radiolaria - Marum

Radiolaria 14 News
James Stratford - University of Sydney. Devonian
radiolarian biostratigraphy in part of the Gamilaroi
terrane, southern New England Orogen, N.S.W. Three
radiolarian assemblages are found in the Glenrock area.
The faunal affinities of these assemblages are at present
uncertain. Corals associated with the middle assemblage
are ?Early Emsian, suggesting a Lower to lower Middle
Devonian age range for these radiolarians.
Jonathan Aitchison - University of Sydney.
Continues to work on Lower Paleozoic radiolarian
biostratigraphy. Much of this work is concentrated on
Devonian rocks of the Gamilaroi terrane, southern New
England Orogen, N.S.W. It seems that good radiolairans
are present in the Lower and Middle Devonian and
Jonathan is hoping to have a preliminary biostratigraphy
fleshed out before the Interrad meeting. Likewise with the
- 11 -
Silurian we have found good bugs - this time from Japan
and are calibrating the stratigraphy using the SHRIMP to
get U/Pb ages from pyroclastic zircons. When time
permits Jonathan is also working on rads around the
Cambro/Ordovician boundary from Newfondland as well
as Ordovician material from the vast Lachlan Fold Belt of
eastern Australia. Jonathan has also ventured up-section
and looked at some Cretaceous from Sabah and New
Caledonia as well as some Cenozoic from Leg 143 but
reports that rads definitely improve with age and the
Paleozoic is best!
Hiroaki Ishiga (Shimane University) and his students
have recently produced some publications on nicely
preserved Ordovician radiolarians from the Lachlan Fold
Belt in eastern Australia.
News from the International Paleontological Association
International Paleontological Association:
General Assemnly, Kyoto, August, 1992
Makoto Kato
On the occasion of the 29th International Geological
Congress in Kyoto, Japan, the IPA held two business
meetings and a social gathering. All the activities took
place in the Kyoto International Conference Hall. A
welcoming beer party for palaeontologists participating in
the IGC was held on the evening of August 25. The party
was organized by the Palaeontological Society of Japan in
conjunction with the IPA, and no less than 200
palaeontologists enjoyed the occasion. The IPA Council
Meeting was held on the afternoon of August 26. The
agenda of the General Assembly was discussed in great
detail. The IPA General Assembly was held on the
evening of August 26, the same day as the Council
Meeting. The Assembly was opened by the President,
Prof. A, Hallam. The report of the last General
Assembly, Washington, July 17,1989, was approved as
published (W.A. Oliver, Jr., 1989, Lethaia 22, p.357).
Then Secretary-General Kato reported on the IPA
activities since the last General Assembly in Washington,
in July 1989. The IPA sponsored three palaeontological
symposia in l989, four in l990, four in l991 and so far
one in 1992. Three volumes of Lethaia were published
during the time of the present office holders. All the
activities have been recorded in the IPA Annual Reports
for 1989, 1990 and 1991, and in Lethaia, Vol. 24, pp.
247-248, 1991; Vol. 25 p. 351, 1992. The Executive
Committee was consulted on the problem of
constitutional amendments and the necessity of raising
membership dues. A nominating committee was set up in
preparing a slate of candidates for new IPA officers. These
were further discussed at the General Assembly. As
regards the IPA finances, Treasurer Kaesler reported that
we supported a number of symposia, as recorded above,
and had been continuously building funds for future
publication of directories. Due to general withdrawal of
Lethaia Forum - IPA; Lethaia vol. 26, 1993
Jonathan C. Aitchinson
the IUGS in allocating funds to the IPA, however, we
now provide US$ 500 to each appropriate
palaeontological symposium for seed money, instead of
giving $1000 as informer days, and expect the sum to be
returned when the symposium is successfully concluded.
A substantial part of the IPA income has been borne
by Lethaia. With the approval of the Executive committee
the IPA asked the Lethaia Foundation for an increase of
dues. They now generously give $9 for each IPA member
subscribing to Lethaia instead of $5 as before.
The Committee of Auditors (Professor Richard A.
Robison and Dr. Chris G. Maples) reported that the
Treasurer's accounts and records were in excellent order.
The Treasurer announced that there were regrettably some
corporate members who did not promptly pay their dues.
The following corporate members, research groups and
symposia submitted their reports to the IPA: International
Paleozoic Microvertebrate Working Group (now IGCP
328), International Research Group on Charophytes
(IRGC), Graptolite Working Group, Colloquium
"Paleontologie et stratigraphie d'Amerique latine", All-
Union Paleontological Society of Russia, Swiss
Palaeontological Society, and European Palaeontological
Association. Reports were circulated amongst those
attending.
Subsequently the Webby proposal for the amendment
of the IPA Constitution and By-Laws was discussed. At
the last IPA General Assembly Professor Barry Webby
proposed to formally include in the IPA activity the
publication of the fossil Collections of the World: an
International Guide. His proposal and wording of the
amendments of the IPA Constitution and By-Laws were
published in the IPA Annual Report for 1989. Later the
IPA Executive Committee approved this proposal. After
some discussions at the General Assembly the
Constitution was changed as follows: To the Article
11.(2) of the Statutes for the list of IPA activities
"Publication of the Fossil Collections of the Worlds: an
International Guide" was added.