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Stratigraphic Column
When geographic names change
There has been a previous Stratigraphic Column that included
this topic, but recently I came across some more Australian
examples to add to the discussion.
As Albert said, we all know that lithostratigraphic units
must be named after a geographic locality. But life has a habit
of throwing up some unexpected problems, such as the
Newcastle suburb of Violet Town changing to Tingira Heights in
the 1960s. What, if anything, should be done if the locality a
unit is named after changes its name or spelling
The International Stratigraphic Guide has some guidance on
this. It says “Change in the name of a geographic feature does
not entail change of the name of a stratigraphic unit. The original
name of the unit should be maintained; eg the Mauch
Chunk Shale should not be changed to Jim Thorpe Shale
because the former town of Mauch Chunk is now called Jim
Thorpe. Disappearance of a geographic feature does not require
the elimination of the corresponding name of a stratigraphic
unit. For example, Thurman Sandstone, named from a former
village in Pittsburgh County, Oklahoma, does not require
renaming.” In Australia, in fact, with our shortage of geographic
names in some areas, some units have used locality names
that were already obsolete at the time the unit was defined.
More common are changes in spelling, such as the change of
Mount Kosciusko to Kosciuszko. The same rule applies, and if only
everyone abides by it, it would simplify searches of databases.
Thus the Merrimbula Formation in NSW and Kombolgie Subgroup
in NT remain that way, even though the town is now spelled
Merimbula and Kombolgie Creek became Kambolgie Creek in the
1970s; and Kosciusko Granite does not have to become
Kosciuszko Granite. The original published spelling has priority.
That’s the theory, anyway. In real life, people who are
unaware of the old spelling of a locality and don’t check the
unit name closely will inadvertently use the new version, and
those who are unaware that the old spelling has changed will
continue to use the old version, as they’ll have no reason to
think of doing otherwise.
In addition to inadvertent changes, there may be occasions
when the spelling of a stratigraphic name is deliberately
changed. Although not required by stratigraphic guidelines,
sometimes names may be changed out of respect for the wishes
of land managers, or local people. This has happened in western
New South Wales, where the Mootwingee Group has been
changed to the Mutawintji Group, to reflect its correct pronunciation.
This change was made at the request of the Mutawintji
people, and applies to the Mutawintji National Park too.
Of course, as was done in this particular case, any deliberate
change to a stratigraphic unit name needs to be explained
in a publication, in the same way as any other change to a unit.
This explanation can then be used in the Australian
Stratigraphic Units Database, to indicate the current version of
a unit name and show links to various related unit names,
including previous spellings. In publications where a spelling
change is found without explanation, database staff will
assume it is unintentional and record it as a misspelling of the
original. Of course with some spelling variations, especially in
the first few letters of the name, the link to an existing name
may not be recognised, unless someone familiar with the area
points it out.
Whatever rule is followed in a particular case, the result is
that some stratigraphic units have been published with more
than one spelling. So if you want to find all the relevant references,
you should keep in mind the need for flexible search
techniques with the geographic part as well as the rank or
descriptive part of the unit name.
CATHY BROWN
National Convenor, Australian Stratigraphy Commission
Geoscience Australia
TAG March 2009 | 13