new constraint on the division of cambrian time a u pb zircon age of 530 7 0 9 ma for a volcanic ash in the lower placentian series of the avalonian terrane in southern new brunswick provides a precise point for calibration of early cambrian biologic evolution the ash is from the middle rusophycus avalonensis zone in saint john new brunswick this date is on subtrilobitic lower cambrian strata that may be approximately correlative with the sub tommotian manykaian stage of siberia and the lowest meishucunian stage of the south china platform this age when combined with published geochronologic data from the cambrian suggests that the manykaian stage may have lasted approximately 13 m y and that the tommotian may have been considerably shorter

asperities and barriers on the seismogenic zone in north chile state of the art after the 2007 mw 7 7 tocopilla earthquake inferred by gps and insar data the mw 7 7 2007 november 14 earthquake had an epicentre located close to the city of tocopilla at the southern end of a known seismic gap in north chile through modelling of global positioning system gps and radar interferometry insar data we show that this event ruptured the deeper part of the seismogenic interface 30 50 km and did not reach the surface the earthquake initiated at the hypocentre and was arrested 150 km south beneath the mejillones peninsula an area already identified as an important structural barrier between two segments of the peru chile subduction zone our preferred models for the tocopilla main shock show slip concentrated in two main asperities consistent with previous inversions of seismological data slip appears to have propagated towards relatively shallow depths at its southern extremity under the mejillones peninsula our analysis of post seismic deformation suggests that small but still significant post seismic slip occurred within the first 10 d after the main shock and that it was mostly concentrated at the southern end of the rupture the post seismic deformation occurring in this period represents 12 19 per cent of the coseismic deformation of which 30 55 per cent has been released aseismically post seismic slip appears to concentrate within regions that exhibit low coseismic slip suggesting that the afterslip distribution during the first month of the post seismic interval complements the coseismic slip the 2007 tocopilla earthquake released only 2 5 per cent of the moment deficit accumulated on the interface during the past 130 yr and may be regarded as a possible precursor of a larger subduction earthquake rupturing partially or completely the 500 km long north chile seismic gap

time specific black mudstones and global hyperwarming on the cambrian ordovician slope and shelf of the laurentia palaeocontinent abstract the early paleozoic featured nine intervals of strong expansion of an upper slope dysoxic anoxic d a water mass with eustatic rise or epeirogenic transgression strong expansion of this d a water mass led to deposition of time specific macroscale alternations of dark grey black mudstone within oxic green to red mudstone on the middle lower slope this d a facies even onlapped warm carbonate and cool water siliciclastic shelves as in the mesozoic d a muds were deposited in shallow water perhaps tens of metres deep with sea level rise these nine d a macroscale alternations correspond to intervals of global hyperwarming times of very intense greenhouse conditions that resulted from a feedback initiated by higher insolation and heat storage as shallow seas onlap tropical palaeocontinents warm epeiric seas heated the ocean and thermal expansion accelerated eustatic rise ever more extensive epeiric seas heightened oceanic and global temperature as heat storage capacity increased deep ocean circulation intensity fell below that of a greenhouse interval and lead to d a deposition low on the slope and on the platforms to provide the signature of global hyperwarming global hyperwarming differs from a hothouse interval as it does not require co 2 input from large igneous provinces to produce high temperatures and never shows deep sea anoxia late ordovician and late devonian black mudstones that cover much of laurentia record epeirogenic transgressions that led to global hyperwarming and suggest that cold water upwelling or plant terrestrialisation had nothing to do with epeiric sea anoxia global hyperwarming reduced oxygen solubility in these seas and erosion of orogens produced muddy water that limited light penetration and promoted shallow water anoxia the global hyperwarming hypothesis means that relative eustatic and epeirogenic sea levels complement the effect of global pco 2 on climate and sea level must also be regarded as a primary driver of phanerozoic climate

duration of the early cambrian u pb ages of volcanic ashes from avalon and gondwana volcanic zircons from three ashes give a u pb date of 511 1 ma on trilobite bearing upper lower cambrian upper branchian series strata of southern new brunswick that correlate into the siberian middle botomian toyonian stage interval this very young age on the late but not latest early cambrian of avalon is consistent both with a 519 1 ma age on the older caerfai bay shales of south wales that are tentatively correlated into strata with the oldest avalonian trilobites lower branchian and with a 517 1 5 ma age on the antatlasia gutta pluviae zone trilobites of morocco determination of a 522 2 ma zircon age on the moroccan subtrilobitic lower cambrian lie de vin formation is consistent with an earlier reported 521 7 ma age from the lie de vin but suggests that a 526 4 ma age on australian trilobite bearing lower cambrian rocks may be too old a 33 ma duration of the avalonian early cambrian and an 8 ma length of the avalonian trilobite bearing lower cambrian support proposals that

stable isotopic calibration of the earliest skeletal fossil assemblages in eastern siberia precambrian cambrian boundary sections from the eastern margin of the siberian platform provide important reference sections for stable isotopic correlation of the newly defined precambrian cambrian boundary level since they contain some of the earliest pre tommotian shelly fossil assemblages known and are amenable to 13 c stratigraphy stable isotopes are examined from the dvortsy and ulakhan sulugur sections river aldan where sparse pre tommotian assemblages occur and from the uchur river region where the putative anabarites trisulcatus and purella antiqua zones of the nemakit daldynian stage are well developed diagenetic resetting of 18 o and 13 c must be taken into account when comparing such sections simple corrections allow for stable isotopic correlation of basal nemakit daldynian and tommotian strata across eastern siberia

three new upper cambrian stages for north america the existing upper cambrian stages for north america are obsolete three new stratotype defined stages are equivalent to and replace three successive biomeres marjuman stage replaces marjumiid biomere lower boundary at base ptychagnostus atavis zone steptoean stage replaces pterocephaliid biomere lower boundary at base aphelaspis zone sunwaptan stage replaces ptychaspid biomere lower boundary at base irvingella major subzone the base of the overlying ibexian series is placed at the base of the eurekia apopsis subzone

