The Chattian was introduced by
Austrian palaeontologist
Theodor Fuchs in 1894. Fuchs named the stage after the
Chatti, a
Germanic tribe. The original
type locality was near the
German city of
Kassel. The base of the Chattian is at the
extinction of the
foram genus Chiloguembelina (which is also the base of
foram biozone P21b). An official
GSSP for the Chattian Stage was ratified in October of 2016. The top of the Chattian Stage (which is the base of the Aquitanian Stage, Miocene Series and
Neogene System) is at the first appearance of
foram species
Paragloborotalia kugleri, the
extinction of calcareous
nanoplankton species
Reticulofenestra bisecta (which forms the base of nanoplankton
biozone NN1), and the base of
magnetic C6Cn.2n. The Chattian is coeval with regionally used stages or zones such as the upper Avernian
European mammal zone (it spans the
Mammal Paleogene zones 30 through 26 and part of 25); the upper
Geringian and lower
Arikareean mammal zones of North America; most of the
Deseadan mammal zone of South America; the upper Hsandgolian and whole
Tabenbulakian mammal zone of Asia; the upper Kiscellian and lower Egerian
Paratethys stages of Central and eastern Europe; the upper Janjukian and lower Longfordian Australian regional stages; the Otaian, Waitakian, and Duntroonian stages of the
New Zealand geologic time scale; and part of the Zemorrian Californian stage and Chickasawhayan regional stage of the eastern US. ==Volcanic event==