The term Tertiary, subdivided into the Paleogene and Neogene, is traditionally used to represent the interval of geological time between the Cretaceous and Quaternary. In the 1990s, however, the Neogene and Paleogene ...The term Tertiary, subdivided into the Paleogene and Neogene, is traditionally used to represent the interval of geological time between the Cretaceous and Quaternary. In the 1990s, however, the Neogene and Paleogene were ratified by the International Union of Geological Sciences as periods/systems of the Cenozoic Era/Erathem, leaving the Tertiary officially undefined. The Tertiary nonetheless remains a formal term that has never been officially eliminated, and its widespread use today implies a long future.展开更多
The Quaternary, is characterised by the development of widespread glaciations in mid-northern latitudes. As a chronostratigraphic term it has attracted vigorous debate. The Quaternao; as accepted by the International ...The Quaternary, is characterised by the development of widespread glaciations in mid-northern latitudes. As a chronostratigraphic term it has attracted vigorous debate. The Quaternao; as accepted by the International Union for Quaternary Research and proposed by the International Commission on Stratigraphy, begins at 2.6 Ma within a 2.8-2.4 Ma interval of profound change in Earth＇s climate system.展开更多
A stable, standard geologic time scale is indispensable for the clear and precise communication among geologists; it is a basic tool of geologic work. Considerable progress has been made to achieve such a stable time ...A stable, standard geologic time scale is indispensable for the clear and precise communication among geologists; it is a basic tool of geologic work. Considerable progress has been made to achieve such a stable time scale. However, during the last few years several proposals have been made to modify the Cenozoic section of the geologic time scale that threaten to destabilize it. Seven articles published in Episodes since 2000 that could contribute to this destabilization are discussed. They provide excellent examples of the profusion of different terminologies, hierarchies, and stratigraphic relationships that have been proposed： to eliminate the Tertiary and the Quaternary or to raise their rank to suberathems; to extend the Neogene to the present; to make the Quaternary a formal subsystem of the Neogene, or consider it an informal stratigraphic unit; to eliminate the Holocene, and to decouple the base of the Pleistocene from the base of the Quaternary. If adopted, these proposals would cause nothing but great confusion and controversy. They disregard the clear preferences of geologists the world over as reflected by the terminology they have been using for many decades. Common sense would dictate the continued use of this terminology in its current, widely accepted form.展开更多
文摘The term Tertiary, subdivided into the Paleogene and Neogene, is traditionally used to represent the interval of geological time between the Cretaceous and Quaternary. In the 1990s, however, the Neogene and Paleogene were ratified by the International Union of Geological Sciences as periods/systems of the Cenozoic Era/Erathem, leaving the Tertiary officially undefined. The Tertiary nonetheless remains a formal term that has never been officially eliminated, and its widespread use today implies a long future.
文摘The Quaternary, is characterised by the development of widespread glaciations in mid-northern latitudes. As a chronostratigraphic term it has attracted vigorous debate. The Quaternao; as accepted by the International Union for Quaternary Research and proposed by the International Commission on Stratigraphy, begins at 2.6 Ma within a 2.8-2.4 Ma interval of profound change in Earth＇s climate system.
文摘A stable, standard geologic time scale is indispensable for the clear and precise communication among geologists; it is a basic tool of geologic work. Considerable progress has been made to achieve such a stable time scale. However, during the last few years several proposals have been made to modify the Cenozoic section of the geologic time scale that threaten to destabilize it. Seven articles published in Episodes since 2000 that could contribute to this destabilization are discussed. They provide excellent examples of the profusion of different terminologies, hierarchies, and stratigraphic relationships that have been proposed： to eliminate the Tertiary and the Quaternary or to raise their rank to suberathems; to extend the Neogene to the present; to make the Quaternary a formal subsystem of the Neogene, or consider it an informal stratigraphic unit; to eliminate the Holocene, and to decouple the base of the Pleistocene from the base of the Quaternary. If adopted, these proposals would cause nothing but great confusion and controversy. They disregard the clear preferences of geologists the world over as reflected by the terminology they have been using for many decades. Common sense would dictate the continued use of this terminology in its current, widely accepted form.
