Progress of the CHRONOS Permian-Triassic Time Slice Project

Vladimir I. Davydov¹ and Bruce R. Wardlaw^2
1 Boise State University, Boise, ID
² United States Geological Survey, Reston, VA

The Permian-Triassic Time Slice Project is the test bed of the web-based CHRONOS System to interconnect databases and tools for developing an integrated chronostratigraphic framework that will resolve the sequence of events and constrain the causes of the end-Permian catastrophic extinction and document the Triassic recovery. The time slice is spanning the interval from Middle Permian to Early Triassic. The project was initiated at an organizational workshop at Boise State University during May 2004. Critical to the effort was the development of a comprehensive and dynamic internet taxonomic dictionary with detailed reference citation, original taxonomic description, and a digital image library that includes all figured specimens and many unpublished specimens. The classification, emended diagnoses, and synonymy are open to the user for comment and revision. All the data are available at www.PaleoStrat.org. The data include sedimentologic, magnetic, geochemical, radiochronologic and fossils, new and published, refined and compiled from sections around the globe. An initial test run utilizing data from sections in China, Pakistan, Iran, and Italy with the CONOP correlation tool is reported. The results show a much more detailed conodont zonation of the boundary interval based on Clarkina and Hindeodus species and improved intraregional correlation based on Clarkina and Merrillina species and interregional correlation based on Hindeodus species. At least 25 additional sections will be added to the database over the next year for a comprehensive synthesis and report. Progress of the project and data input forms are available at the PaleoStrat website and everyone is encouraged to participate.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90039©2005 AAPG Calgary, Alberta, June 16-19, 2005