global correlation of the early cambrian of south australia shelly fauna of the dailyatia odyssei zone a lack of well resolved biostratigraphic data has prevented robust regional and global correlation of lower cambrian successions from south australia a new early cambrian biostratigraphy based on data derived from 21 measured stratigraphic sections and drill cores 11 described herein reveals the abundance and diversity of shelly fauna from the arrowie basin and the value of early cambrian small shelly fossils ssf for biostratigraphic studies here we examine shelly fauna associated with the youngest of three recently established biozones the dailyatia odyssei taxon range zone hereafter d odyssei zone and their correlative potential the d odyssei zone features a diverse suite of tommotiids organophosphatic brachiopods bradoriid arthropods molluscs and phosphatic problematica this fauna permits strong correlation often at species level with other major early cambrian terranes particularly antarctica south china and laurentia and suggest a cambrian series 2 stages 3 4 age for the d odyssei zone bradoriids have proven to be useful biostratigraphic tools four new species and three new genera are described herein acutobalteus sinuosus gen et sp nov eozhexiella adnyamathanha gen et sp nov manawarra jonesi gen et sp nov and mongolitubulus descensus sp nov the description of eohadrotreta sp cf zhenbaensis represents the first occurrence of the acrotretoid brachiopod eohadrotreta from australia

early cambrian chronostratigraphy and geochronology of south australia abstract the most successful chronostratigraphic correlation methods enlist multiple proxies such as biostratigraphy and chemostratigraphy to constrain the timing of globally important bio and geo events here we present the first regional high resolution shelly fossil biostratigraphy integrated with 13c chemostratigraphy and corresponding 18o data from the traditional lower cambrian terreneuvian and provisional cambrian series 2 of south australia the global zhuce shice positive excursions ii and iii and the care are captured in lower cambrian successions from the arrowie and stansbury basins the south australian shelly fossil biostratigraphy has a consistent relationship with the 13c results bolstering interpretation identification and correlation of the excursions positive excursion ii straddles the boundary between the kulparina rostrata and micrina etheridgei zones and the care straddles the boundary between the m etheridgei and dailyatia odyssei zones peaking in the lower parts of the latter zone new ca tims zircon dates from the upper hawker group and billy creek formation provide geochronologic calibration points for the upper d odyssei zone and corresponding chemostratigraphic curve embedding the lower cambrian successions from south australia into a global chronostratigraphic context this multi proxy investigation demonstrates the power of integrated methods for developing regional biostratigraphic schemes and facilitating robust global correlation of lower cambrian successions from south australia part of east gondwana with coeval terranes on other cambrian palaeocontinents including south and north china siberia laurentia avalonia and west gondwana

the mw 8 0 antofagasta northern chile earthquake of 30 july 1995 a precursor to the end of the large 1877 gap abstract an m w 8 0 earthquake occurred on 30 july 1995 in the antofagasta region northern chile the main rupture corresponding to thrust faulting developed from 10 to 50 km in depth along the subduction interface between the nazca and the south american plates the 1995 earthquake took place just south of the large seismic gap where a great earthquake m 9 had occurred in 1877 most of the 1995 rupture was located within a local network consisting of nine short period stations that had been previously installed at the southern end of the 1877 gap and the aftershock sequence could be accurately monitored little destruction resulted from the 1995 earthquake in spite of its large size ground acceleration in antofagasta reached 29 of gravity a tsunami wave 2 to 2 5 m high was observed along the coast from mejillones to taltal one strong foreshock m w 6 2 occurred in the 1995 hypocentral region 6 months before the main event body wave modeling of broadband seismograms from the global network along with the analysis of the aftershock distribution allows us to propose a well constrained model for the whole rupture process some additional details of the rupture were obtained from an accelerometer record at antofagasta the main rupture started as a double even with thrust mechanism below the southern part of the mejillones peninsula and it propagated southward in a n200 e direction with an average velocity of 2 8 km sec it ended near the trench in normal faulting the total rupture area and seismic moment are 185 90 km 2 and 1 2 10 28 dyne cm respectively the aftershock distribution delineates a well defined rupture surface along the subduction interface the distribution of epicenters during the first 20 h of aftershock activity shows a sharp northern boundary beneath the mejillones peninsula hence the 1995 main rupture did not propagate north of the mejillones peninsula into the 1877 gap aftershocks during the following 2 weeks indicate a growth of the initial rupture zone toward the north the mechanisms of the strongest aftershocks are similar to that of the mainshock the down dip termination of the main rupture corresponds to the maximum depth 50 km of the region that had been identified as the locked part of the subduction interface from the analysis of the microseismicity recorded by the local network prior to the 1995 event a well constrained dislocation model is proposed for the 1995 main rupture which produces surface displacements in good agreement with available observations of coastal uplift and gps measurements the dislocation model as well as global positioning system gps measurements indicate that the 1995 earthquake generated e w extension in the coastal region of antofagasta the atacama fault located 40 to 50 km above the 1995 main rupture showed small fresh surface ruptures near sierra remiendos 70 km to the sse of antofagasta with a maximum vertical offset of 20 cm this offset corresponds to normal faulting which is in agreement with the e w co seismic extension the mejillones peninsula appears to be the surface expression of a barrier that interrupted the propagation of the 1995 rupture to the north into the region of the 1877 gap modeling of static stress changes induced by the antofagasta earthquake indicates an increase in compressive stresses along a direction transverse to the trench immediately to the north of the 1995 rupture surface thus the chances for the reactivation of the 1877 gap after this event are greater now

the lower middle cambrian stages and stratotypes from the iberian peninsula a revision lower middle cambrian regional stages of the iberian peninsula cordubian ovetian marianian bilbilian acadoparadoxides and solenopleuropsidae stages are now reconsidered in the light of new stratigraphic and palaeontological trace fossils trilobites and archaeocyaths studies these stages are re described with selected stratotypes and chronostratigraphic boundaries the names leonian and caesaraugustian are formally proposed to replace the provisional stages of acadoparadoxides and solenopleuropsidae respectively a correlation chart of the lower middle cambrian lithostratigraphic units from the iberian peninsula is also presented two regessive transgressive cycles are proposed to explain the lithological and palaeontological peculiarities through the lower middle cambrian sequence in the iberian peninsula

an integrated crustal velocity field for the central andes 1 we present an integrated velocity field for the central andes derived from gps observations collected between january 1993 and march 2001 that eliminates the velocity bias between the south america nazca plate project snapp and central andes gps project cap velocity fields published by norabuena et al 1998 and bevis et al 1999 the reference frame is realized by minimizing the motion of eight continuous gps stations and one rover gps station located in the stable core of the south american plate the rms horizontal motion of these stations is just 1 1 mm yr the amplitude of these residual motions is roughly compatible with expected levels of measurement error in our new solution five of the six snapp stations located just outside the orogenic belt are effectively stationary and the velocities for adjacent cap and snapp stations now agree at a level consistent with their formal uncertainties

