golden spike
golden spike noun: a geologic marker created by a global event that leads to long lasting global changes recorded in the geologic record that can be used to indicate a change in a geologic time division such as an epoch, age, era.
Noun
golden spike (plural golden spikes)
- A geologic marker created by a global event that leads to long lasting global changes recorded in the geologic record that can be used to indicate a change in a geologic time division such as an epoch, age, era.
- There was a further special problem when looking for a marker or definition of the Precambrian-Cambrian golden spike.2009, Susan Turner, David Oldroyd, chapter 13, in The Paleobiological Revolution: Essays on the Growth of Modern Paleontology, page 261
- The AWG is working backwards, Finney says: normally, geologists identify strata that should enter the geological timescale before considering a golden spike; in this case, they’re seeking out the lower boundary of an undefined set of geological layers.2022 December 13, McKenzie Prillaman, “Are we in the Anthropocene? Geologists could define new epoch for Earth”, in Nature, →DOI
Forms of golden spike
| plural | golden spikes |
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Questions about golden spike
- What does golden spike mean?
- Golden spike means a geologic marker created by a global event that leads to long lasting global changes recorded in the geologic record that can be used to indicate a change in a geologic time division such as an epoch, age, era.
- What part of speech is golden spike?
- Golden spike is a noun.
- What is the plural of golden spike?
- The plural of golden spike is golden spikes.
Words near golden spike in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: golden spike (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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