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Questions and Answers
What is the primary focus of stratigraphy?
Who recognized fossil mollusc shells on mountain tops and implied that sediments must have been deposited originally beneath marine waters?
What is the principle that states unconsolidated sediments deposited on a solid base must have originally formed horizontal layers?
What is the principle that states layers of sediment that overly other layers are younger than the other layers?
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Who published the first modern treatment of a stratigraphic problem?
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What is the term for the study of formation, composition, sequence, and correlation of stratified rocks?
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What was the main focus of James Hutton's doctrine of uniformitarianism?
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What did George Cuvier observe in the Paris Basin?
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What is the principle that states layers of unconsolidated sediments deposited on a solid base would have formed continuous sheets of material?
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What is the term for the study of the evaluation of sedimentary rock strata?
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What did William Smith make a distinction between?
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What is the principle of faunal succession?
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What was Charles Lyell a strong advocate of?
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What did James Hutton deny about fossils?
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What did George Cuvier propose about Earth's history?
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What is lithostratigraphy?
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Study Notes
Stratigraphy
- Deals with the formation, composition, sequence, and correlation of stratified rocks
- Encompasses all types of rocks: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic
- Mainly focuses on the evaluation of sedimentary rock strata
First Principles
- Study of stratigraphy began with understanding common observations
- Leonardo Da Vinci recognized fossil mollusc shells on mountain tops, implying deposition beneath marine waters
Foundational Principles
Niels Stensen (Nicholas Steno)
- Published the first modern treatment of a stratigraphic problem
- Established three cardinal principles of stratigraphic analysis:
- Original Horizontality: unconsolidated sediments deposited on a solid base form horizontal layers
- Original Continuity: layers of unconsolidated sediments form continuous sheets of material
- Superposition: layers of sediment that overly other layers are younger than the underlying layers
Contributions to Stratigraphy
James Hutton
- Stressed the cyclic aspects of the stratigraphic record in his doctrine of uniformitarianism
- Used evidence from angular unconformities to support his idea
George Cuvier
- Observed that entire fossil marine faunas abruptly disappeared in certain layers within the Paris Basin
- Proposed that Earth's history was marked by sudden, catastrophic events
William Smith
- Made a major contribution to stratigraphy
- Introduced Lithostratigraphy and Biostratigraphy as methods of characterizing rock strata
- Made a crucial distinction between using lithological and paleontological sources for stratigraphic information
- Formulated the Principle of Faunal Succession, stating that sedimentary rock layers contain fossilized flora and fauna in a definite order
Charles Lyell
- Advocated for uniformitarianism, proposing that geological processes have acted uniformly and gradually over long periods
- Provided extensive evidence and arguments in support of uniformitarianism in his work Principles of Geology
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Description
This quiz covers the basics of stratigraphy, a branch of geology that deals with the formation, composition, sequence, and correlation of stratified rocks. It also explores the first principles of stratigraphy and its focus on sedimentary rock strata.