integrated stratigraphic geochemical and paleontological late ediacaran to early cambrian records from southwestern mongolia comment global correlation of sedimentary rock successions requires an integrated approach that uses all fossil based and alternative lithostratigraphic geochemical paleomagnetic geochronologic sequence stratigraphic data e g van couvering and berggren 1977 proposed global correlations and their role in interpreting earth and biotic history require a thorough examination of the utility and temporal resolution allowed by each correlation technique in comparison to the others the article by smith et al 2016 is a welcome contribution to understanding the upper ediacaran lower cambrian succession of the zavkhan terrane in the khasagt khairkhan range of southwestern mongolia their work complements earlier syntheses on the zavkhan terrane completed by soviet mongolian teams e g voronin et al 1982 esakova and zhegallo 1996 and under international geoscience programme igcp project 303 late precambrian cambrian event stratigraphy brasier et al 1996a see associated papers in geological magazine v 133 no 4

the earliest occurrence of trilobites and brachiopods in the cambrian of laurentia abstract the first trilobite to appear in laurentia is a new form resembling the siberian trilobite repinaella the lack of favorable lithologic environment for some distance below suggests that this occurrence is likely to be the oldest in western nevada the trilobites occur on siltstone surfaces and as rare molds in small leached carbonate nodules at parasequence flooding surfaces associated brachiopods are locally abundant these parasequences occur in the lower part of a 50 5 m siliciclastic unit near the top of the andrews mountain member of the campito formation that contains considerable light colored quartzite trace fossils are common and diverse in this interval which is interpreted as a lowstand systems tract below this interval the quartzite is dark gray to dark greenish gray with limited bioturbation of siltstone interbeds suggesting deposition in a dysoxic environment above the trilobite brachiopod bearing interval the siliciclastics are greenish gray also relatively dysoxic and barren of body fossils trilobites reappear suddenly in relative abundance 57 m above first as an eofallotaspis like form marking the base of the montezuman stage then as several species of fallotaspis the occurrence of cf repinaella is approximately correlative with the earliest trilobites in siberia and western gondwana

the middle lower cambrian ovetian lunagraulos n gen from spain and the oldest trilobite records the type material of agraulos antiquus sdzuy 1961 from the la herreria formation northern spain is revised together with additional material and included in the new genus lunagraulos the stratigraphical range of lunagraulos antiquus sdzuy 1961 occurring below that of the trilobite species of the genera lunolenus metadoxides and dolerolenus in the type locality of los barrios de luna in the province of leon northern spain and the accompanying ichnofossil assemblage demonstrate an ovetian age lower part of cambrian stage 3 currently being discussed by the international subcommission on cambrian stratigraphy for this species moreover the trilobite lunagraulos tamamensis n gen n sp is found in the tamames sandstone near the village of la rinconada in the province of salamanca central spain the biostratigraphical position of this new taxon and its accompanying ichnoassemblage is also analysed and assigned to the lowermost ovetian stage the genus lunagraulos is therefore the oldest agraulid found in the fossil record the exceptional presence of lunagraulos in a marine coarse siliciclastic succession a facies rather typical for the ichnofossils cruziana and rusophycus some of the oldest signs of trilobite activity suggests that first trilobite representatives may have inhabited high to middle energy marine environments this hypothesis may also explain both the taxonomic and biostratigraphic heterogeneity of the first trilobite genera appearing across the world due to preservation problems in this type of facies comparison of the lunagraulo s biostratigraphy with other coeval spanish fossil assemblages allows us to propose its intercontinental correlation with the oldest records of currently known trilobites

chronology of early cambrian biomineralization data on the first appearances of major animal groups with mineralized skeletons on the siberian platform and worldwide are revised and summarized herein with references to an improved carbon isotope stratigraphy and radiometric dating in order to reconstruct the cambrian radiation popularly known as the cambrian explosion with a higher precision and provide a basis for the definition of cambrian stages 2 to 4 the lophotrochozoa and probably chaetognatha were first among protostomians to achieve biomineralization during the terreneuvian epoch mainly the fortunian age fast evolutionary radiation within the lophotrochozoa was followed by radiation of the sclerotized and biomineralized ecdysozoa during stage 3 the first mineralized skeletons of the deuterostomia represented by echinoderms appeared in the middle of cambrian stage 3 the fossil record of sponges and cnidarians suggests that they acquired biomineralized skeletons in the late neoproterozoic but diversification of both definite sponges and cnidarians was in parallel to that of bilaterians the distribution of calcium carbonate skeletal mineralogies from the upper ediacaran to lower cambrian reflects fluctuations in the global ocean chemistry and shows that the cambrian radiation occurred mainly during a time of aragonite and high magnesium calcite seas

on the strength of interplate coupling and the rate of back arc convergence in the central andes an analysis of the interseismic velocity field 1 we interpret the interseismic crustal velocity field of the central andes using a simple three plate model in which the andean mountain belt is treated as a rigid microplate located between the nazca and south american soam plates we assume that the euler vectors associated with these plates are strictly coaxial and that the surface velocity field can be decomposed into an elastic loading field driven by locking of the main plate boundary and a smaller contribution associated with back arc convergence we obtain our best fit to the geodetic velocities if the main plate boundary is fully 100 locked between depths of 10 50 km and 8 5 of nazca soam plate convergence is achieved in the back arc by underthrusting of the brazilian shield beneath the subandean zone

small shelly fossils from the basal emigrant formation cambrian uppermost dyeran stage of split mountain nevada a latest early cambrian fauna of helcionelloid molluscs and small shelly fossils from the basal emigrant formation of nevada is described the fauna is the first of its kind to be described from trilobite bearing strata in the great basin and is well preserved but of limited diversity at the specific level the assemblage is largely endemic but it contains several genera with global distribution in the lower and middle cambrian costipelagiella nevadense n sp in the fauna is the oldest representative of the widespread but little known genus costipelagiella horn 1964 two additional new taxa are described anabarella chelata n sp and parkula esmeraldina n sp

