Collaborative ICS-NSF Workshop: Vouchering the Stratigraphic Record

地层学是地质学的经典学科之一。由沉积岩的露头组成的地层记录为“深时间”的概念提供了基础，是地质时间尺度的基础，揭示了地球历史上经常发生的戏剧性事件和地球上的生命。地层学是勘探和开发地球能源的基础，随着时间的推移，石油、天然气和煤炭都是在沉积岩中形成的。地层学家仔细地描述了沉积岩，并对它们在地表露头或被钻孔穿透的地方进行了取样。不幸的是，这些信息中的大部分并不容易获得。它散布在世界各地的地方、地区和国家出版物中，在公共和私人组织的档案中，以及在许多地质学家的个人记录中。其中很少被放在基于计算机的、可公开访问的存储库中。现在是时候开始一项核对（存档）地层资料的计划，并汇编过去收集的资料。ICS-NSF“地层记录证明”联合研讨会的目的是为启动这一长达数十年的项目制定计划。150年来，地层学家在世界各地测量和取样地层剖面。所获得的信息为重建地球历史和调查其重大事件提供了丰富的证据。在正在进行的调查中继续收集信息，这些调查涉及多种多样的通常是综合的方法，从而可以解决根本新的科学问题。不幸的是，所产生的大量信息中，有很大一部分是目前的地层学家无法轻易获得的，而且今天正在收集的许多新数据也是如此。相反，它通过大量的出版物和文件，电子的和硬拷贝的，个人的和公共的，在世界范围内传播。而且很多遗留下来的数据在一代又一代地层学家手中丢失了。这种损失严重限制了对地层记录的现代研究，并导致这门科学在各种学科或方法、专家和地理区域之间支离破碎。解决方案是国际地层学家建立一个可公开访问的地层存储库，用于在全球范围内正在进行和未来的调查中产生的所有数据，并最终将遗留数据放入存储库。要启动这样一个雄心勃勃的长期项目，需要大量的思考和计划。因此，拟议的ICS-NSF研讨会：证明地层记录将汇集一个国际小组，由代表各专业的经验丰富的地层学家组成，以便充分考虑启动这一长期项目的所有重要方面。

Stratigraphy is one of the classic disciplines of geology. The stratigraphic record, assembled from outcrops of sedimentary rocks, provided the basis for the concept of "Deep Time", was the foundation for the Geologic Time Scale, and revealed the often-dramatic events in the history of the Earth and life upon it. Stratigraphy is fundamental in the exploration and development of Earth's energy resources with petroleum, natural gas, and coal having formed over time in sedimentary rocks. Stratigraphers have meticulously described and sampled the sedimentary rocks where they are exposed in surface outcrops or penetrated by well borings. Unfortunately, much of that information is not readily accessible. It is scattered worldwide through a great range of local, regional and national publications, in the files of public and private organizations, and in the personal records of a multitude of geologists. Little of it has been placed in computer based, publicly accessible repositories. The time is now to initiate a program of vouchering (archiving) stratigraphic information as it is produced and to compile information gathered in the past. The purpose of the Joint ICS-NSF Workshop "Vouchering the Stratigraphic Record" is to develop the plans for initiating this decades-long program. Stratigraphers have measured and sampled stratigraphic sections worldwide for 150 years. The information gained provided a wealth of evidence for reconstructing Earth"s history and investigating its major events. Information continues to be gathered in ongoing investigations that involve a great diversity of often-integrated methods that allow for fundamentally new scientific questions to be addressed. Unfortunately, a most significant part of the wealth of information generated is not readily accessible to the current community of stratigraphers, and neither is much of the new data being gathered today. Instead, it is dispersed through a great range of publications and files, electronic and hardcopy, personal and public, worldwide. And much of the legacy data is lost from one generation of stratigraphers to the next. This loss seriously limits modern studies of the stratigraphic record and results in a science that is fragmented among various, diverse disciplines or methods, specialists and geographic regions. The solution is for the international community of stratigraphers to establish a publicly accessible stratigraphic repository for all data generated in ongoing and future investigations worldwide and eventually to place legacy data in the repository. To initiate such an ambitious, long-term project requires considerable thought and planning. Accordingly, the proposed ICS-NSF Workshop: Vouchering the Stratigraphic Record is to bring together an international group of experienced stratigraphers representing the full range specialties in order to fully consider all important aspects of initiating this long term project.