Kara Sears
The law of faunal succession, also known as the principle of faunal succession, was first recognized at the beginning of the 19th century by English geologist William Smith. The principle is based on the observation that sedimentary rock strata contain fossilized flora and fauna, and that these fossils succeed each other vertically in a specific, reliable order that can be identified over wide horizontal distances. This allows for strata to be identified and dated by the fossils found within, and it forms the basis for the geologic time scale.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Georges Cuvier, William Smith |
| Occupation | French zoologist, British civil engineer |
| Concept | Observation that assemblages of fossil plants and animals succeed each other in time in a predictable manner, even when found in different places |
| Year | 1812, the first decade of the 19th century |
| Location | Paris Basin, England, France |
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What You'll Learn
- Faunal succession is a fundamental tool of stratigraphy
- Fossils help establish the ages of rock layers
- The concept was derived from a study of the Paris Basin by Georges Cuvier
- Faunal succession was documented in England by William Smith
- The principle of faunal succession reinforces the idea that evolution progresses from simple to complex
Faunal succession is a fundamental tool of stratigraphy
The law of faunal succession, also known as the principle of faunal succession, is based on the observation that sedimentary rock strata contain fossilised flora and fauna, and that these fossils succeed each other vertically in a specific, reliable order that can be identified over wide horizontal distances. This principle allows for strata to be identified and dated by the fossils found within. Faunal succession is, therefore, a fundamental tool of stratigraphy, helping to determine the time sequence in which sedimentary rocks were laid down.
The concept was derived from an 1812 study of the marine invertebrate and terrestrial vertebrate fauna of the Paris Basin by the French zoologist Georges Cuvier. Cuvier noted that many fossils, particularly those of terrestrial vertebrates, had no living counterparts when viewed in the context of the succession of rock strata with which they were associated. He observed that more advanced but related forms appeared to be separated from each other by breaks in the rock record, which suggested that catastrophic events produced extinctions and subsequent periods of biological renewal.
Faunal succession was also documented concurrently in England by William Smith, a British civil engineer. Smith recognised and traced out numerous sedimentary rock units, noticing that each successive unit contained its own diagnostic assemblage of fossils. Smith's discovery that strata may be identified by the fossils they contain became known as the law of faunal succession. The principle of faunal succession allows for the determination of the relative age of rocks using their fossil content.
The law of faunal succession is of great importance in geology. It is the unifying principle by which rock units are categorised and recognised widely. Fossils became a new tool by which geologists could distinguish rock units of different ages from one another. The fossil content of rocks, together with the law of superposition, helps to determine the sequence in which sedimentary rocks were laid down.
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Fossils help establish the ages of rock layers
The law of faunal succession, also known as the principle of faunal succession, was documented by English geologist William Smith in the first decade of the 19th century. The French zoologist Georges Cuvier also studied this concurrently in France with the assistance of mineralogist Alexandre Brongniart. The principle of faunal succession is based on the observation that sedimentary rock strata contain fossilised flora and fauna, and that these fossils succeed each other vertically in a specific, reliable order that can be identified over wide horizontal distances.
The principle of faunal succession is of great importance in determining the relative age of rocks and strata. If an unidentified fossil is found in the same rock layer as an index fossil, the two species must have existed during the same period of time. If the same index fossil is found in different areas, the strata in each area were likely deposited at the same time. This allows for the relative age of unknown fossils to be determined and for fossil sites to be correlated across large discontinuous areas.
The use of fossils to date rock layers was preceded by the work of Nicholas Steno in the 17th century. Steno formulated principles that allowed scientists to determine the relative ages of rocks. He stated that sedimentary rocks are formed in continuous, horizontal layers, with younger layers on top of older layers. This was followed by the work of James Hutton in the 18th century, who discovered the law of cross-cutting relationships: a fault or igneous intrusion is younger than the rocks it cuts through.
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The concept was derived from a study of the Paris Basin by Georges Cuvier
The concept of the law of faunal succession was derived from Georges Cuvier's study of the Paris Basin in the early 19th century. Cuvier was a French zoologist, recognised as a founder of modern comparative anatomy and an important contributor to vertebrate palaeontology and geology.
Cuvier's study of the Paris Basin was conducted with Alexandre Brongniart, an instructor at the Paris mining school. Together, they identified characteristic fossils of different rock layers, using them to analyse the ordered layers of sedimentary rock in the basin. They concluded that the layers had been laid down over an extended period, during which there had been faunal succession, with the area submerged under seawater and freshwater at different times.
