The Ypresian/Lutetian boundary Stratotype was defined at the Gorrondatxe section, which is an excellent very expanded and continuous section. The Ypresian/Lutetian Working Group decided, during the final Workshop in Getxo (near Bilbao, Spain) on September 26, 2009, to propose the Lutetian GSSP at meter 167.85 of the Gorrondatxe section in a dark marly level where the nannofossil Blackites inflatus lowest occurs, approximately 47.76 Ma ago. Two candidate sections, Agost and Gorrondatxe, were proposed and the Lutetian GSSP at Gorrondatxe was elected by consensus after fruitful discussions. The proposal was voted in 2010 by the ISPS vonting members and was approved. Recently the proposal was sent to ICS in order to be voted. The following papers co-authored by the members of the Y/L Working Group were published or are in press:

Rodríguez-Tovar F.J., Uchman A., Payros A., Orue-Etxebarria X., Apellaniz E. and Molina E., (2010). Sea-level dynamic and palaecological factors affecting trace fossil distribution in Eocene turbiditic deposits from the Gorrondatxe section, N Spain. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 285, 50-65.

Ortiz, S., Alegret, L., Payros, A., Orue-Etxebarria, X., Apellaniz, E. and Molina, E., (in press). Distribution patterns of benthic foraminifera across the Ypresian-Lutetian Gorrondatxe section, Northern Spain: response to sedimentary disturbance. Marine Micropaleontology, doi:10.1016/j.marmicro.2010.09.004

Payros, A., Dinarès-Turell, J., Bernaola, G., Orue-Etxebarria, X., Apellaniz, E. and Tosquella, J., (in press). On the age of the Early/Middle Eocene boundary and other related events: cyclostratigraphic refinements from the Pyrenean Otsakar section and the Lutetian GSSP. Geological Magazine, doi:10.1017/S0016756810000890.

Report by Eustoquio Molina, Chairman.