Homerian

The name and its history

International Wenlock stage scheme; GSSP ratified 1980 · See attributed dates and cited original / standardisation works; first-use priority qualified where noted

What does the word literally mean?

Named for homer locality. Immediate scientific language-route: English locality → international English. This is a locality-based or geographical term, not a description of a universal geological event.

What did the original author mean?

The later Wenlock succession around Homer and Sheinton Brook, elevated from local correlation to global stage/age rank.

Why was the name needed?

A second formal Wenlock stage gave international precision to Murchison’s much older regional division.

What evidence supported the original concept?

Graptolite biostratigraphy at Sheinton Brook and comparable outcrops supported correlation within the Wenlock.

How has geology changed the concept?

The place-name persists at global stage/age rank; the stage is not a temporal dedication to the poet Homer.

Further historical context

*Naming and context.* A second formal Wenlock stage gave international precision to Murchison’s much older regional division.

*Evidence and later scope.* Graptolite biostratigraphy at Sheinton Brook and comparable outcrops supported correlation within the Wenlock. The place-name persists at global stage/age rank; the stage is not a temporal dedication to the poet Homer.

Editorial qualification

A homograph with the ancient poet’s name is accidental; this is an English place-name.

Related names

Silurian · Wenlock · Sheinwoodian · Graptolite · Biostratigraphy

Sources

1. ICS International Chronostratigraphic Chart (June 2026) — Current formal unit, order, rank and numerical age
2. ICS international GSSPs: Silurian stages and boundary issues — Modern formal references, rank, locations and correlation
3. British Silurian Stratigraphy, Wenlock Series chapter — Stratigraphic history, evidence and original usage of Wenlock