The Burdigalian GSSP: the missing tile to complete the Neogene interval of the Geological Time Scale

The Italian Ministry of the University of Research has recently founded a project (PRIN2012) entitled "The Burdigalian GSSP (Global Stratotype Section and Point): the missing tile to complete the Neogene interval of the Geological Time Scale", whose goal is to identify a section suitable to host the Burdigalian GSSP. At the present time, all the Neogene stages are presently formally ratified with the exception of the Burdigalian and Langhian ones. If on the one hand for the latter stage a working group is completing studies that will shortly result in presenting a proposal for a section containing the GSSP (Iaccarino et al. 2011), on the other hand the Burdigalian question still remains unsolved. The project is organized into three units, each specialized in one of the three main disciplines that characterize the research: biostratigraphy, based on calcareous nannofossils (University of Catania with the collaboration of the University of Palermo and the INGV of Pisa) and Foraminifers (University of Siena with the collaboration of the IAMC-CNR and the University of Naples), and paleomagnetism (INGV of Rome). The project will benefit of the modern methodologies that, in the recent past, led to the formalization of most of the Neogene GSSPs; in particular: -High resolution sampling. -Calcareous plankton quantitative biostratigraphy. -Magnetostratigraphy. -Analysis of the Oxygen and Carbon stable isotopes. -Cyclostratigraphy and astrochronology. Preliminary investigations and literature data allowed the identification of two well-exposed and easy to be reached sections that, based on their litho-micropaleontological and magnetic properties, are potentially suitable for the definition of the Burdigalian GSSP: the St. Thomas section (SE coast of Malta Island), and the S. Croce di Arcevia section (Marche Region, Central Italy), investigated in the past but with traditional methodologies and in low resolution. There is also the possibility to investigate a succession outcropping in the Cyprus Island, which according to very recent data seems to fit the purpose. The large-scale correlation with extra Mediterranean areas will be guaranteed by the investigation of oceanic successions, the DSDP Site 608 (NE Atlantic), and the IODP U1405 and U1406 cores (NW Atlantic). The starting point is to study in detail the stratigraphic intervals yielding the events traditionally used to approximate the Aquitanian/Burdigalian boundary to test their reliability or eventually to propose new criteria. The achievement of the aim of this project will allow the completion of the Neogene interval of the Geological Time Scale, an essential means to all who investigate questions connected to the Earth Sciences.