Ordovician series and stages in Chinese stratigraphy: steps toward a global usage

The first Chinese Ordovician series was erected by Lee & Chao (1924). Since then, many regional Ordovician series and stage names have been established and mostly published in Chinese. The present study is a review of these regional units with a discussion of their definitions and correlation to the international standard. Among them, the Ichang series, Neichiashan series, Chientangkiang series, Yushanian stage and Dawanian Stage are most important; all regarded as regional stage divisions in China. The Lower, Middle and Upper Ordovician Series with their new definitions (Webby 1998) are now accepted in China. The global stage names, which have been approved (Tremadocian and Darriwilian), and “Caradocian” and “Ashgillian”, which are potentially to be part of the global standard, should be formally used in China. The Darriwilian Stage is defined in a global stratotype section near Huangnitang, Changshan, SE China. Only two regional stage names, the Yushanian and Dawanian, still remain since the international correlation of these two units has not yet been resolved. The main type Ordovician successions of China are identified, revised and regional correlations briefly outlined.