THE NEW YORK DEVONIAN: A NEW STRATIGRAPHIC SYNTHESIS AND CHRONOSTRATIGRAPHIC CHART FOR THE NORTH AMERICAN STANDARD
A diverse team of Devonian experts will contribute to a new digital publication, including a series of large graphic charts and accompanying text chapters that outline current understanding of NY Devonian stratigraphy. The entire NY Devonian succession will be plotted on two Wheeler/time-rock diagrams. With geography along the x-axis, the y-axis of each will portray NY strata plotted relative to global and New York biostratigraphy. One full Devonian chart will plot equal spacing for Lower, Middle and Upper Devonian strata, as used on the international Devonian Correlation Table. The other will use the Gradstein et al. (2012) Geologic Time Scale on the y-axis. Intervals with great stratigraphic detail will be expanded in separate charts. In addition, one or more additional charts will provide data on the timing and duration of various key NY to regional geological and biological events and processes, plotted against stratigraphy and global data sets. These will include additional biostratigraphic data sets, sequence stratigraphy, sediment composition/petrology and Acadian orogenic events as interpreted from foreland basin sediments. Additional data will include: airfall volcanic tephras, major and minor paleobiological extinctions and other regional to global bioevents, ecological–evolutionary faunas, and faunal epiboles.
Gaps remain in our knowledge of NY’s Devonian record. These include: details of Devonian terrestrial strata; terrestrial-marine correlations; Upper Devonian “Chemung”-type facies; Pragian strata deposited across the Wallbridge Unconformity; and biostratigraphy through numerous intervals of the Devonian succession (including palynological analyses). A key long-term goal of this project will be to address areas of weak biostratigraphic coverage and incorporate new chemostratigraphic analyses.