Note 51 summarizes the activities of the Commission from November 1976 to November 1978, and is a condensed version of more extensive records of the Commission for this period, available on request.(FOOTNOTE 2)

Commissioners who served during the period of this report were:

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Kenneth J. Englund (1974-77)
Grant Steele (1975-78)
Orlo E. Childs (1976-79)
Timothy A. Anderson (1977-80)

Association of American State Geologists (AASG)
Wallace B. Howe (1974-77)
John B. Patton (1975-78)
Frank E. Kottlowski (1976-79)
Meredith E. Ostrom (1977-80)

Geological Society of America (GSA)
Jack E. Harrison (1974-77)
Malcolm P. Weiss (1976-79)
William W. Hay (1975-78)
Robert S. Houston (1977-80)

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
Norman F. Sohl (1974-77 and 1977-80)
E. Dale Jackson (FOOTNOTE 3) (1976-78)
Kenneth L. Pierce (1975-78)
Earl E. Brabb (1978-79)

Geological Survey of Canada (GSC)
John B. Henderson (1974-77)
Christopher J. Yorath (1976-79)
James D. Aitken (1975-78)
Maurice B. Lambert (1977-80)

Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (CSPG)
Edward H. Schultz (1974-77)
J. Ross McWhae (1977-80)
Ulrich Wissner (1976-79)

Geological Association of Canada (GAC)
Paul E. Schenk (1975-78)
W. Glen E. Caldwell (1977-80)

Asociacion Mexicana de Geologos Petroleros (AMGP)
Baldomero Carrasco V. (1975-78)

Sociedad Geologica Mexicana (SGM)
Zoltan de Cserna (1976-79)

Instituto de Geologia de la Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (IGUNAM)
Ismael Ferrusquia Villafranca (1976-79)

The Chairman for 1976-77 was W. Glen E. Caldwell and for 1977-78 James D. Aitken; Vice-Chairman-Secretary for 1976-77 was James D. Aitken and for 1977-78 Malcolm P. Weiss.

32d Annual Meeting

The 32d annual meeting of the American Commission on Stratigraphic Nomenclature (ACSN) was called to order by Chairman W. Glen E. Caldwell at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 8, 1977, in the Olympic Hotel, Seattle, Washington.

The Chairman submitted to the Commission the manuscript for Note 49, Records of the Stratigraphic Commission for 1974-76. No errors or omissions being noted, it was approved for publication in the AAPG Bulletin.

Several notes published since the 1970 reissue of the Code, not yet endorsed by the Commission, were then approved by Commission action. Notes 48 and 49 were transmitted to the Editor of the AAPG Bulletin on December 14, 1977, by the new Chairman, J. D. Aitken.

The question of possible conflicts of interest that might arise from Commissioner Sohl, a representative of the USGS on ACSN, being the Commission's appointee on the AAPG's project for Correlation of Stratigraphic Units of North America (COSUNA)-a project funded in part by the USGS--was discussed at length. It was agreed that the ACSN should have a representative as an observer only on the Steering Committee of COSUNA. Commissioner Steele was designated as the observer.

Chairman Caldwell reviewed the events leading up to possible revision of the Code, and the results of the questionnaire authorized by the Commission at the Denver meeting. The response to the latter was clearly in favor of revision, but divided as to the mode. A report of the IUGS Liaison Committee was then approved, with amendments, and provides that the Code of Stratigraphic Nomenclature be thoroughly revised and extended, by drawing on the content of the existing Code, ACSN Notes, Reports, and Amendments, the International Stratigraphic Guide, and other published documents. The format and style of the existing Code need not be binding, but should be followed to the greatest extent practicable.

The revision project will be the responsibility of a Committee for Revision of the Code ("Code Committee"),

FOOTNOTE 2. Free copies of Commission Reports, Notes, and Discussions may be obtained on request to Publications Manager, The American Association of Petroleum Geologists, P.O. Box 979, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74101.

FOOTNOTE 3. Deceased, July 1978.

