)
Dr Charles Turner (Cambridge)
Dr Luc Lourens (Utrecht)
Dr Cesare Ravazzi (Bergamo)
Professor Luca Capraro (Padova, Italy)
Dr Craig Feibel (New Jersey)
Dr Tom Meijer (Leiden)
Professor Hisao Kumai (Osaka, Japan)
Professor Neri Ciaranfi (Bari, Italy)
Dr. Yoshiki Saito (Ibaraki, Japan)
Early Pleistocene Subseries subdivision
Calabrian Stage GSSP
A matter that was omitted from the formal voting by the SQS and therefore IUGS, the GSSP for the Calabrian Stage. The ‘Quaternary’ proposal requested, inter alia, that the Calabrian Stage be officially recognised with its base defined by the Vrica GSSP in Calabria (the previous base of the Pleistocene). Although this request was included in the ballot voted on and accepted by the SQS, it failed to appear on the ballot sent to the ICS voting membership due to an oversight. Hence, while all scientific and technical requirements for acceptance of the Calabrian Stage have otherwise been met (Cita et al., 2008), it must be approved by the ICS and then ratified by the IUGS. The chairman invited Professor Maria Bianca Cita to compile a proposal on behalf of the Subcommission for establishment of a basal GSSP for the Calabrian Stage for the first time. This proposal was submitted to ICS for ratification on 29 November 2010.
The Calabrian Stage was formally ratified by IUGS Executive on 5.12.11.