Guzhangian

The name and its history

Peng et al. (2009); GSSP ratified 2008 · See attributed dates and cited original / standardisation works; first-use priority qualified where noted

What does the word literally mean?

From guzhang county. Immediate scientific language-route: Chinese place-name (romanised) → international English. This is a locality-based or geographical term, not a description of a universal geological event.

What did the original author mean?

An upper Miaolingian stage based on the fossil-bearing Huaqiao succession in Guzhang County.

Why was the name needed?

A global name was needed for the upper part of the Miaolingian series, with a type section exposed along the Youshui River in Guzhang County.

What evidence supported the original concept?

The boundary is correlated from the first appearance of Lejopyge laevigata in the Huaqiao Formation at Luoyixi.

How has geology changed the concept?

Regional Chinese nomenclature has been fitted into the internationally ratified chronostratigraphic hierarchy; the boundary is anchored by fossils, not county borders.

Further historical context

*Naming and context.* A global name was needed for the upper part of the Miaolingian series, with a type section exposed along the Youshui River in Guzhang County.

*Evidence and later scope. The boundary is correlated from the first appearance of Lejopyge laevigata* in the Huaqiao Formation at Luoyixi. Regional Chinese nomenclature has been fitted into the internationally ratified chronostratigraphic hierarchy; the boundary is anchored by fossils, not county borders.

Editorial qualification

Do not supply a character-by-character Chinese gloss based solely on romanisation.

Related names

Cambrian · Miaolingian · Wuliuan · Drumian · Fossil

Sources

1. ICS International Chronostratigraphic Chart (June 2026) — Current formal unit, order, rank and numerical age
2. ICS Cambrian Subcommission, ratified GSSPs and naming motives — Formal series/stage ratifications, type localities and defining fossils