Cross-continental age calibration of the Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary

Abstract. The age of the Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary has remained elusive for the past decades. In this study we evaluate how well the determined boundary age agrees between two distinct sections from different sedimentary basins, and whether we can constrain a globally valid Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary age. Here we present high-precision U-Pb zircon age determinations on single grains of volcanic zircon of two sections that span the Jurassic/Cretaceous: the Las Loicas section, Argentina, and the Mazatepec section in Mexico. These two sections display well-established primary and secondary stratigraphic markers as well as interbedded volcanic horizons that allow bracketing the age of the Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary at 140.22 ± 0.13 Ma. We also present the first age determinations in the early Tithonian and tentatively propose a minimum duration of ~ 7 Ma for the Tithonian stage.