Application of Supersplining to the Mesozoic and Paleozoic Geologic Time Scales

Abstract

AbstractMethods to determine the ages of period and stage boundaries of the geologic time scale (GTS) have a long history and continue to be steadily improved. Stage boundary age estimates are now accompanied by error bars showing stratigraphic uncertainty. Most GTS2004, GTS2012 and GTS2020 results involved cubic spline-curve fitting, and in this study, Ordovician through Cretaceous smoothing splines of GTS2020 are spliced together to construct a Paleozoic–Mesozoic superspline. This methodology, its advantages and its results are outlined.