Series (stratigraphy)

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Series (stratigraphy)

Series are subdivisions of rock layers

Stratum

In geology and related fields, a stratum is a layer of rock or soil with internally consistent characteristics that distinguishes it from contiguous layers....
made based on the age of the rock. A series is therefore a chronostratigraphic

Chronostratigraphy

Chronostratigraphy is the branch of stratigraphy that studies the age of rock stratum in relation to time.The ultimate aim of chronostratigraphy is to arrange the sequence of deposition and the time of deposition of all rocks within a geological region, and eventually, the entire geologic record of the Earth....
unit, unrelated to lithostratigraphy

Lithostratigraphy

Lithostratigraphy is a sub-discipline of stratigraphy, the geology science associated with the study of stratum or rock layers. Major focuses include geochronology, comparative geology, and petrology....
, which divides rock layers on their lithology. Series are subdivisions of systems

System (geology)

A system in the natural sciences and stratigraphy is an idealized composite unit of the geologic record made up of a succession of stratum that were laid down together within a certain corresponding geological time span, and are used in turn to date things to a certain corresponding period ....
and are themselves divided into stages.

Series is a term defining a unit of rocklayers formed in a certain interval in time; it is equivalent to the term geological epoch epoch criteria defining the interval of time itself, although the two words are sometimes confused in informal literature.

geological timescale has all s in the Phanerozoic

Phanerozoic

The Phanerozoic Eon is the current eon in the geologic timescale, and the one during which abundant animal life has existed. It covers roughly 545 million years and goes back to the time when diverse hard-shelled animals first appeared....
eonothem

Eonothem

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Encyclopedia

Series are subdivisions of rock layers

Stratum

Chronostratigraphy

Lithostratigraphy

System (geology)

Series in the geological timescale

The geological timescale has all s in the Phanerozoic

Phanerozoic

Eonothem

In stratigraphy and geology, an eonothem is the totality of lithography laid down in the stratigraphy geologic record deposited during a certain eon of the continuous function geologic timescale....
subdivided into series. Some of these have their own names, in other cases a system is simply divided into a Lower, Middle and Upper series. The Cretaceous

Cretaceous

The Cretaceous , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide, is a geologic period from circa to million years ago . In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows on the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period....
system is for example divided into the Upper Cretaceous and Lower Cretaceous series; while the Carboniferous

Carboniferous

The Carboniferous is a geologic period that extends from the end of the Devonian period, about 359.2 ? 2.5 annum , to the beginning of the Permian period, about 299.0 ? 0.8 Ma ...
system is divided in the Pennsylvanian

Pennsylvanian

The Pennsylvanian is an epoch in the geologic timescale or a series in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Carboniferous period lasting from roughly to Ma ....
and Mississippian series. In 2008, the International Commission on Stratigraphy

International Commission on Stratigraphy

The International Commission on Stratigraphy , sometimes referred to by the unofficial "International Stratigraphic Commission" is a daughter or major subcommittee grade scientific daughter organization that concerns itself with stratigraphy, geology, and chronology matters on a global scale....
had not yet named all four series of the Cambrian

Cambrian

The Cambrian is a geologic period that began about Mya at the end of the Proterozoic eon and ended about Ma with the beginning of the Ordovician period ....
. Currently series are limited to the Phanerozoic, but the ICS has stated its intention of subdividing the three systems of the Neoproterozoic

Neoproterozoic

The Neoproterozoic Era is the unit of geologic time scale from 1,000 to 542 +/- 0.3 million years ago. The terminal Era of the formal Proterozoic Eon , it is further subdivided into the Tonian, Cryogenian, and Ediacaran Periods....
(Ediacaran

Ediacaran

The Ediacaran Period is the last geological period of the Neoproterozoic Era and of the Proterozoic Eon, immediately preceding the Cambrian Period, the first period of the Paleozoic Era and of the Phanerozoic Eon....
, Cryogenian

Cryogenian

The Cryogenian is a geologic period that lasted from . The Sturtian and Marinoan glaciations, which are the greatest ice ages known to have occurred on Earth and may have covered the entire planet, occurred during this period....
and Tonian

Tonian

The Tonian is the first geologic geologic period in the Neoproterozoic era and lasted from 1000 annum to 850 Ma . Instead of being based on stratigraphy, these dates are defined by the International Commission on Stratigraphy based on radiometric dating....
) into stages too.

Systems and lithostratigraphy

Systems can include many lithostratigraphic units (for example formations, beds

Bed (geology)

In geology a bed is the smallest division of a geologic formation or stratigraphy rock series marked by well-defined divisional planes separating it from layers above and below....
, members, etc.) of differing rock types that were being laid down in different environments at the same time. In the same way, a lithostratigraphic unit can include a number of systems or parts of them.

Series (stratigraphy)

Series in the geological timescale

Systems and lithostratigraphy

See also