Santonian Working Group
Chairman: Dr. Marcos A. Lamolda

To all members

Time is running, if you believe that Earth has completed more than one turn around the Sun, since our last circular in early 1996. Your comments on that circular have been very appreciated. Our chairman, Prof. Rawson, remembes us, in his circular to Chairs of Stage Working Groups (June 10th, 1997), to proceed rapidly as possible. Especially, those groups that need to do further research, which allows them to make a proposal for a GSSP, as is our case.

As you know, in June 1996, reports on Cretaceous Stage Working Groups were published. In our report "The Santonian Stage and Substages" main points concerning the Santonian Stage were remarked, especially about the Coniacian-Santonian Boundary. I have included copies of pp. 95, 97 and 99 of our report(*) where you can find/remember that information.

We need to collate more information on common or successive occurrences of Cladoceramus undulatoplicatus, Sigalia carpatica, and other relevant taxa referred in Fig. 1 (p. 97 or our report), in order to get a detailled biostratigraphy of the Coniacian-Santonian transition. It is urgent for the three candidates stratotype sections (p. 99 of our report): Olazagutía, Seaford Head and Ten Mile Creek. I can inform you about Olazagutía 'Marl Quarry', where two sections have been sampled and logged, last summer. One of these can be preserved and preliminary results will be presented during the IGCP project no. 362 annual meeting at Srará Lesná, Slovakia (September 29th to October, 5th, 1997).

Data on the Boreal Realm and/or the Pacific Realm are very convenient, to stablish stratotypes in these regions, if appropriated. Several section near Smoke River, west-central Alberta, Canada, and the section at Emdy-Kurgan, Kazakhstan were cited as interesting by C.J. Colom and L. Kopaevich, respectively (see p. 100 of our report).

Therefore, I ask you for new informations about your research on this topic, which are not included in our report, both published or in progress since spring of 1996. Don't forget comments and proposal for GSSP (Coniacian-Santonian Boundary). We must write a formal proposal by 1999.

Literature
Salaj, J. 1996. Tunisian Upper Cretaceous hypostratotypes as possible candidates of Tethyan stratotypes including stratotype boundaries. Zemni plyn a nafta 40, 245-307.
Salaj, J. 1997. Microbiostratigraphical (Foraminifera) division of the Turonian to Santonian in Tunisia (El Kef and Dj. Fguira Salah Area). Geologia Carpathica 48, 171-178.

Lejona, September 22nd, 1997

(*) I have some reprints if you have not got any, eventually.

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Marcos A. Lamolda