1985 Articles

Cenozoic geochronology

Berggren, William A.; Kent, Dennis V.; Flynn, John J.; Van Couvering, John A.

We present a revised Cenozoic geochronology based upon a best-fit to selected high-temperature radiometric dates on a number of identified magnetic polarity chrons (within the Late Cretaceous, Paleogene, and Neogene) which minimizes apparent accelerations in sea-floor spreading. An assessment of >200 first-order correlations of calcareous plankton biostratigraphic datum events to magnetic polarity stratigraphy yields an improved correlation of the standard magnetostratigraphic, standard biostratigraphic (zonal) and chronostratigraphic boundaries, as well as improved resolution in marine-continental stratigraphic correlations. The time scale presented here has been accepted by the Committee on Geochronology as the standard time scale for the Cenozoic for the Decade of North American Geology (DNAG).