The Carboniferous-Permian Dilemma

The extreme diversity of opinion as regards the position of the boundary between the Carboniferous and Permian has led to a review of the stratigraphy in the type areas of those systems, together with a survey of some of the more important works on the critical areas of "Upper Carboniferous" and "Lower Permian" marine deposits throughout the world. A graphic comparison of various delimitations shows that the boundary has oscillated throughout the Moscovian, Uralian, and Artinskian stages; that is, in the most prevalent of American terminologies, from the base of the "Pennsylvanian" to well within the "Permian." Confusion would be eliminated, and greater precision in correlating strata and events would be attained by a more extended use of the European stage designations than by continuing to employ terms of such variable and ambiguous sonnotation as "Carboniferous" and "Permian."