A Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP), sometimes referred to as a golden spike, is an internationally agreed upon reference point on a stratigraphic section which defines the lower boundary of a stage on the geologic time scale.

The Status column has a "golden spike" for every GSSP which has been formally agreed by the ICS. Those without have only candidate sections which have not yet been formally ratified. The clock stands for times that are currently defined only by an age.

The boundary is defined by a spike in a rock succession coincident with available biological and other markers. Since 1977, the ICS has maintained the international GSSP register. Locations. GSSPs are spread throughout the world. The map below indicates each's approximate location.

Hammering the “golden spike” during the fieldtrip of the Erice conference on Neogene Mediterranean Paleoceanography held in September 1997, featuring Mike Howell, Isabel Zamarreno (with camera), Maria Bianca Cita, Frits Hilgen and Franco Ricci Lucchi (from left to right on the left picture).

A Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP, known colloquially as a “golden spike” from railroad history) is a single point defined in a designated geological section that serves to define the base of a unit (a boundary) within the Geological Time Scale (GTS). All official units in the GTS are defined in this way.

Many GSSPs are marked by golden spikes. This 'golden spike' marks the GSSP for the start of the Ediacaran. A GSSP, more fully a Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point, is an internationally agreed point which defines the start of a stage on the geologic time scale.

Sep 28, 2019 · The base of the Ediacaran Period is defined by a Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) marked by the Golden Spike in the Elatina Formation in Brachina Gorge.

May 18, 2022 · What is a GSSP or golden spike? A GSSP is Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point, which defines the lower boundary of a stage on the geologic time scale. It is sometimes referred to as a “golden spike”, after the marker which may be driven into the boundary.

The cliff section at Monte San Nicola (Sicily, Italy) hosts the GSSP (‘golden spike’) of the base of the Gelasian Stage. This GSSP now defines the base of the Quaternary and Pleistocene.

Aug 1, 2024 · The ‘golden spike’ or ‘GSSP’ approach is the cornerstone of contemporary chronostratigraphic methodology. It is also perplexing. Chronostratigraphers define each global time-rock boundary extremely locally, often by driving a gold-colored pin into an exposed rock section at a particular level.