News and Reviews – Discussion of the paper by Wimbledon et al., 2020b, entitled “The proposal of a GSSP for the Berriasian Stage (Cretaceous System): Part 1” [Volumina Jurassica, XVIII (1)]

Abstract

The current definition of the Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary results from a 50 year long “status-quo” that postponed decision making on the matter. That the temporary nature of this situation had become permanent has been rarely questionned until recently. This long-lasting situation is symptomatic of the fact that selection of the Tithonian/Berriasian boundary as the default option was probably not the best solution. Today the Berriasian Working Group is still defending this conservative option whereas the present authors refer to the reformist option known as Oppel’s view (or Granier’s diversion) with the Berriasian/Valanginian boundary as the system boundary. In that sense this position paper can be considered a counterproposal for the system boundary (not for the stage boundary) because it corrects some errors found in the first part of the Berriasian WG proposal as well as it opens minds to the best alternative according to the present authors