The natural history of fossils

Abstract

The aim of this book is to discuss the uses of fossils, their value and limitations, and their application to wider aspects of the history of the earth. The author starts by describing the variety of ways in which living things can become fossilised. He then discusses the principles of palaeoenvironmental reconstruction from the sediments in which fossils are found. Chapter 3 illustrates the importance of fossil communities and associations of individual species and of various species and phyla by considering several specific examples. The following chapter describes the very basic principles of continental drift and then discusses how fossil faunal provinces can be used to support these ideas and also provide evidence of more recent climatic changes by the use of paleotemperature analysis. Chapter 5 deals with growth studies on a variety of fossils emphasising the use of carbon isotopes. The last 4 chapters are more generalised and are entitled 'Time in geology', 'Faunal succession and evolution', 'The origin of life and early evolution' and 'Life on land'. -I.McTaggart