The role of stratotypes in stratigraphy

Walsh, Stephen L.

doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2004.11.002

Cited by 14 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 43 publications

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“…4 Yet historically, although the GSSP is thought to have introduced 'one single set of standard world-wide stages' (Hedberg 1968: 193), it is simultaneously acknowledged as an imperfect measure. Hollis Hedberg, who is often acknowledged as the architect of the GSSP (Cowie et al 1986;Walsh 2005), acknowledges that 'palaeontological evidence of time in rock is always imperfect,' and that as far as accurate geological divisions are concerned, 'it is doubtful that their division points are marked by "natural breaks"' (Hedberg 1948, p. 447). Hedberg was of the opinion that the establishment of a universal, standardised code is of greater significance than total accuracy; the latter being an unrealistic abstraction in any case, given that the stratigraphic is always removed from the object of their investigation.…”

Section: The Gsspmentioning

confidence: 99%

Law and Geology for the Anthropocene: Toward an Ethics of Encounter

Damianos

2022

Law Critique

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The Anthropocene has been observed as an opportunity to generate new legal imaginaries capable of revising incumbent assumptions of legal and political thought. What opportunities do such ambitions afford for communication between geological and legal thought? Responding to Birrell & Matthews attempt to ‘re-story a law for, rather than of, the Anthropocene,’ I wish to describe some ways in which the Anthropocene Working Group, who are pursuing formalisation of the Anthropocene as an official geological unit, are involved in a similar exercise of re-storying geology. The Anthropocene theme is brought to bear as a geological reality through material practices of measurement and correlation, as well as through the invocation of previous judgements of the evaluative committees associated with the formalisation of new geological unit. This effort amounts to a redefinition of the practices of geological observation, i.e. what counts as geologically relevant and why. In keeping with the theme of an ‘ethics of encounter’, as encouraged by Birrell and Matthews, this article suggests that the AWG’s effort provides a model with which the elaboration of ‘laws for the Anthropocene’ might correspond.

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Section: The Gsspmentioning

confidence: 99%