Challenges in defining the base of Cambrian Series 2 and Stage 3

2017

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 t…