Items related to The Correlation of Geological Faunas

The Correlation of Geological Faunas - Softcover

A Contribution To Devonian Paleontology

 
9780259200468: The Correlation of Geological Faunas

Synopsis

This book chronicles the endeavors of 20th-century geologist Henry Shaler Williams to unlock the laws governing association and variation in the fossil record, in order to determine their utility for the critical dating and classification of geological formations. Scientific thought of the time held that each distinct geological formation contained its own unique set of fossils, and that new species appeared abruptly in the fossil record only to vanish and be replaced entirely by a novel group with the advent of the next stratum. Williams, however, found that the compositions of fossil assemblages varied significantly even within small geographic areas, and that some species recurred in widely separated strata. His book presents a compelling case for fossil assemblages as dynamic entities, existing in a state of delicate equilibrium with their surroundings, and constantly shifting and transforming in response to changing environmental conditions over time. This paradigm shift in the field of paleontology opened the door to a more nuanced and chronologically refined understanding of the history of plant and animal life on our planet.

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