Cuvier's work on the Paris Basin helped establish the discipline of stratigraphy, alongside the work of William Smith in England. Smith's geological map of England also used characteristic fossils and the principle of faunal succession to correlate layers of sedimentary rock.
The law of faunal succession is based on the observation that fossils of plants and animals succeed each other in a predictable manner over time, even when found in different places. This allows for strata to be identified and dated by the fossils found within them. Cuvier's research on extinct forms led him to propose a catastrophist geological history of the earth, suggesting that a series of catastrophic events could explain the changes in the surface of the earth and the succession of different fauna found in the fossil record.
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Faunal succession was documented in England by William Smith
Faunal succession, also known as the law of faunal succession, is based on the observation that sedimentary rock strata contain fossilized flora and fauna. These fossils succeed each other vertically in a specific, reliable order that can be identified over wide horizontal distances. This principle was named by English geologist William Smith, who is often referred to as the 'Father of English Geology'. Smith documented faunal succession in England during the first decade of the 19th century.
Smith collected and documented fossils, observing that different layers of rocks contained distinctive assemblages of fossils. He found that each assemblage of fossils was unique to a particular layer of rock, and that these layers were consistent across geographical locations. This allowed him to correlate rock strata across England and Wales based on the fossils they contained. Smith's research provided a foundation for the further study of geological time and the history of life on Earth.
Smith's application of the principle of faunal succession was groundbreaking. He was the first to create a nationwide geological map, publishing the first geological map of England and Wales in 1815. This map displayed the relative ages of rock formations based on the principle of faunal succession. Smith used different colours to represent different rock formations and their corresponding periods, making the map very useful for other geologists and engineers.
Smith's work laid the foundation for stratigraphy and contributed to our understanding of geological time and the history of life on Earth. His keen observational skills led him to notice that certain fossil types were always found in particular rock layers. By documenting these findings, he could deduce that layers with the same fossils were of the same age, even if found in different geographical areas. This concept was revolutionary because it introduced the idea that the Earth's history could be read from its layers, like pages in a book.
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The principle of faunal succession reinforces the idea that evolution progresses from simple to complex
The principle of faunal succession, also known as the law of faunal succession, is based on the observation that sedimentary rock strata contain fossilised flora and fauna. These fossils succeed each other vertically in a specific, reliable order that can be identified over wide horizontal distances. This principle was named after the English geologist William Smith, who recognised and traced out numerous sedimentary rock units, each with its own distinct assemblage of fossils. Smith's discovery that strata could be identified by their fossil content became a unifying principle in the field of stratigraphy, allowing geologists to determine the relative ages of rocks and strata.
The concept of faunal succession was also concurrently documented in France by the French zoologist Georges Cuvier, with the assistance of the mineralogist Alexandre Brongniart. Cuvier observed that many fossils, particularly those of terrestrial vertebrates, had no living counterparts when viewed in the context of the succession of rock strata. He noted that more advanced but related forms appeared to be separated by breaks in the rock record, suggesting that catastrophic events led to extinctions and subsequent periods of biological renewal.
The work of Smith and Cuvier reinforced the notion that faunal succession occurred because evolution generally progresses from simple to complex in a non-repetitive and orderly manner. For example, in the evolution of birds, paleontologists predicted that feathers would first appear in primitive forms on flightless predecessor organisms such as feathered dinosaurs. This prediction was confirmed in the fossil record, with simple feathers incapable of supporting flight being succeeded by increasingly large and complex feathers.
However, it is important to acknowledge that modern evolutionary biologists have pointed out that later forms of life are not always more complex than their direct ancestors. They argue that evolutionary progress is not solely dependent on increasing biological complexity, as survival in a changing environment may be achieved through other adaptations. Nonetheless, the principle of faunal succession remains a fundamental tool in stratigraphy and the basis for the geologic time scale, allowing scientists to study the climate and conditions of Earth's history through the successive groups of plants and animals that reflect their environment.
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Frequently asked questions
The law of faunal succession was first recognised at the beginning of the 19th century by William Smith, an English geologist and civil engineer.
The law of faunal succession is based on the observation that sedimentary rock strata contain fossils that succeed each other vertically in a specific, reliable order that can be identified over wide horizontal distances.
The law of faunal succession became a unifying principle by which rock units could be categorised and recognised widely. This enabled geologists to determine the relative age of rocks and strata by studying the fossils contained within them.
The French zoologist Georges Cuvier also contributed to the development of the law of faunal succession through his 1812 study of the marine invertebrate and terrestrial vertebrate fauna of the Paris Basin.