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under the general authority of the Commission, but with appropriate executive power so as to avoid frequent referrals to the Commission. The Code Committee will establish three official subcommittees--on Lithostratigraphic Units, Biostratigraphic Units, and Chronostratigraphic and Geochronologic Units. Less formal advisory--or working--groups will be established as ad hoc bodies to deal with special problems; these will not be subordinate, or tied, to any subcommittee, but will make their conclusions available to the Code Committee and all three Subcommittees.

It was recommended that the terse style of the existing Code be retained, and unless there are substantive reasons for altering language, or adding or deleting remarks, the language of the existing Code should be retained. Generous use should be made of cross-references to the International Stratigraphic Guide and its excellent explanatory and illustrative material, and the revised Code probably should be published without figures. The Bibliography of the revised Code should include a listing of the publications of ACSN.

Publication of Note 48, as amended by Commissioner Sohl in response to criticism, was approved for publication.

Commissioner Henderson reported on reaction to the publication of Notes 45 and 46, whereupon the Chairman suggested that the comments and the Notes be turned over to the committee to revise the Code.

Commissioner Sohl, ACSN Liaison Officer to the ISSC, circulated to ACSN Commissioners those parts of ISSC Circulars he considered to be of concern to ACSN.

Commissioner Harrison reported on the project to prepare chronostratigraphic charts, as well as steps being taken toward a geochronologic scale for the Precambrian.

Commissioner Steele reported on the status of COSUNA and identified persons who already have accepted responsibility for certain geographic areas.

Chairman Caldwell reported to the Commission suggestions that he had received that the name of the Commission be changed to the North American Commission on Stratigraphic Nomenclature. It was agreed that the proposal for a name change be circulated with a ballot.

The 1976-77 ACSN was then adjourned, and the 1977-78 ACSN convened by Chairman Caldwell.

33d Annual Meeting

Commission Chairman James D. Aitken brought the 33d annual meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 24, 1978, in the Royal York Hotel, Toronto, Canada.

Note 45, published in the AAPG Bulletin, v. 61, no. 2, had generated written suggestions for revision, which were embodied in a revised text that was approved by vote. The practical effect of this action was to commend Note 45, as revised in the call to this meeting, to the Code Committee for incorporation into the revised Code. The same is true of action taken on Notes 46 and 47.

Commissioner Childs gave a report on the Correlation of Stratigraphic Units of North America (COSUNA project). Childs is director of the project, and made his report on behalf of Commissioner Steele, ACSN's designated observer of the project.

Under new business, a report was given on progress in revising the Code by S. S. Oriel, Chairman of the Code Committee (and alternate for Commissioner Sohl). Oriel accepted the chairmanship of the Code Committee in May 1978 and has been occupied since with plans and staffing.

Hollis Hedberg reported on recent activities of the ISSC, on behalf of Amos Salvador who could not be present. ISSC Circular 56 (October 2, 1978) has been received by the Commission, and Hedberg reveiwed major aspects of it. The International Stratigraphic Guide has received worldwide acceptance, and it has been adopted by the governments of Australia and South Africa, as well as by the COSUNA project.

The 1977-78 ACSN was adjourned. The 1978-79 ACSN was then convened by Chairman Aitken. New appointees for the 1978-79 term were named as follows: for the AAPG, Susan Longacre; for the AASG, Robert R. Jordan; for the GSA, Clarence A. Hall, Jr.; for the USGS, Earl E. Brabb (Vice-Chairman Jackson, deceased) and David S. Fullerton; for the GSC, Donald G. Cook; and for the GAC, Robert K. Jull. New officers nominated and elected were Malcolm P. Weiss, Chairman, and Robert R. Jordan, Vice-Chairman-Secretary.

M. P. Weiss took the chair; there being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 11:45 a.m., on motion of Commissioner Caldwell.

MALCOLM P. WEISS
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, Illinois 60115

JAMES D. AITKEN
Geological Survey of Canada
Calgary, Alberta T2L 2A7

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