The purposes of the Commission are to (1) develop statements of stratigraphic principles, (2) recommend procedures applicable to classification and nomenclature of stratigraphic and related units, (3) review problems in classifying and naming stratigraphic and related units, and (3) formulate expressions of judgment thereon (Dafoe et al., 2026, Commission Report 17).
The roots of this organization go back to the 1930s, when a small group of geologists, concerned with the lack of uniformity in stratigraphic terminology and application of stratigraphic principles in different regions and professional sectors across the nation, set up a self-appointed Committee on Stratigraphic Nomenclature, and began the task of formulating guidelines that would be both useful and consistent. The resulting “Classification and Nomenclature of Rock Units,” were published in the Bulletin of the Geological Society of America in 1933 (G.H. Ashley et al., vol. 44, pp. 423–459).
In 1941, R.C. Moore proposed that representatives from the Association of American State Geologists, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Geological Society of America, U.S. Geological Survey, and Geological Survey of Canada should form a permanent body to oversee standard stratigraphic practices. Following World War II, Moore revived discussion among the same groups, and in 1946, the American Commission on Stratigraphic Nomenclature became a reality with Moore as inaugural chair (Moore, 1947, Commission Note 1).
In 1978, the Commission was renamed the North American Commission on Stratigraphic Nomenclature (Weiss, 1979, Commission Note 50) to emphasize that delegates from organizations in Canada, the United States, and Mexico represent the geological profession throughout North America. In recent years, membership of the Commission has expanded to include organizations from countries in Central and South America and the Caribbean. During the 80th Annual Meeting (2025), the Commission voted to change its name to the “Commission on Stratigraphic Nomenclature of the Americas”, and the name of the Code to the “Stratigraphic Code of the Americas”. New Bylaws were subsequently published (Dafoe et al., 2026, Commission Report 17).
