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Journal of the Geological Society; 1992; v. 149; issue.4; p. 589-592;
DOI: 10.1144/gsjgs.149.4.0589
© 1992 Geological Society of London

Article

Two decades of research on the Proterozoic-Phanerozoic transition: 1972-1991

JOHN W. COWIE

IUGS International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1RJ, UK

The most radical global change, involving the biology, chemistry and physics of life, occurred near and at the stratigraphical level of the boundary between the Neoproterozoic System (Precambrian) and the Cambrian System. This stratigraphical level is held by consensus to be the Proterozoic Eonothem-Phanerozoic Eonothem Boundary, and is regarded as being of fundamental importance. Research has involved not only archaeocyathans, shelly small problematica, earliest trilobites, stromatolites and algae, trace fossils, soft-bodied metazoans, microphytolites and acritarchs, but also physical and chemical aspects: radio-isotope dating, carbon, strontium and oxygen isotope stratigraphy, polar wandering relating to palaeogeography and magnetostratigraphy. A selected bibliography (1985-1990) is appended to enable further reading of the extensive research contributions.