a proposed nomenclature for stages and series for the cambrian of laurentia an internally consistent succession of six named regional stages from youngest to oldest sunwaptan steptoean marjuman delamaran dyeran montezuman with their boundaries defined by regional extinction events within the trilobite record is proposed for the trilobite bearing rocks of laurentia sub trilobite stage s are recommended but unnamed the three youngest stages have been named previously but the lower boundary of the marjuman is shifted downward the three older stages within the trilobite record are new if deemed necessary four regional series are also suggested from youngest to oldest millardan lincolnian waucoban and begadean each of the three youngest series accommodates two stages

neoproterozoic to early cambrian small shelly fossil assemblages and a revised biostratigraphic correlation of the yangtze platform china abstract small shelly fossils ssfs occur widely on the yangtze platform and have great potential for biostratigraphic subdivision of pre trilobitic early cambrian strata based on the ssf record of the shallow water realm five biozones can be recognized for the meishucunian stage in ascending order the biozones are anabarites trisulcatus protohertzina anabarica assemblage zone paragloborilus subglobosus purella squamulosa assemblage zone watsonella crosbyi assemblage zone formerly heraultipegma yunnanensis zone poorly fossiliferous interzone sinosachites flabelliformis tannuolina zhangwentangi assemblage zone in addition one ssf biozone is recognized for the overlying qiongzhusian stage pelagiella subangulata taxon range zone the formerly used siphogonuchites triangularis paragloborilus subglobosus zone and heraultipegma yunnanensis zone are discussed and redefined approximately 80 species of ssfs were screened for their spatial and temporal distribution on the yangtze platform variations in lithofacies and biofacies can be recognized throughout the yangtze platform extending over an area of 2000 900 km in a deeper water shelf setting the first zone is represented by the protohertzina anabarica kaiyangites novilis assemblage zone while younger zones are not recognized in the southern region at the northern platform margin the qiongzhusian is represented by the ninella tarimensis cambroclavus fangxianensis assemblage zone and the rhombocorniculum cancellatum taxon range zone the southeastern shaanxi western hubei region followed a slightly different lithological and faunal development than the rest of yangtze platform indicating a stronger similarity with parts of east gondwana some taxa such as w crosbyi p subangulata r cancellatum microdictyon effusum a trisulcatus protohertzina unguliformis and p anabarica occur nearly worldwide and support an international correlation of early cambrian sequences between the yangtze platform and smaller west gondwanan blocks siberia newfoundland and australia the six investigated zones of the yangtze platform comprise an interval spanning the early nemakit daldynian to the late atdabanian early botoman stage on the siberian platform palaeobiogeographic analysis revealed a strong taxic similarity between the yangtze platform and the tarim platform a smaller number of species are shared with other west gondwanan platform fragments such as india and iran palaeobiogeographic results do not support the previously reported position of the south china block between australia and siberia during the early cambrian

normal upper plate fault reactivation in northern chile and the subduction earthquake cycle from geological observations and static coulomb failure stress cfs change abstract the northern chile subduction zone constitutes a seismic gap where no great interplate earthquakes mw 8 8 have nucleated since 1877 active normal faulting occurs conspicuously in the coastal forearc at the southern end of this gap between 22 7 s and 24 s there upper crustal extension is present right above a suggested subduction segment boundary of the nazca south america interplate contact in this work by using coulomb failure stress change cfs models we explore the effects of coseismic and interseismic stages of the subduction earthquake cycle on the reactivation of pre existing upper plate normal faults in this area we attempt to unravel the first order interplate conditions required to explain this extensional pattern putting specific focus on the influence of the megathrust segmentation defined by the mejillones peninsula it is suggested that the restricted occurrence of active normal faulting in the study area is tightly related to the structure of the interplate seismogenic zone positive cfs values are induced in the study area by the coseismic and interseismic stages of the subduction earthquake cycle in a region characterized by lower coupling beneath the mejillones peninsula we propose that fault reactivation in this zone is particularly favored during the coseismic stage by earthquakes occurring offshore of the mejillones peninsula and surrounding areas in the adjacent subduction segments coseismic and interseismic cfs values tend to counterbalance each other resulting in no tensional conditions capable to cause normal fault reactivation we suggest that the coupling variation in the seismogenic zone is long term controlled by the geological structure of the upper plate

the link between metazoan diversity and paleo oxygenation in the early cambrian an integrated palaeontological and geochemical record from the eastern three gorges region of south china abstract the link between environmental perturbations especially oceanic redox conditions and evolution during the cambrian biodiversification event is still highly controversial although this issue has attracted considerable attention for decades we here report on the fossil record of the early cambrian biota discovered in the uppermost yanjiahe and shuijingtuo formations that crop out in the luojiacun and qiaojiaping sections eastern three gorges area south china the uppermost member of the yanjiahe formation contains abundant benthic algae based on the fossil record four distinct intervals were recognized in the shuijingtuo formation i few sessile suspension feeders such as sponges were recovered from interval i ii interval ii is dominated by bivalved arthropods living in the water column in this interval are also found a few sponges and eodiscoid trilobites iii no fossils other than few sponge spicules were recovered from interval iii iv diverse benthic communities composed of sponges cnidarians brachiopods as well as bradoriids dominate interval iv comprehensive research on framboidal pyrite morphology whole rock geochemistry as well as in situ la icp ms analyses were carried out on samples from the luojiacun section in order to assess paleo redox conditions the results show that the overall evolution of the paleo redox conditions was characterized by a double episode of sharp anoxic events ae observed at the base of intervals i and iii followed by a gradual oxygenation event oe evidence of oxygenation fluctuations were detected especially within interval iv a case study is presented herein which brings together early cambrian changes in metazoan diversity and changes in environmental conditions it is suggested that periodical oxygenation of the water column increased the biological diversity in the restricted basins of the eastern three gorges thus four intervals of habitat succession can be tentatively reconstructed in the studied area for the cambrian age 2 age 3 interval indicating a transition from uninhabited sediments to well populated habitats finally both the temporal and spatial characteristics of the cambrian aes oes and the fossil record in south china are compared and links between them are discussed in the context of their specific paleo geographical setting

precambrian cambrian boundary global stratotype ratified and a new perspective of cambrian time the precambrian cambrian boundary global stratotype is the base of the phycodes pedum zone at fortune head southeastern newfoundland the initial two stage radiation of the phanerozoic fauna the appearance of phanerozoic aspect trace producers and subsequent origin of diverse skeletalized metazoans was earliest cambrian fossil assemblages with deep complex burrows or originally mineralized skeletal fossils with exception of cloudina are early cambrian or younger correlation into avalon indicates that strata once referred to the proterozoic e g manykaian or nemakit daldynian and rovno stages are lowest cambrian and that the siberian tommotian stage is middle lower cambrian the thick sequence and complex epeirogenic history of the placentian series as compared with the trilobite bearing branchian series suggest that most early cambrian time is represented by the subtrilobitic lower cambrian

