Dapingian

The name and its history

Name adopted around ratification of the Middle Ordovician base in 2007; Wang et al. (2009) supplied a formal description · Name adopted around ratification of the Middle Ordovician base in 2007; Wang et al. (2009) supplied a formal description

What does the word literally mean?

Named from Daping village near the Huanghuachang reference area, Hubei, China.

What did the original author mean?

The first interval of the Middle Ordovician in a new global two-stage series, not a literal geological characteristic implied by the Chinese village-name.

Why was the name needed?

International correlation of the old ‘third Ordovician stage’ had stalled because different continental faunas and prospective GSSPs did not map cleanly onto one another.

What evidence supported the original concept?

A conodont lineage at Huanghuachang in the Dawan Formation, especially the first appearance of Baltoniodus triangularis, furnished a usable boundary.

How has geology changed the concept?

A formerly unnamed global stage acquired a Chinese geographical name; it is neither the old Volkhovian nor a reproduction of regional Chinese formation limits.

Further historical context

*Original use.* The first interval of the Middle Ordovician in a new global two-stage series, not a literal geological characteristic implied by the Chinese village-name.

*Historical problem.* International correlation of the old ‘third Ordovician stage’ had stalled because different continental faunas and prospective GSSPs did not map cleanly onto one another.

*Evolution.* A formerly unnamed global stage acquired a Chinese geographical name; it is neither the old Volkhovian nor a reproduction of regional Chinese formation limits.

Editorial qualification

Do not derive Chinese characters or a literal meaning from pinyin alone; 2007 ratification and 2009 publication are separate events.

Related names

Ordovician · Middle Ordovician · Darriwilian · GSSP

Sources

1. ICS International Chronostratigraphic Chart, 2026/06 — Current nomenclature, rank and numerical age
2. ICS official Dapingian GSSP — International boundary stratotype and correlation evidence
3. Wang et al. (2009), primary formal naming paper — Historical naming, original claim or scholarly review; see confidence note
4. Wang et al. (2009), global reference section — Historical naming, original claim or scholarly review; see confidence note
5. ICS Ordovician Subcommission, full sequence — Cross-check order and stage nomenclature