GOLDEN SPIKE CEREMONY CONIACIAN GSSP - September 19, 2023

The golden spike ceremony for the Coniacian Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) was held on September 19, 2023 at Salzgitter-Salder, Norther Germany.

This GSSP defines the base of the Coniacian Stage and was ratified by IUGS in May 2021 (Walaszczyk et al. 2022) [Episodes v. 45, n. 2 https://www.episodes.org/journal/view.html?volume=45&number=2&spage=181&vmd=Full] (https://www.episodes.org/journal/view.html?volume=45&number=2&spage=181&vmd=Full)

The ceremony was organized by the Coniacian Working Group of the International Subcommission on Cretaceous Stratigraphy. Silke Voigt (University of Frankfurt) member of the Coniacian Working Group and Irek Walaszczyk (University of Warsaw) chair of the Coniacian Working Group played an active role in the organization of the ceremony that was hosted in the castle of Salder, Fürstensaal.

Irek Walaszczyk and Silke Voigt

Silke Voigt explains the GSSP

Christian Striese (2nd Major of the City of Salzgitter, Henning Zellmer (GeoparkHarz –Braunschweiger Land – Ostfalen), Markus Stöwer (Department Head, State Authority for Mining Energy and Geology LBEG), Lower Saxony), Markus Wilmsen (Chair of SKS - Subkommission für Kreide-Stratigraphie, Vice Chair of the DSK - Deutsche Stratigraphische Kommission), Philip Gibbard (Secretary General of the IUGS - International Commission on Stratigraphy), Maria Rose Petrizzo (Chair of the IUGS - ICS International Subcommission on Cretaceous Stratigraphy), and Irek Walaszczyk (Chair of the Working Group of the Coniacian Stage) attended the ceremony.

Maria Rose Petrizzo and Phil Gibbard

The event was also attended by members of the Cretaceous Subcommission and co-authors of the GSSP proposal (Dangpeng Xi, Frank Wiese, Brigit Niebuhr, Ian Jarvis, Christina Ifrim, Jordan Todes) together with geologists of BGR (André Bornemann) and of LBEG (Roberto Pierau, Janine Meinsen).

From left to right: J. Todes, D. Xi, B. Niebuhr, C. Ifrim, I. Jarvis, M. R. Petrizzo, S. Voigt F. Wiese, P. Gibbard

From left to right: A. Bornemann, M.R. Petrizzo, M. Wilmsen

If you are interested in seeing more photos of the ceremony please contact Maria Rose Petrizzo [mrose.petrizzo@unimi.it]