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Reply to ‘Uppermost Cambrian carbon chemostratigraphy : The HERB and undocumented TOCE events are not synonymous’

Zhu, Maoyan ; Babcock, Loren E. LU ; Peng, Shanchi and Ahlberg, Per LU (2021) In Geological Magazine 158(7). p.1323-1326
Abstract

In a recent communication on carbon isotope chemostratigraphy of the uppermost Cambrian strata, it was claimed that the Top of Cambrian Excursion (TOCE) is (1) an undocumented negative δ13Ccarb excursion; (2) ambiguously defined; (3) deliberately fictitious or, in the authors’ words, a ‘nihilartikel’; and (4) not synonymous with the Hellnmaria–Red Tops Boundary (HERB) Event. As the authors who have been involved in much of the discussion surrounding the TOCE since its introduction and in subsequent clarification, we wish to emphasize that the recent communication overlooks the fact that the TOCE is in fact a well-documented and clearly defined negative δ13Ccarb excursion, and that the term... (More)

In a recent communication on carbon isotope chemostratigraphy of the uppermost Cambrian strata, it was claimed that the Top of Cambrian Excursion (TOCE) is (1) an undocumented negative δ13Ccarb excursion; (2) ambiguously defined; (3) deliberately fictitious or, in the authors’ words, a ‘nihilartikel’; and (4) not synonymous with the Hellnmaria–Red Tops Boundary (HERB) Event. As the authors who have been involved in much of the discussion surrounding the TOCE since its introduction and in subsequent clarification, we wish to emphasize that the recent communication overlooks the fact that the TOCE is in fact a well-documented and clearly defined negative δ13Ccarb excursion, and that the term ‘HERB Event’ was originally used informally, without definition or reference data, for a negative δ13Ccarb peak, a peak later shown to occur within the TOCE excursion. Nearly a decade after the TOCE was named, the concept of the HERB Event was modified from a negative δ13Ccarb peak to a negative δ13Ccarb excursion, making it conceptually synonymous with the TOCE excursion. The recently published commentary is misleading and replete with misconceptions, as we discuss here.

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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Cambrian, Chemostratigraphy, HERB, TOCE
in
Geological Magazine
volume
158
issue
7
pages
4 pages
publisher
Cambridge University Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:85093923798
ISSN
0016-7568
DOI
10.1017/S0016756820001120
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
53c03ff4-b786-4e6b-a39c-414b0141ad50
date added to LUP
2020-11-12 09:47:11
date last changed
2022-04-26 21:44:04
@article{53c03ff4-b786-4e6b-a39c-414b0141ad50,
  abstract     = {{<p>In a recent communication on carbon isotope chemostratigraphy of the uppermost Cambrian strata, it was claimed that the Top of Cambrian Excursion (TOCE) is (1) an undocumented negative δ<sup>13</sup>C<sub>carb</sub> excursion; (2) ambiguously defined; (3) deliberately fictitious or, in the authors’ words, a ‘nihilartikel’; and (4) not synonymous with the Hellnmaria–Red Tops Boundary (HERB) Event. As the authors who have been involved in much of the discussion surrounding the TOCE since its introduction and in subsequent clarification, we wish to emphasize that the recent communication overlooks the fact that the TOCE is in fact a well-documented and clearly defined negative δ<sup>13</sup>C<sub>carb</sub> excursion, and that the term ‘HERB Event’ was originally used informally, without definition or reference data, for a negative δ<sup>13</sup>C<sub>carb</sub> peak, a peak later shown to occur within the TOCE excursion. Nearly a decade after the TOCE was named, the concept of the HERB Event was modified from a negative δ<sup>13</sup>C<sub>carb</sub> peak to a negative δ<sup>13</sup>C<sub>carb</sub> excursion, making it conceptually synonymous with the TOCE excursion. The recently published commentary is misleading and replete with misconceptions, as we discuss here.</p>}},
  author       = {{Zhu, Maoyan and Babcock, Loren E. and Peng, Shanchi and Ahlberg, Per}},
  issn         = {{0016-7568}},
  keywords     = {{Cambrian; Chemostratigraphy; HERB; TOCE}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{07}},
  number       = {{7}},
  pages        = {{1323--1326}},
  publisher    = {{Cambridge University Press}},
  series       = {{Geological Magazine}},
  title        = {{Reply to ‘Uppermost Cambrian carbon chemostratigraphy : The HERB and undocumented TOCE events are not synonymous’}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0016756820001120}},
  doi          = {{10.1017/S0016756820001120}},
  volume       = {{158}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}