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The fossil record is generally recorded in sedimentary rocks. Sedimentary rocks form at or near the earth's surface from the eroded remanants of other rocks or from chemical precipitation. Since sedimentary rock form at the earth's surface, they record surfical processes, including life.
Since the history of life is recorded in sedimentary rocks, we need to understand the underlying principles of sedimentology. To this end, we examine important geologic principles including the principles of superposition, original horizontality, and lateral continuity. We also discuss Uniformitarianism and Faunal succession and their applications to the fossil record.
From an understanding of fossils and geologic principles, we can construct the Geologic Time Scale. The geologic time scale provides a relative measure of the earth's history. It is build by comparing fossils assemblages in rocks with the assemblages above and below them.
Absolute dates on ages of the earth and specific time intervals can be added to the geologic time scale through radiometric dating methods.
Lecture Notes
Study Guide
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