Etymology of geological time units - type localities
Etymology of local formation names in an around Austria
CONTENTS:
Cenozoic
Mesozoic
Paleozoic
Precambrian
Note:
According to the International Union of Geological Sciences, the geological timeline
should be sectioned as follows: erathem - system - series - stage -
formation - member - horizon.
Furthermore, international compatibility should be achieved by adding the Latin ending "-ium" to stratigraphic names
(especially series, stages etc.) which are derived from sites or ancient peoples. This prevents stratigraphic names
being mixed up with places (e.g. stage: Maastrichtium, but place: Maastricht).
Although those names may sound unfamiliar to many scientists and the ending "-ian" is very common in English literature,
this could contribute significantly to international literature.
(Gr.kainòs... new; zôon...living being)
System: QUARTARY
(Lat. quartum...fourth)
- Series: Holocene = Alluvium (Gr. hólos...complete, whole; kainòs...new; Lat. alluvium...flood sediment)
- Series: Pleistocene = Diluvium (Gr. pleîston...most; kainòs...new; Lat. diluvium...deluge)
System: TERTIARY
(Lat. tertium...third)
Subsystem: Neogene
(Gr. néos...new; génos...gender, origin)
- Series: Pliocene (Gr. pleîon...more; kainòs...new)
| Stage: Astium (town near Torino I) |
Stage: Levantium (region in E Spain) |
| Stage: Dacium (ancient Roman province - Romania) |
- Stage: Piacentium (town near Milano I)
- Series: Miocene (Gr. meîon...less; kainòs...new)
- Stage: Messinium (town in S-Calabria I) = ? Maeotium (gr. Maiôtis... Sea of Asow)
- Stage: Tortonium (town N of Genova I)
- Stage: Serravallium (town N of Genova I)
- Stage: Langhium (region near Alessandria (Torino) I)
- Stage: Burdigalium (Bordeaux ... town in SW-F)
- Stage: Aquitanium (ancient Iberian people and region Aquitaine F)
Subsystem: Paleogene
(Gr. palaîos...old; génos...gender, origin)
- Series: Oligocene (Gr. óligon... very little; kainòs...new)
- Stage: Chattium (ancient Germanic tribe in Hessen D)
- Stage: Rupelium (river near Mechelen B)
- Stage: Sannoisium (suburb of Paris F)
- Series: Eocene (Gr. éos...dawn; kainòs...new)
| Stage: Ludium (town in Champagne F) = Stage: Priabonium (town in I) |
The following are also regarded as Sannoisium |
|---|
| Stage: Lattorfium (town near Bernburg S of Magdeburg D) |
| Stage: Tongrium (town N of Liège B) |
- Stage: Bartonium (town in Co.Hampshire GB)
- Stage: Auversium (town at the river Oise - Paris)
| Stage: Lutetium (Lat. Lutetia...Paris F) |
Stage: Wemmelium (town near Bruxelles B) |
| Stage: Lédium (town in B) |
| Stage: Bruxellium (Capital of B) |
| Stage: Yprèsium (town in W-Flanders B, Flemish: Ypern) |
Stage: Cuisium (Cuise-La-Motte near Paris F) |
Stage: Sparnacium (Épernay...town in N-F) = Stage: Illerdium (Lleida / Lérida, town in E Spain)
(also regarded as paleocene!) |
- Series: Paleocene (Gr. palaîos...old; éos...dawn; kainòs...new)
- Stage: Thanetium (island Co.Kent GB) = Landenium (town W of Liège B)
- Stage: Montium (Mons...town in B)
- Stage: Danium (Denmark)
Erathem: MESOZOIC / SECONDARY
(Gr. mésos...medium; zôon...living being / Lat. secundum...second)
System: CRETACEOUS
(Lat. creta...chalk; referring to chalk deposits common in the Baltic Sea and S-England)
- Series: Upper Cretaceous
-
| Stage: Maastrichtium (town in SO-NL) |
Stage: Senonium (ancient tribe near Sens SE of Paris F) |
| Stage: Campanium (Champagne...region in F) |
| Stage: Santonium (Saintogne...region in F) | Stage: Emscherium (river in "Ruhr" area D) |
| Stage: Coniacium (town in W-F) |
| Stage: Turonium (ancient Gallic tribe near Tours F) |
| Stage: Cenomanium (ancient Gallic tribe near Le Mans F) |
- Series: Lower Cretaceous
-
| Stage: Albium (Aube...river in F) | | Gault (Engl. local name for clay formation, akin to Old Nordic gald...hard-packed snow or soil) |
| Stage: Aptium (town near Avignon F) |
| Stage: Barrêmium (town at river Verdon - Provence F) | Wealden (artificial name; Weald...region S-GB; akin to Germ. Wald...wood) |
| Stage: Hauterivium (town near Neuchâtel CH) | Neocomium (Lat. for Neuchâtel CH) |
| Stage: Valanginium (town N of Neuchâtel CH, Germ. Valendis?) |
| Stage: Berriasium (town in Dept. Ardeche (Cevennes) F) | Stage: Purbeckium (town in S-GB; regarded as Malm!) |
System: JURA
(mountains in E-France and W-Switzerland)
- Series: Malm (Engl. malm...soil containing lime, sand and clay; akin to Goth. malma...sand)
- Stage: Portlandium (Peninsula Co.Dorset GB) = Stage: Tithonium (?Gr. Tithonós...husband of Éos)
- Stage: Kimmeridgium (town E of Portland GB)
- Stage: Oxfordium (town at the river Thames GB)
- Series: Dogger (Engl. for sedimentary rock rich in iron concretions that look like small curled up dogs (!))
