Emsian
ColorEmsian
Time start410.62
Time start uncertainty1.95
Time end393.47
Time end uncertainty0.99
TimelineDevonian
Name formalityFormal
Name accept date1985
Celestial bodyearth
UsageGlobal (ICS)
Timescales usedICS Time Scale
Chrono unitAge
Strat unitStage
Timespan formalityFormal
Lower boundary defFAD of the conodont Polygnathus kitabicus
Lower gssp locationZinzil'ban Gorge, Uzbekistan
Lower gssp coords39.2000°N 67.3056°E
Lower gssp accept date1995[1]
Upper boundary defFAD of the conodont Polygnathus costatus partitus
Upper gssp locationWetteldorf Richtschnitt section, Wetteldorf, Eifel, Germany
Upper gssp coords50.1496°N 6.4716°E
Upper gssp accept date1985[2]

The Emsian is one of three faunal stages in the Early Devonian Epoch. It lasted from 410.62 ±1.95 million years ago to 393.47 ±0.99 million years ago.[3] It was preceded by the Pragian Stage and followed by the Eifelian Stage. It is named after the Ems river in Germany.[4] The GSSP is located in the Zinzil'ban Gorge in the Kitab State Geological Reserve of Uzbekistan, 35 centimetres (14 in) above the contact with the Madmon Formation.

In North America the Emsian Stage is represented by Sawkill or Sawkillian time.

Biological events

During this period, earliest known agoniatitid ammonoid fossils began appearing within this stage after first appearing in previous stage and began to evolutionarily radiate within this stage, in which a new ammonoid order Goniatitida rises in the end of Zlichovian stage (Siberian representation; corresponds to early Eifelian and after the end of Early Devonian, before 391.9 mya).[5][6] Later agoniatitid ammonoids would die out in the Taghanic event in the upper middle Givetian. Goniatite ammonoids would give rise to further ammonoid orders, thus starting ammonoid dominance of marine fossils in further periods until their end at the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction event.

References

  1. ^ Yolkin, E.; Kim, A.; Weddige, K.; Talent, J.; House, M. (December 1997). "Definition of the Pragian/Emsian Stage boundary". Episodes. 20 (4): 235–240. doi:10.18814/epiiugs/1997/v20i4/005. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  2. ^ Ziegler, W. & Klapper, G. (June 1985). "Stages of the Devonian System". Episodes. 8 (2): 104–109. doi:10.18814/epiiugs/1985/v8i2/006. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  3. ^ Cohen, K.M., Finney, S.C., Gibbard, P.L. & Fan, J.-X. (2013; updated) The ICS International Chronostratigraphic Chart. Episodes 36: 199–204.
  4. ^ "Emsian stage". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  5. ^ Klug, Christian (July 30, 1999). "Early Emsian ammonoids from the eastern Anti-Atlas (Morocco) and their succession". Paläontologische Zeitschrift. 74 (4): 479–515. doi:10.1007/BF02988158
  6. ^ Chlupac, I. & Lukes, P. (January 1999). "Pragian/Zlichovian and Zlichovian/Dalejan boundary sections in the Lower Devonian of the Barrandian Area, Czech Republic". ResearchGate. Retrieved June 26, 2018.