重新划分全球寒武系年代地层为4统和10阶,取代了国际地学界沿用了近170年的上、中、下3统的传统划分框架.新的划分方案包括1个“前三叶虫统”和3个“三叶虫优势统”,反映了寒武纪生命发展的主要阶段.各统的时间跨度大体相等,阶的界线采用重要的生物事件或具有全球对比意义的物种定义.该成果已被国际地层委员会寒武系分会表决通过,并在《国际地层表》采用,它的正式公布将加速寒武系内“金钉子”的确立的进程.
A new global chronostratigraphic subdivision of Cambrian System into 4 series and 10 stages has been developed to replace the tripartite traditional framework of the system, which has been used for more that 170 years. The new framework, comprising a pre-trilobite series and three trilobite-dominated series, reflects the major evolutional stages of the life on Earth during Cambrian Period. Each series in the new framework represents approximately the same length of the time and the stage boundaries are defined by significant bio-events as well as cosmopolitan or intercontinental species of trilobites. The framework has been approved in a vote of the International Subcommission on Cambrian Stratigraphy and adopted on 2005 and 2006 editions of "International Startigraphic Chart" by the International Commission on Stratigraphy.