cambrian small skeletal fossil and carbon isotope records of the southern huangling anticline hubei china and implications for chemostratigraphy of the yangtze platform abstract rich small skeletal fossil assemblages are described from the yanjiahe formation and tianzhushan member of southern huangling anticline the anabarites trisulcatus protohertzina anabarica assemblage zone small skeletal fossil zone 1 is recognized in the middle to upper yanjiahe formation while the thin topmost conglomeratic limestone unit yielded a mixed assemblage resulting from reworking and redeposition of source material of small skeletal fossil zones 1 to 3 including anabarites trisulcatus protohertzina anabarica p unguliformis watsonella crosbyi aldanella attleborensis anabarella plana our revised biostratigraphic correlation indicates the existence of longer hiatuses in the yanjiahe formation and between the yanjiahe and shuijingtuo formations the obtained 13ccarb values in our profile deviate in some details from those of some previous reports based on the new biostratigraphic correlation the 13ccarb trend records values oscillating between 3 to 4 4 in the upper anabarites trisulcatus protohertzina anabarica assemblage zone which is unusual for the yangtze platform this interval of positive 13ccarb values in the upper yanjiahe formation and the dahai member of eastern yunnan are here interpreted to reflect the impact of a local aquafacies moreover it is here argued that the selection of a carbon isotope peak as a primary index tool in the laolin section for defining the cambrian stage 2 must be treated with caution as this isotope excursion is influenced by a regional water mass and does not reflect an open marine seawater signature underlining other technical and theoretic concerns on the general application of chemostratigraphy in cambrian shallow water carbonate platforms overall we suggest that chemostratigraphic correlations need to be supported by biostratigraphic tools

geochronological constraint on the cambrian chengjiang biota south china the cambrian chengjiang biota of south china provides compelling fossil evidence for the rapid appearance of metazoan phyla in earth history the cambrian explosion however the timing of the chengjiang biota is poorly constrained owing to lack of datable rock materials within the maotianshan shale that yields the fossils here we integrate secondary ion mass spectrometry sims and chemical ablation isotope dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry ca id tims u pb analyses of detrital zircons from the maotianshan shale to provide high precision geochronological constraint on the chengjiang biota the youngest group of sims u pb detrital zircon dates yields an age peak at 520 ma six zircons from this group are further dated by the ca id tims u pb technique but suggesting that they were not formed from a single zircon growth event thereby neither the age peak nor the weighted mean age defined by the youngest sims u pb dates could represent the maximum depositional age of the maotianshan shale instead the youngest ca id tims u pb date 518 03 0 69 0 71 ma 2 analytical uncertainty incorporates u pb tracer calibration uncertainty provides the first robust maximum age of the chengjiang biota this new geochronological constraint on the chengjiang biota indicates that the cambrian explosion reached its major phase around 518 03 0 69 0 71 ma demonstrating a protracted process 22 myr for the cambrian explosion supplementary material sims and ca id tims zircon u pb data are available at https doi org 10 6084 m9 figshare c 4024849

cambrian chronostratigraphy current state and future plans abstract important steps have been made by the international subcommission on cambrian stratigraphy iscs toward global chronostratigraphic subdivision of the cambrian the consensus of opinion is that the system should be subdivided into four series representing subequal spans of time the lower two series will correspond approximately to the traditional lower cambrian the third series will correspond approximately to the traditional middle cambrian and the fourth series corresponds approximately to the traditional upper cambrian the fourth series called the furongian series was ratified by the international commission on stratigraphy ics and the international union of geological sciences iugs in 2003 selection of horizons representing evolutionary events that can be correlated on a global scale and which can be used as stage or series boundaries is much more difficult for the lower two series intervals of the cambrian than it is for the upper two series intervals of the cambrian the most practical concept for subdividing the system into stages involves the establishment of two stages each for the first and second series and the establishment of three stages each for the third and fourth series the lowermost stage of the furongian called the paibian stage has been ratified by the ics and the iugs

permanent fore arc extension and seismic segmentation insights from the 2010 maule earthquake chile 1 geologists have long known that young normal faults are an important structural element of the andean coastal cordillera but their relationship to the subduction seismic cycle is still unclear some of the largest aftershocks of the 2010 mw 8 8 maule earthquake in central chile were nucleated on upper plate normal faults including the mw 6 9 and 7 0 events of the pichilemu earthquake sequence we use the available coseismic gps displacements moment tensor sums and slip distribution models for the maule earthquake to compute the static strain and stress fields imposed on the upper plate by slip on the subduction interface the extensional strains calculated from coseismic gps and from a moment tensor sum of the pichilemu events have similar orientations and orders of magnitude the normal coulomb stress increment csi on the pichilemu fault has maximum positive stresses as high as 4 9 mpa regionally the maule event produced a semi elliptical radial pattern of static extension and deviatoric tension csi 1 5 mpa along the coastal cordillera enclosing the rupture area this elliptical pattern mimics the trends of the major upper crustal structures the static deformation field produced by a great subduction earthquake is an effective mechanism for generating permanent extension above the seismogenic zone reactivating suitably oriented long lived normal faults we suggest that the semi elliptical outline of the first order structures along the coastal cordillera may define the location of a characteristic long lived megathrust segment this observation implies a persistence at least over the quaternary of great subduction ruptures along the maule segment

pre tommotian age of the lower pestrotsvet formation in the selinde section on the siberian platform carbon isotopic evidence carbon isotopic data from the selinde section in the southeastern part of the siberian platform area are correlated with the reference isotopic profile from the lower cambrian stratotype sections of the lena aldan region but also show additional 13 c excursions unrecognized there the chemostratigraphic correlation suggests that the geological and fossil record of the lower pestrotsvet formation in the selinde section has a deeper history than the stratotype region this conclusion is important for both constraining the age of the earliest cambrian marine transgression on the siberian platform and providing a clearer understanding of the pace and order of early cambrian geochemical and biological events