- Stage: Callovium (Kellaway...town in Co.Wiltshire NW of Southampton GB)
- Stage: Bathonium (Bath near Bristol GB)
- Stage: Bajocium (Bayeux in Normandie F)
- Stage: Aalenium (Aalen... town E of Stuttgart D)
- Series: Lias (Fr. "liais"...hard limestone (from Lorraine), word of Celtic origin)
- Stage: Toarcium (Thouars...town near Nantes F)
- Stage: Pliensbachium (village between Stuttgart and Ulm D) = Domaro (Mountain N Bergamo, Gardone I) + Carix (Charmouth Co.Dorset E/Exeter GB)
- Stage: Sinemurium (Sémur...town W of Dijon F)
- Stage: Hettangium (town in Lothringen F)
System: TRIAS
(referring to the three sections common in Germany (Buntsandstein, Muschelkalk and Keuper);
Gr. triàs...trinity)
- Series: Keuper (Germ. old name common among miners)
- Stage: Rhaetium (Rhaetium...ancient Roman province in E-CH, W-A)
- Stage: Norium (Noricum...ancient Roman province in central A)
| Stage: Karnian (Carinthia A) | Substage: Tuval (hill near Hallein, Salzburg A) |
| Substage: Julium (Julian Alps SLO) |
| Substage: Cordevolium (right tributary of river Piave I) |
| Substage: Upper Ladinium (Rhaeto-Romanic language in Dolomite Alps I) | Substage: Fassanium (Valley in Central Dolomite Alps - Canazei I) |
- Series: Muschelkalk (Germ. Muschel...bivalve, Kalk...limestone; referring to shell-rich (in fact, of brachiopodes) limestones in the German Trias)
| Substage: Lower Ladinium (v. Upper Ladin) | Substage: Langobardium (ancient Germ. tribe) |
- Stage: Anisium (ancient tribe; Lat. for river Enns A)
- Series: Buntsandstein (Germ. bunt...coloured; Sandstein...sandstone; referring to red - green sandstones in the Germ. Trias) =
Stage: Skythium (ancient people at the Black Sea)
Erathem: PALEOZOIC / PRIMARY
(Gr. palaîos...old; zôon...living being / Lat. primum...first)
System: PERM
(City in Russia W of Ural Mts.)
