Original paper
Wortgeschichten aus der Keuperstratigraphie, I: Keuper
[The story of terms used in Keuper stratigraphy, I: Keuper]
Nitsch, Edgar
Zeitschrift der Deutschen Geologischen Gesellschaft Band 155 Heft 2-4 (2005), p. 175 - 179
29 references
published: Jun 1, 2005
DOI: 10.1127/zdgg/155/2005/175
ArtNo. ESP171015502007, Price: 29.00 €
Abstract
The term Keuper, now used to denote a lithostratigraphic group in the Germanic Triassic, started its career as a dialect word for fine-grained rock debris in the area of Coburg. Leopold von Buch took it up as a local rock name for red mudstones and introduced it to geologic literature in 1822. In 1821, however, Peter Merian recognized a formerly unknown formation of “Bunte Mergel” above the “Muschelkalk”, made up of varicoloured sand- and mudstones. It took several years to establish this new stratigraphic unit among geologists, that soon changed its name from “Bunte Mergel formation” to “Keuper formation”, a name proposed by Friedrich Hoffmann and Christian Keferstein.
Keywords
history of science • stratigraphy • Triassic • Keuper Germany