motion on upper plate faults during subduction zone earthquakes case of the atacama fault system northern chile 1 motion on the atacama fault system afs in northern chile is driven by andean subduction zone processes we use two approaches observational and theoretical to evaluate how the afs and other forearc faults responded to coseismic stress induced by one well studied megathrust earthquake the 1995 mw 8 1 antofagasta event we use synthetic aperture radar interferometry insar to search for small scale coseismic and postseismic deformation on individual faults the insar data are ambiguous some images show offset consistent with coseismic faulting on the paposo segment of the afs and others lack such signal the fact that we do not observe the fault like displacement in all coseismic interferograms suggests that atmospheric contamination not tectonic deformation is responsible for the signal to explore the capacity of the earthquake to trigger motion on upper plate faults we use seven published slip maps constrained by geodetic and or seismic data to calculate static and dynamic coulomb stress change csc on faults in the antofagasta region the static csc field varies between models and depends on the distribution of coseismic interplate slip on the basis of the csc distribution predicted by our preferred model constrained by all available data we suggest it was unlikely that the antofagasta earthquake directly triggered normal motion on the afs and the insar data are consistent with this null result field reports of normal faulting related to the earthquake may reflect recent but not coseismic motion or highly localized behavior not representative of the regional coseismic stress field

seismic imaging of a convergent continental margin and plateau in the central andes andean continental research project 1996 ancorp 96 1 a 400 km long seismic reflection profile andean continental research project 1996 ancorp 96 and integrated geophysical experiments wide angle seismology passive seismology gravity and magnetotelluric depth sounding across the central andes 21 s observed subduction of the nazca plate under the south american continent an east dipping reflector nazca reflector is linked to the down going oceanic crust and shows increasing downdip intensity before gradual breakdown below 80 km we interpret parts of the nazca reflector as a fluid trap located at the front of recent hydration and shearing of the mantle the fluids being supplied by dehydration of the oceanic plate patches of bright quebrada blanca bright spot to more diffuse reflectivity underlie the plateau domain at 15 30 km depth this reflectivity is associated with a low velocity zone p to s wave conversions the upper limits of high conductivity and high vp vs ratios and to the occurrence of neogene volcanic rocks at surface we interpret this feature as evidence of widespread partial melting of the plateau crust causing decoupling of the upper and lower crust during neogene shortening and plateau growth the imaging properties of the continental moho beneath the andes indicate a broad transitional character of the crust mantle boundary owing to active processes like hydration of mantle rocks in the cooler parts of the plate margin system magmatic underplating and intraplating under and into the lowermost crust mechanical instability at moho etc hence all first order features appear to be related to fluid assisted processes in a subduction setting

a new lower cambrian shelly fossil biostratigraphy for south australia abstract definition of early cambrian chronostratigraphic boundaries is problematic with many subdivisions still awaiting ratification integrated multi proxy data from well resolved regional scale schemes are ultimately the key to resolving broader issues of global correlation within the cambrian in australia early cambrian biostratigraphy has been based predominantly on trilobites phosphatic shelly fauna have great potential as biostratigraphic tools especially in pre trilobitic strata because they are widespread and readily preserved but they have remained underutilised here we demonstrate their value in a new biostratigraphic scheme for the early cambrian of south australia using a diverse shelly fauna including tommotiids brachiopods molluscs and bradoriids biostratigraphic data are derived from ten measured stratigraphic sections across the arrowie basin targeting hawker group carbonates including the wilkawillina wirrapowie and ajax limestones and the mernmerna formation the stratigraphic ranges of shelly fossils are predictable and repeatable across the arrowie basin allowing three discrete shelly biozones to be identified spanning terreneuvian stage 2 to series 2 stages 3 4 the kulparina rostrata zone new and part of the overlying micrina etheridgei zone new are pre trilobitic predominantly terreneuvian the cambrian series 2 stage 3 dailyatia odyssei zone new features a very diverse shelly fauna and will be described in detail in a separate publication these zones provide robust means to correlate terreneuvian series 2 successions in neighbouring coeval basins in australia particularly the stansbury basin wider correlation is possible throughout east gondwana and especially with south china

challenges in defining the base of cambrian series 2 and stage 3 formal subdivision of the cambrian system into four series and ten stages is in progress the base of cambrian stage 3 provisional which is conterminous with the base of cambrian series 2 provisional is expected to be placed at a horizon close to the first appearance of trilobites which marks the onset of the largest phase of the cambrian explosion conceptually an ideal boundary position would be marked by a significant and globally recognizable bioevent that divides the lower part of the cambrian system into a sub trilobitic terreneuvian series and a trilobite dominated series 2 if the level is to be identified principally through biostratigraphic means its position also needs to be recognizable using non biostratigraphic means and its correlation potential should be tested through detailed investigation of several continuous successions embracing the critical interval major difficulties in identifying a suitable horizon include strong biotic provincialism a plethora of regional unconformities and facies changes on different paleocontinents in the cambrian terreneuvian series 2 boundary interval levels that provide potential for intercontinental correlation include the first appearance position of trilobites and the approximately equivalent first appearance positions of certain small shelly fossil and acritarch species in addition a non biostratigraphic marker such as a stable carbon isotopic excursion may be useful as a correlation level cambrian series 2 and stage 3 are provisional stratigraphic units and their conterminous base was previously suggested to coincide to the appearance of trilobites compared to other potential chronostratigraphic indicators the first appearance of trilobites still has advantages for recognizing and correlating the base of stage 3 and should remain as the provisional primary marker for the boundary position

further shrimp geochronology on the early cambrian of south china zircon 206pb 238u ages are reported for bentonites from two cambrian sections in south china the meishucun and the fandian the analyzed zircons vary widely in age because of the presence of detrital and altered grains spot ages were corrected for calibration drift during analysis and the age of reference zircon sl13 was calibrated as 580 ma against other standards using sims use of mixture modeling was essential to resolve the different age components and to identify the volcanic ages two age groups occur within the meishucun bed 5 bentonite of which the larger at 518 7 2 5 ma is interpreted as a post depositional zircon growth event and the other at 539 4 2 9 ma as the volcanic age bentonites from the meishucun bed 9 and its fandian equivalent have two age groups 526 5 1 1 ma and 540 2 1 0 ma we interpret the younger of these as the tuff magmatic age and the older as detrital small shelly fossils indicate meischucunian bed 5 is an equivalent of the late nemakit daldynian and its 539 4 2 9 ma age both closely times the base of the cambrian and is a maximum for the basal tommotian the 526 5 1 1 ma for bed 9 and its equivalents approximates the close of the tommotian

