The Australian Geologist - Geological Society of Australia

Newsfrom the Divisions
South Australia
11th International Symposium
of the Cambrian Stage
Subdivision Working Group
The symposia of this group are essentially
field-based, and have previously been held
in Morocco, Spain, Sweden, France,
Argentina, eastern and western USA, China
and Korea.
This latest conference was held in South
Australia 14–24 August 2006 to establish
GSSPs (Global Stratotype Section and Point)
within well-exposed and easily accessible
Cambrian successions, so that correlations
can be made on a worldwide basis.
It has proved particularly difficult to obtain
GSSPs within the lower parts of the
Cambrian. South Australia has superbly
exposed Lower Cambrian sedimentary successions
in the Flinders Ranges. A group of
thirty four delegates from Sweden,
Germany, UK, Spain, USA, China, Korea and
Australia inspected the Cambrian successions
of Fleurieu Peninsula (Sellick Hill,
Myponga Beach, Carrickalinga Head),
Kangaroo Island (Big Gully) and the Flinders
Ranges (Mermerna Syncline, Elder Range,
Brachina Geological Trail, Mt Scott Range,
Ajax Mine, Blinman-Wirrealpa area).
Conference/field trip leaders and excursion
guide authors were Jim Jago (convenor),
Wenlong Zang, Elinor Alexander, Glenn
Brock, Barry Cooper, Margaret Fuller, Colin
Gatehouse, Jim Gehling, John Paterson and
Christian Skovsted.
There were also plenary sessions both in
Adelaide (at PIRSA) and Leigh Creek.
Overall, participants gained an insight into
the high quality of the Cambrian outcrops
in South Australia, currently the focus of
considerable research by a team led by
Glenn Brock of Macquarie University.
Considerable support for the conference
was received from the SA Division of the
Geological Society of Australia, the School
of Natural and Built Environments,
University of South Australia, Primary
Industry and Resources SA, Beach
The group at the Ediacaran GSSP site.
14 |
TAG December 2006