Paibian
The age of the Furongian interval (Cambrian), approximately ~497–~494.2 Ma according to the ICS June 2026 chart.
Language and route: Chinese place-name (romanised). Chinese place-name (romanised) → international English. Named after Paibi village, Hunan Province, China.
Literal gloss: from Paibi village
The name and its history
Peng et al. (2004); ratified 2003 · See attributed dates and cited original / standardisation works; first-use priority qualified where noted
- What does the word literally mean?
- From paibi village. 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?
- The basal Furongian stage corresponding to a distinctive agnostoid succession at Paibi.
- Why was the name needed?
- The basal stage of the newly standardised Furongian was named for the village near the selected GSSP, replacing a provisional numeral with a geographically traceable type name.
- What evidence supported the original concept?
- The section in the Huaqiao Formation yielded the globally correlatable first appearance of Glyptagnostus reticulatus.
- How has geology changed the concept?
- Paibian is now a global age; it must not be interpreted as a stage limited to fossil deposits near Paibi.
Further historical context
*Naming and context.* The basal stage of the newly standardised Furongian was named for the village near the selected GSSP, replacing a provisional numeral with a geographically traceable type name.
*Evidence and later scope. The section in the Huaqiao Formation yielded the globally correlatable first appearance of Glyptagnostus reticulatus. Paibian* is now a global age; it must not be interpreted as a stage limited to fossil deposits near Paibi.
Editorial qualification
The locality name is not translated as an alleged Chinese compound without supporting place-name evidence.
Related names
Cambrian · Furongian · Jiangshanian · Fossil
Sources
- ICS International Chronostratigraphic Chart (June 2026) — Current formal unit, order, rank and numerical age
- Peng et al. (2004), Furongian and Paibian GSSPs, Lethaia — Original formal global series and stage publication
- ICS Cambrian Subcommission, ratified GSSPs and naming motives — Formal series/stage ratifications, type localities and defining fossils