three dimensional measurement of river channel flow processes using acoustic doppler velocimetry this paper describes and assesses i the use of a new instrument for the determination of three dimensional flow velocities in natural rivers the acoustic doppler velocimeter adv and ii a method for positioning and orienting such measurements relative to a single local coordinate system to relate flow velocity vectors with the bed and water surface the adv uses the doppler shift principle to measure the velocity of small particles assuming to be moving at velocities similar to the fluid velocity is resolved into three orthogonal components and measured in a volume 5 cm below the sensor head minimizing interference of the flow field and allowing measurements to be made close to the bed a simple method for positioning and orienting the instrument using digital tacheometry is described and is used to obtain velocity measurements concurrently with measurements of both bed and water surface topography the paper includes a preliminary field assessment of the adv by comparing velocity profiles with those generated from marsh mcbirney electromagnetic current meters and a full field assessment of the position and orientation methodology these results suggest that the recommended methods in combination with an adv are able to provide reliable mean three dimensional velocity field information and accurate bed and surface topography copyright 1998 john wiley sons ltd

crustal motion north and south of the arica deflection comparing recent geodetic results from the central andes 1 an intercomparison of recent velocity solutions for the global positioning system gps networks constructed by the south american nazca plate project snapp based in bolivia and peru and our central andes gps project cap based in chile and argentina indicates a velocity discontinuity of order 10 mm yr near the boundary between these networks we suggest that this velocity jump manifests measurement bias in the snapp velocity field our results indicate that no major slip partioning occurs within the forearc of northern chile in response to the obliquity of subduction but that nazca south america plate convergence is partitioned between the forearc and the backarc regions the present rate of shortening across the southern part of the sub andean belt in argentina is 8 9 1 6 mm yr

chronostratigraphic correlations their importance for the definition of geochronologic units abstract the present article resumes the philosophy underlying the re definition of chronostratigraphic geochronologic units through their boundaries by working groups of the international commission on stratigraphy ics following the ics guidelines with respect to the historical approach this philosophy implies a change in the way how stages are defined stages originally defined by their contents are now defined by their lower boundary only the concept of the global stratotype standard section and point gssp as before stages may be characterized by their contents but precise definitions of stages and their scope can only be attained via boundary definitions the following subjects are dealt with in detail 1 the choice of the level of a chronostratigraphic geochronologic boundary which is to be defined by a gssp this is determined by practical considerations concerning the correlation of the envisaged stratigraphic level 2 if traditional names are to be preserved some kind of compromise is always necessary because none of them is clearly and unequivocally defined this goal can be attained by a democratic vote 3 because of gaps and condensation even the more favorable historical stratotypes are unsuitable for the redefinition of classical stages by their lower boundaries

normal and reverse faulting driven by the subduction zone earthquake cycle in the northern chilean fore arc 1 despite its location in a convergent tectonic setting the coastal cordillera of northern chile between 21 s and 25 s is dominated by structures demonstrating extension in the direction of plate convergence in some locations however normal faults have been reactivated as reverse faults complicating the interpretation of long term strain in order to place these new observations in a tectonic context we model stress changes induced on these faults by the subduction earthquake cycle our simulations predict that interseismic locking on the plate boundary encourages normal slip on fore arc faults which may result from elastic rebound due to interplate earthquakes or from seismic or aseismic motion that takes place within the interseismic period conversely stress generated by strong subduction zone earthquakes such as the 1995 mw 8 1 antofagasta event provides a mechanism for the reverse reactivation we document here upper plate fault slip in response to the low magnitude stress changes induced by the subduction earthquake cycle suggests that the absolute level of stress on these faults is very low furthermore seismic hazard analysis for northern chile requires consideration of not only the plate boundary earthquake cycle but also the cycle on fore arc faults that may or may not coincide with the interplate pattern though the relationships between permanent strain and deformation calculated using elastic models remain unclear the compatibility of modeled stress fields with the distribution of fore arc faulting suggests that interseismic strain accumulation and coseismic deformation on the subduction megathrust both play significant roles in shaping structural behavior in the upper plate

large extensional aftershocks in the continental forearc triggered by the 2010 maule earthquake chile summary the mw 8 8 maule earthquake occurred off the coast of central chile on 2010 february 27 and was the sixth largest earthquake to be recorded instrumentally this subduction zone event was followed by thousands of aftershocks both near the plate interface and in the overriding continental crust here we report on a pair of large shallow crustal earthquakes that occurred on 2010 march 11 within 15 min of each other near the town of pichilemu on the coast of the o higgins region of chile field and aerial reconnaissance following the events revealed no distinct surface rupture we infer from geodetic data spanning both events that the ruptures occurred on synthetic sw dipping normal faults the first larger rupture was followed by buried slip on a steeper fault in the hangingwall the fault locations and geometry of the two events are additionally constrained by locations of aftershock seismicity based on the international maule aftershock data set the maximum slip on the main fault is about 3 m and consistent with field results the onshore slip is close to zero near the surface satellite radar data also reveal that significant aseismic afterslip occurred following the two earthquakes coulomb stress modelling indicates that the faults were positively stressed by up to 40 bars as a result of slip on the subduction interface in the preceding megathrust event in other words the pichilemu earthquakes should be considered aftershocks of the maule earthquake the occurrence of these extensional events suggests that regional interseismic compressive stresses are small several recent large shallow crustal earthquakes in the overriding plate following the 2011 mw 9 0 tohoku oki earthquake in japan may be an analogue for the triggering process at pichilemu

burrowing below the basal cambrian gssp fortune head newfoundland the range of treptichnus pedum the index trace fossil for the treptichnus pedum zone extends some 4 m below the global standard stratotype section and point for the base of the cambrian period at fortune head on the burin peninsula in southeastern newfoundland the identification of zigzag traces of treptichnus isp even further below the gssp than t pedum in the fortune head section and in other terminal proterozoic successions around the globe supports the concept of a gradational onset of three dimensional burrowing across the proterozoic cambrian boundary although t pedum remains a reasonable indicator for the base of the cambrian period greater precision in the stratotype section can be achieved by a detailed re evaluation of the stratigraphic ranges and the morphological variation of ichnotaxa included in the t pedum zone

