Miaolingian
Third epoch of the Cambrian period
title: "Miaolingian" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["miaolingian", "cambrian-geochronology", "geological-epochs"] description: "Third epoch of the Cambrian period" topic_path: "philosophy" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miaolingian" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Third epoch of the Cambrian period ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox geologic timespan"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Miaolingian |
| color | Miaolingian |
| time_start | |
| time_start_prefix | ~ |
| time_end | |
| time_end_prefix | ~ |
| image_map | Mollweide Paleographic Map of Earth, 505 Ma (Wuliuan Stage).png |
| caption_map | A map of Earth as it appeared 505 million years ago during the Miaolingian Series, Wuliuan Stage |
| timeline | Cambrian |
| name_formality | Formal |
| name_accept_date | |
| former_names | Cambrian Series 3 |
| celestial_body | earth |
| usage | Global (ICS) |
| timescales_used | ICS Time Scale |
| chrono_unit | Epoch |
| strat_unit | Series |
| timespan_formality | Formal |
| lower_boundary_def | FAD of the Trilobite Oryctocephalus indicus. |
| lower_gssp_location | Wuliu-Zengjiayan, Guizhou, China |
| lower_gssp_coords | |
| lower_gssp_accept_date | |
| upper_boundary_def | FAD of the Trilobite Glyptagnostus reticulatus |
| upper_gssp_location | Paibi section, Paibi, Hunan, China |
| upper_gssp_coords | |
| upper_gssp_accept_date | |
| :: |
| name = Miaolingian | color = Miaolingian | time_start = | time_start_prefix = ~ | time_end = | time_end_prefix = ~ | image_map = Mollweide Paleographic Map of Earth, 505 Ma (Wuliuan Stage).png | caption_map = A map of Earth as it appeared 505 million years ago during the Miaolingian Series, Wuliuan Stage | image_outcrop = | caption_outcrop = | image_art = | caption_art = | timeline = Cambrian | name_formality = Formal | name_accept_date = | alternate_spellings = | synonym1 = | synonym1_coined = | synonym2 = | synonym2_coined = | synonym3 = | synonym3_coined = | nicknames = | former_names = Cambrian Series 3 | proposed_names = | celestial_body = earth | usage = Global (ICS) | timescales_used = ICS Time Scale | formerly_used_by = | not_used_by = | chrono_unit = Epoch | strat_unit = Series | proposed_by = | timespan_formality = Formal | lower_boundary_def = FAD of the Trilobite Oryctocephalus indicus. | lower_gssp_location = Wuliu-Zengjiayan, Guizhou, China | lower_gssp_coords = | lower_gssp_accept_date = | upper_boundary_def = FAD of the Trilobite Glyptagnostus reticulatus | upper_gssp_location = Paibi section, Paibi, Hunan, China | upper_gssp_coords = | upper_gssp_accept_date = | o2 = | co2 = | temp = | sea_level =
The Miaolingian or Mid-Late Cambrian is the third Series of the Cambrian Period, and was formally named in 2018. It lasted from about to million years ago and is divided in ascending order into 3 stages: the Wuliuan, Drumian, and Guzhangian. The Miaolingian is preceded by the unnamed Cambrian Series 2 and succeeded by the Furongian series.
It is named after the Miaoling Mountains in southeastern Guizhou Province, China.
Definition
A number of proposals for fossils and type sections were made before it was formally ratified in 2018. The most promising fossil markers were seen to be the respective first appearances of either trilobite species Ovatoryctocara granulata or Oryctocephalus indicus, which both have an age close to million years ago. After some deliberation, the FAD of Oryctocephalus indicus was chosen to be the lower boundary marker, and the GSSP was placed in the Kaili Formation, Wuliu-Zengjiayan, Guizhou, China.
The Miaolingian-Furongian boundary has the same definition as the Paibian Stage. It is defined as the first appearance of Glyptagnostus reticulatus around million years ago.
Subdivision
The Miaolingian is subdivided into the following stages:
::data[format=table]
| Epoch / Series | Age / Stage | Age lower boundary (mya) |
|---|---|---|
| Furongian | ||
| Stage 10 | ||
| Jiangshanian | ||
| Paibian | ||
| Miaolingian | ||
| Guzhangian | ||
| Drumian | ||
| Wuliuan | ||
| Series 2 | ||
| Stage 4 | ||
| Stage 3 | ||
| :: |
The Ordian stage, which is use in Australian chronostratigraphical scale, was originally supposed to be the lowest stage of the Miaolingian, but may belong to upper Series 2. As of 2024, the base of the Ordian is not defined yet.
Major events
At the Cambrian Series 2–Miaolingian boundary, the first major trilobite extinction, known as the Olenellid Biomere boundary, occurred. In particular, trilobites of the families Ollenellidae and Redlichiidae have been extinct in Laurentia and South China, respectively. The first O. indicus appear after this global extinction, and in areas where O. indicus fossils are absent, the Series 2–Miaolingian boundary is determined by chemostratigraphic data.
Paleontology
Benthic graptolites have reached a wide distribution in the Miaolingian. Encrusting colonies of the Rhabdopleuridae and erect growing branching colonies of the Dithecodendridae families evolved already at the beginning of the Miaolingian. The most common Wuliuan graptolite genus is Sphenoecium, whose robust colonies were found all over the world.
References
References
- Yuanlong Zhao. (June 2019). "Global Standard Stratotype-Section and Point (GSSP) for the conterminous base of the Miaolingian Series and Wuliuan Stage (Cambrian) at Balang, Jianhe, Guizhou, China". Episodes.
- Gozalo, Rodolfo. (1 December 2011). "Proposal of a reference section and point for the Cambrian Series 2-3 boundary in the Mediterranean subprovince in Murero (NE Spain) and its intercontinental correlation". Geological Journal.
- Arne Thorshøj Nielsen, Per Ahlberg. (2019). "The Miaolingian, a new name for the 'Middle' Cambrian (Cambrian Series 3): identification of lower and upper boundaries in Baltoscandia". GFF.
- John R. Laurie, Peter D. Kruse, Glenn A. Brock, James D. Holmes, James B. Jago, Marissa J. Betts, John R. Paterson, Patrick M. Smith. (April 2024). "The quest for an Australian Cambrian stage scale". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology.
- Jih-Pai Lin, Frederick A. Sundberg, Ganqing Jiang, Isabel P. Montañez, Thomas Wotte. (22 November 2019). "Chemostratigraphic correlations across the first major trilobite extinction and faunal turnovers between Laurentia and South China". Scientific Reports.
- Courtney Birksmith, Glenn A. Brock, Marissa J. Betts, James D. Holmes, Zhiliang Zhang. (2023). "Chronostratigraphy of the Cambrian Series 2 -Miaolingian boundary, western Stansbury Basin, South Australia". Conference: Palaeo Down Under 3 at Perth, Western Australia.
- Jörg Maletz. (8 December 2023). "Benthic graptolites (Graptolithina, Pterobranchia) in the Miaolingian (Cambrian Series 3)". Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments.
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