- Series: Zechstein / Thuringium (Germ. Zeche...mine (referring to copper-rich formations in D) / Thüringen...Germ. Country)
- Stage: Tatarium (W-asiat. people)
- Stage: Kazanium (City at river Wolga RUS)
- Series: Rotliegendes / Saxonium + Autunium (Germ. Rotliegendes = New Red / Sachsen...Germ.Country, Autun...town near Dijon - Massif Central F)
- Stage: Kungurium (town S of Perm RUS) = Saxonium
- Stage: Artinskium (town S of Kungur RUS) = Upper Autunium
- Stage: Sakmarium (river near Orenburg - Ural Mts. RUS) = Lower Autunium
System: CARBONIFEROUS
(Lat. carbo...coal; ferre...carry; referring to frequent coal beds in this system)
- Subsystem: Upper Carboniferous = Silesium = Pennsylvanium (Schlesien...SW-Poland; Pennsylvania...State in New England USA)
| W-Europe | E-Europe (ICS) | N-America |
|---|
| Stage: | Stefanium (St.Étienne...town SW of Lyon F)
| Gzhelium (china production site N of Moskva RUS) |
Virgilium (??) |
| Stage: | Westfalium (Country in D) |
Kasimovium (City at river Oka E of Moskva RUS) |
Missourium (State and river in USA) |
| Stage: | Namurium (town S of Bruxelles B) |
Moskovium (Capital of RUS) |
Des Moines (City in Iowa USA) |
| Stage: | |
Bashkirium (people in S-Ural Mts. RUS) |
Atokium (??) |
| Stage: | |
|
Marrowium (??) |
- Subsystem: Lower Carboniferous = Mississippium (Mississippi...state and river in USA)
| W-Europe | E-Europe | N-America |
|---|
| Stage: | | Serpukhovium (City at river Oka S of Moskva RUS) | Chesterium (??) |
| Stage: | Viséum (town N of Liège B) | Viséum (town N of Liège B) | Maramecium (??) |
| Stage: | Tournaisium (town at river Schelde B near Lille F) | Tournaisium (town at river Schelde B near Lille) | Osagium (??) |
| Stage: | Dinantium (town S of Bruxelles B) = Viséum + Tournaisium | | Kinderhookium (??) |
System: DEVONIUM
(County in England)
- Series: Upper Devonium
| Stage: Famennium (depression near Dinant S of Bruxelles B) |
Stage: Dasbergium (town in region Sauerland D)
= Strunium (Étrœungt town S of Maubeuge SW of Lille F) |
| Stage: Hembergium (town near Iserlohn / Sauerland D) |
| Stage: Frasnium (town E of Tournaisium (v. Mississippium) B) |
Stage: Nehdenium (town in Sauerland D) |
| Stage: Adorfium (town near Waldeck D) |
- Series: Middle Devonium
- Givetium (town S of Dinant (v. Mississippium) F)
- Eifelium (region in Rheinland D) (formerly Couvinium (town S of Charleroi B))
- Series: Lower Devonium
- Stage: Emsium (Bad Ems/Lahn...town near Koblenz - Sauerland D) = Stage: Zlichovium (CZ) + Substage: Upper Pragium
- Stage: Siegenium (town E of Cologne D) = Substage: Lower Pragium (Capital of CZ.Rep.) + Substage: Upper Lochkovium
- Stage: Gédinnium (town S of Givet (v. Middle Devonium) F) = Substage: Lower Lochkovium (CZ)
System: SILURIUM
(ancient Celtic tribe in Wales GB)
-
| Stage: Downtonium (town near Ludlow Shropshire) = Stage: Pridolium (town near Prague CZ) |
| Stage: Ludlowium (town in Co.Shropshire (W of Birmingham) GB) | Salopium (abbr. for Shropshire GB) |
| Stage: Wenlockium (town in Co.Shropshire GB) |
| Stage: Llandoverium (town in Wales N of Swansea GB) |
System: ORDOVICIUM
(ancient celtic tribe in Wales)
- Series: Upper Ordovicium
- Stage: Ashgillium (town in Cumbrian Mts. near Coniston N of Barrow GB)
- Stage: Caradocium (town in Co.Shropshire W of Birmingham GB)
- Series: Lower Ordovicium
- Stage: Llandeilium (town in Wales W of Swansea GB)
- Stage: Llanvirnium (? Wales GB)
- Stage: Arenigium (mountain in Co.Merioneth Wales GB) = Stage: Skiddavium (mountain in Co.Cumberland GB)
- Stage: Tremadocium (town near Snowdon-Mts. N-Wales GB)
CAMBRIUM
(Roman name for N-Wales, mountains in N-Wales GB)
- Series: Upper Cambrium = Potsdamium (Potsdam...town in USA)
- Series: Middle Cambrium = Acadium (region in E-CDN)
- Series: Lower Cambrium = Georgium (Georgia...State of the USA)
(Lat. prae...before)
Erathem: PROTEROZOICUM = ALGONKIUM
(Gr. próteros...early; zôon...living being; Algonkin: Indian tribe in Ontario CDN)
System: LATE PROTEROZOICUM
- Series: Sinium (Lat. for China) = ? Wendium (?)
- Series: Riphaeicum (Gr. Rhîpai...?Ural Mts. RUS)
System: MIDDLE PROTEROZOICUM
System: EARLY PROTEROZOICUM
Erathem: ARCHAICUM
(gr. archaîos...ancient)
Resources:
MURAWSKI/MEYER (1998), Geologisches Wörterbuch
GEMOLL, W. (1954), Griechisch-Deutsches Schul- und Handwörterbuch
STOWASSER, J.W. (1985), Lateinisch-Deutsches Schulwörterbuch
Responsible for content: Christof Kuhn office@geol-info.at
Last modified: Sept 11, 2010
Back to Christof Kuhn's Homepage