IUGS on conventions and standards in Earth sciences: A matter in need of clarification

Abstract

The International Geological Congress (IGC) was born in 1878 to provide an international forum for the world geological community to consider uniformity in nomenclature and map symbols for geologic reports. The initial steps were taken during the 1st IGC (Paris, 1878), when several commissions were created, i.e. Unification of Geological Nomenclature, Unification of Geological Figures, and Nomenclature of Mineralogical and Paleontological Species. Reports produced by these commissions were discussed during the 2nd IGC (Bologna, 1881), where a “Bureau Géologique International” – the origin of the Commission of the Geological Map of the World (CGMW) – was created to deal with unification of geological methods in the publication of geological maps. Because of the work of the Commission on Unification of Geological Nomenclature, at both the 2nd and the 8th IGC (Paris, 1900) a set of stratigraphic terms – and the corresponding chronological terms – was accepted. During the 11th IGC (Stockholm, 1910), the Commission on the Lexicon on Stratigraphy was created, and at the 19th IGC (Algeria, 1952) it was included together with one on Stratigraphic Terminology –later on Stratigraphic Classification (ISSC) – as subcommissions in the new International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS).