Proposed GSSP for the base of Cambrian Stage 9, coinciding with the first appearance of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Agnostotes orientalis</Emphasis>, at Duibian,Zhejiang, China

Exposed in natural outcrops near the Duibian Village, Jiangshan County, Zhejiang Province, China, the Duibian B section is proposed as the boundary stratotype for the base of an unnamed stage termed provisionally Cambrian Stage 9. The proposed position of the GSSP is 108.12 m above the base of the Huayansi Formation, at a horizon coinciding with the first appearance of the cosmopolitan agnostoid trilobite Agnostotes orientalis. This horizon coincides also with the first appearance of the cosmopolitan polymerid trilobite Irvingella angustilimbata. The section fulfills all the requirements for a GSSP, and the horizon can be constrained not only by the primary stratigraphic marker (A. orientalis) but also with secondary biostratigraphic, chemostratigraphic, and sequence-stratigraphic correlation tools. The first appearance of A. orientalis is one of the most readily recognizable levels in Cambrian, and can be correlated with precision to all paleocontinents. Supported by Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KZCX2-YW-122), the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (Grant Nos. 2006FY120300, 2006CB806400), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40072003, 40023002, 40332018, 40672023, 40602002), and the U.S. National Science Foundation (Grant No. EAR-0106883)     

Uncertainty-based multi-criteria calibration of rainfall-runoff models: a comparative study

This study compares formal Bayesian inference to the informal generalized likelihood uncertainty estimation (GLUE) approach for uncertainty-based calibration of rainfall-runoff models in a multi-criteria context. Bayesian inference is accomplished through Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling based on an auto-regressive multi-criteria likelihood formulation. Non-converged MCMC sampling is also considered as an alternative method. These methods are compared along multiple comparative measures calculated over the calibration and validation periods of two case studies. Results demonstrate that there can be considerable differences in hydrograph prediction intervals generated by formal and informal strategies for uncertainty-based multi-criteria calibration. Also, the formal approach generates definitely preferable validation period results compared to GLUE (i.e., tighter prediction intervals that show higher reliability) considering identical computational budgets. Moreover, non-converged MCMC (based on the standard Gelman–Rubin metric) performance is reasonably consistent with those given by a formal and fully-converged Bayesian approach even though fully-converged results requires significantly larger number of samples (model evaluations) for the two case studies. Therefore, research to define alternative and more practical convergence criteria for MCMC applications to computationally intensive hydrologic models may be warranted.     

An Interdisciplinary Methodology for the Characterization and Visualization of the Heritage of Roadway Corridors

Roads, particularly since the advent of motorized traffic, have hugely impacted contemporary landscapes. Although their significance was noted in the 1980s, specific roadway‐heritage studies are scarce. Research in different disciplines has identified certain features of roads, but an integrated approach to roadway heritage or a consensus on what this constitutes are lacking. This article proposes an interdisciplinary methodology to assess roadway heritage. Roadways are interpreted within the framework of semantic openness that currently characterizes heritage studies, territory being the basic element of interpretation. Rather than a fragmented approach to conservation, the research defines integrated heritage configurations where natural, cultural, and historical features combine to produce a cohesive form of heritage. GIS (Geographical information systems) technology is used with an online database to assess the complexity of roadway heritage. ICT (Information and communications technology) strategies to raise public awareness are outlined. The methodology is applied to assess the historical N‐340 Mediterranean roadway corridor in Spain.     

Kaili Biota: A Taphonomic Window on Diversification of Metazoans from the Basal Middle Cambrian: Guizhou, China

1 Introduction The Burgess Shale Biota was discovered in the Cambrian strata of western Canada by American paleontologist C. D. Walcott in 1909 (Walcott, 1911). The fauna contains more than 140 metazoan genera (Robison, 1991, Briggs et al., 1994), with a preservational range from hard skeletal parts, non-mineralized remains and internal soft-tissue and soft-body remains. Following that discovery up to 40 similar taphonomic locations have been found globally in Lower and Middle Cambrian …     

Designating tectonostratigraphic terranes versus mapping rock units in subduction complexes: perspectives from the Franciscan Complex of California,USA

Accretionary complex histories are broadly understood. Sedimentation in seafloor and trench environments on drifting subducting plates and in associated trenches, followed by (1) deformation and metamorphism in the subduction zone and (2) subsequent uplift at the overriding plate edge, result in complicated stratigraphic and structural sequences in accretionary complexes. Recognizing, defining, and designating individual terranes in subduction complexes clarify some of these complicated relationships within the resulting continent-scale orogenic belts. Terrane designation does not substitute for detailed stratigraphic and structural mapping. Stratigraphic and structural mapping, combined with radiometric and palaeontologic dating, are necessary for delineation of coherent, broken, and dismembered formations, and various mélange units, and for clarification of the details of subduction complex architecture and history. The Franciscan Complex is a representative subduction complex that has evolved through sedimentation, faulting, folding, and low-temperature metamorphism, followed by uplift, associated deformation, and later overprinted deformation. Many belts of Franciscan rocks are offset by strike-slip faults associated with the dextral San Andreas Fault System. In the Franciscan Complex, among the terrane names applied widely, are the ‘Yolla Bolly Terrane’ and the ‘Central Terrane’. Where detailed mapping and detrital zircon ages exist, data reveal that the two names have been applied to rocks of similar general character and age. In the northeastern Diablo Range, Franciscan Complex rocks include coherent units, broken and dismembered formations, and various types of mélanges, all assigned at various times to the Yolla Bolly and other terranes. The details of stratigraphic and structural history revealed by large-scale mapping and radiometric dating prove to be more useful in clarifying the accretionary complex history than assigning a terrane name to the rocks. That history will assist in resolving terrane assignment issues and allow discrimination of subduction-associated and post-subduction events, essential for understanding the overall history of the orogen.