PROGRESS REPORT ON THE GLOBAL STRATOTYPE SECTIONS AND POINTS (GSSPs) OF THE PERMIN SYSTEM

Since the integrated chronostratigraphic scheme of the Permian System was approved by the Subcommission on Permian Stratigraphy (SPS) and formally adopted in the International Stratigraphic Chart of IUGS, five GSSPs in the Permian System have been formally ratified by ICS and IUGS. They are the bases of the Permian System (i.e. the base of Asselian Stage), Wuchiapingian, Capitanian, Wordian and Roadian Stages. The GSSP proposal for the base of the Changhsingian Stage at the Meishan Section D in Zhejiang, Southeast China has been voted 94% in favor by SPS and distributed to ICS for voting recently. SPS will concentrate efforts on the GSSPs for the Cisuralian stages including the bases of Kungurian, Artinskian and Sakmarian Stages in southern Urals of Russia. It is scheduled to set up GSSPs for all Permian stages by the end of 2006. In the meantime, SPS has launched international cooperation in highly precise global correlation and other post-stratotype tasks.