cambrian evolutionary radiation context correlation and chronostratigraphy overcoming deficiencies of the first appearance datum fad concept abstract use of the first appearance datum fad of a fossil to define a global chronostratigraphic unit s base can lead to intractable correlation and stability problems fads are diachronous they reflect species evolutionary history dispersal biofacies preservation collection and taxonomy the cambrian evolutionary radiation is characterised by diachronous fads biofacies controls and provincialism of taxa and ecological communities that confound a stable lower cambrian chronostratigraphy cambrian series and stage definitions require greater attention to assemblage zone successions and non biostratigraphic particularly carbon isotope correlation techniques such as those that define the ediacaran system base a redefined basal cambrian trichophycus pedum assemblage zone lies above the highest ediacaran type biotas vendobionts putative metazoans and calcareous problematica such as cloudina and the basal asteridium tornatum comasphaeridium velvetum zone acritarchs this definition and the likely close correspondence of evolutionary origin and local fad of t pedum preserves the fortune head newfoundland gssp of the cambrian base and allows the presence of sub cambrian branched ichnofossils the sub tommotian equivalent base of stage 2 a suggested laolinian stage should be defined by the i l4 zhuce 13 c positive peak bracketed by the lower ranges of watsonella crosbyi and aldanella attleborensis molluscs and the skiagia ornata fimbrioglomerella membranacea zone acritarchs the w crosbyi and a attleborensis fads cannot define a stage 2 base as they are diachronous even in the newfoundland type w crosbyi zone the series 2 base cannot be based on a species fad owing to the provincialism of skeletalised metazoans in the terreneuvian series 2 boundary interval and global heterochrony of the oldest trilobites a series 2 and stage 3 a suggested lenaldanian series and zhurinskyan stage new gssp base is proposed at the siberian lower atdabanian 13 c iv peak which correlates into south china avalonia and morocco and assigns the oldest trilobites to the terminal terreneuvian series

acritarchs from the duolbagaisa formation cambrian series 2 miaolingian on the digermulen peninsula finnmark arctic norway towards a high resolution cambrian chronostratigraphy

oxygen and carbon isotope stratigraphy of early cambrian carbonates in southeastern newfoundland and england carbonate rocks have been sampled through predominantly siliciclastic sediments above the precambrian cambrian global stratotype level in southeastern newfoundland to assess their potential for oxygen and carbon isotope stratigraphy comparable successions were sampled at nuneaton and comley in england greatly depleted 18 o signals are attributed to widespread thermal alteration during deep burial and granitic intrusion including within the stratotype region carbon isotope ratios appear to have been less affected and these are described from nine sections a provisional composite 13 c curve is based on non ferroan pink nodular and bedded micrites several 13 c excursions occur in the fossiliferous bonavista group and allow the position of the tommotian atdabanian boundary to be identified chemostratigraphic correlation of the new precambrian cambrian boundary stratotype may however prove difficult because of the lack of suitable well preserved carbonates the search must begin for a comparable reference section allowing global correlation of the boundary level using chemostratigraphy as well as biostratigraphy

multiple δ13c excursions spanning the cambrian explosion to the botomian crisis in siberia new high resolution 13 c data through the lower cambrian of siberia reveal multiple positive excursions coincident with phases in the explosion of invertebrate phyla nemakit daldynian to middle botomian stages comparison of the 18 o and trace element mg fe mu sr chemistry indicate that six new 13 c cycles are primary rather than diagenetic features with potential for global correlation positive 13 c excursions up to 3 indicate that fractional organic carbon burial rates were high but variable through the cambrian explosion values for 13 c dropped sharply from around 2 2 to 1 6 in botomian time coincident with mass extinction of the archaeocyathan reef biota the rapid fluctuation of the 13 c signal and the temporal coincidence of the pronounced negative shift with the extinction event hint that the 13 c record may record productivity variations during the early cambrian radiation

a new early cambrian bradoriid arthropoda assemblage from the northern flinders ranges south australia abstract a new assemblage of early cambrian bivalved arthropods bradoriida is described from the arrowie syncline in the northern flinders ranges south australia the well preserved largely endemic fauna comprises a total of six taxa including five new species jiucunella phaseloa sp nov jixinlingella daimonikoa sp nov mongolitubulus anthelios sp nov neokunmingella moroensis sp nov phasoia cf spicata opik 1968 and sinskolutella cuspidata sp nov this assemblage is derived from a carbonate sedimentary package representing a high energy shallow water archaeocyath renalcis biohermal facies of terreneuvian stage 2 age which transitions up section to a more restricted low energy intra shelf lagoonal environment that correlates with a cambrian series 2 stage 3 age the new taxon j phaseloa sp nov has a first appearance datum fad in shallow water biohermal facies of the hideaway well member of the wilkawillina limestone at a level 47 m below the fad of pelagiella subangulata which is taken to approximate the base of series 2 stage 3 in south australia along with liangshanella circumbolina this makes j phaseloa sp nov amongst the oldest bivalved arthropods in south australia and potentially greater gondwana the presence of 25 bradoriid taxa from the early cambrian of south australia suggests east gondwana represents a major centre of origin for the bradoriida

carbon isotope stratigraphy of the precambrian cambrian sukharikha river section northwestern siberian platform a high resolution carbon isotope profile through the uppermost neoproterozoic lower cambrian part of the sukharikha section at the northwestern margin of the siberian platform shows prominent secul

young displacements on the atacama fault system northern chile from field observations and cosmogenic 21ne concentrations 1 we present the first numerical age constraint for young deformation of the atacama fault system afs in northern chile the young activity of the afs is expressed by several fault scarps which affects alluvial fan sediments of the eastern side of the coastal cordillera 23 30 23 42 s detailed mapping of alluvial fans reveals a complex relationship between fault motion erosion and alluvial fan development an older group of alluvial fans became inactive prior to the scarp formation younger alluvial fans arising directly from feeder channels and entrenched in the fault scarps posts date the scarp formation the youngest slip on the afs is recorded by headward eroding channels entrenched across the scarp which are in turn displaced vertically 0 3 0 5 m by the fault quartz fragments in four sites on the older inactive fan group were analyzed for cosmogenic 21ne concentrations yielding an average age of 424 151 ka the upper limit for the recent activity of the fault combined with the height of fault scarp we calculate a 0 01 mm yr minimum vertical fault slip rate thus young displacement on the afs is quaternary in age and confined to the late pleistocene