| Term | Information |
| Era (Recent-Oldest) | Cenozoic
Mesozoic
Paleozoic
Precambrian |
| Cenozoic (Periods and common name) | Quaternary
Tertiary (66MY)
"Recent Life" - Mammals |
| Mesozoic (Periods and common name) | Cretaceous
Jurassic
Triassic (245MY)
"Middle Life" - Reptiles |
| Paleozoic (Periods and common name) | Permian
Pennsylvanian
Mississippian
Devonian
Silurian
Ordovician
Cambrian (570MY)
"Ancient Life" - Invertabrates |
| Precambrian | 4.6BY |
| Paleontology | The study of fossils |
| Fossil | Naturally preserved remains or traces of organisms which have lived in the geologic past.
Usually found in sedimentary rocks.
Indicators of environmental conditions.
They enable us to study evolutionary trends.
We also can make age determinations. |
| Requirements for Fossilization (3) | 1. Possession of hard parts
2. Escape from immediate destruction
3. Rapid burial in a medium capable of retarding decomposition |
| Fossil Evidence(3) | Unaltered soft parts
Unaltered hard parts
Altered hard parts |
| Typed of altered hard parts (3) | Carbonization
Permineralization
Replacement |
| Indirect Evidence (5) Trace Fossils | Molds and Casts
Tracks and Trails
Burrows and Borings
Coprolites
Gastroliths |
| Pseudofossils (4) | Concretions (Concentrations of cement)
Septarian Nodules (Turtle-backs)
Cone-in-cone
Dendrites (Tree-like patterns) |
| Characterizations of Index Fossils (4) | Easy Identified
Abundant
Have a wide geographic distribution
Have a limited geologic time range |
| Classification System - Order (7) | Kingdom (King)
Phylum (Philip)
Class (Came)
Order (Over)
Family (For)
Genus (Green)
Species (Soup) |
| Habitats of Marine Life (3) | Littoral (Wetting/Drying, Wave activity)
Neritic (Good Sunlight/Food)
Marine (Cold and Great pressure) |
| Mode of Life (3) | Planktonic (Floaters)
Nektonic (Swimmers)
Benthonic (Bottom Dwellers)
- Sessile (attached)
- Vagrant (free moving) |
| Feeding Habits (4) | Herbivores
Carnivores
Filter-feeders
Mud-feeders |
| Phylum Protozoa (Single-Celled)(Classification) | Order Foraminifera
- Genus Fusulina
- Genus Nummulites
Order Radiolaria |
| Phylum Porifera (Sponges)(Classification) | Genus Receptaculites* |
| Phylum Cnidaria (Corals)(Classification) | Class Anthozoa
- Order Rugosa (Tetracorals)
- Order Scleractinia (Hexacorals)
- Order Tabulata
- Genus Favosites
- Genus Halysites
- Genus Syringopora |
| Phylum Bryozoa (Lacy, Branching, Encrusting Moss Animal)(Classification) | Genus Archimedes* |
| Phylum Brachiopoda (bivalve w/bilateral symmetry perpendicular to the hinge line)(Classification) | Class Inarticulata
- Genus Lingula
Class Articulata |
| Phylum Mollusca (bivalve class)(Classification) | Class Pelecypoda
- Genus Arca
- Genus Ostrea
- Genus Pecten
- Genus Unio
- Genus Venus (mercenaria) |
| Phylum Mollusca (snails class)(Classification) | Class Gastropoda
- Genus Busycon
- Genus Trepospira
- Genus Worthenia |
| Phylum Mollusca (pearly nautilus and others class)(Classification) | Class Cephalopoda
- Subclass Nautiloidea
- Genus Orthoceras
- Genus Nautilus
- Subclass Ammonoidea
- Genus Goniatites
- Genus Ceratitis
- Genus Ammonites
- Subclass Coleoidea
- Genus Belemnites |
| Phylum Arthropoda (over 80% of all living animal species)(Classification) | Class Trilobita
Class Crustacea
- Order Ostracoda
- Order Cirripedia (barnacles) |
| Phylum Echinodermata (spiny and calcareous plated animals)(Classification) | Class Blastoidea
- Genus Pentremites*
Class Crinidea
Class Asteroidea (starfish)
Class Echinoidea (sea |
| Phylum Hemichordata(Classification) | Class Graptolithina |
| Index Fossils (Genus and Age of Significance) | Genus Receptaculites - Ordovician
Genus Archimedes - Mississippian
Genus Pentremites - Mississippian |
| Phylum Protozoa (Traits) | single-celled organisms
test are very small
fusulinids are wheat shaped
Marine
Benthonic/Planktonic
Paleozoic |
| Phylum Porifera (Traits) | sponges
Neritic
Benthonic
Paleozoic |
| Phylum Cnidarians (Traits) | Neritic
Benthonic
Tetracorals/Tabulata (Paleozoic)
Hexacorals (Mesozoic/Cenozoic) |
| Phylum Bryozoans (Traits) | Look for zooecium (cup-like cavity)
Body Types
- Encrusting
- Nodular
- Lacy
- Branching/twig
Neritic
Benthonic
Paleozoic |
| Phylum Brachiopoda (Traits) | Inarticulata:
- Lingula is the only one alive today
- environmental indicator
Articulata:
- Bilateral symmetry perpendicular
- Valves, fold, sulcus
- Both valves preserved
Neritic
Benthonic
Paleozoic |
| Phylum Mollusca (Traits) | bilateral symmetry parallel |
| Phylum Mollusca - Pelecypoda (Traits) | "hatchet foot"
Both valves not preserved
Muscle scars, pallial line, pallial sinus
Neritic
Benthonic
Cretaceous/Mesozoic |
| Phylum Mollusca - Gastropoda (Traits) | "stomach foot"
usually curls up and lives in chamber
Neritic
Benthonic
Cretaceous/Mesozoic |
| Phylum Mollusca - Cephalopoda (Traits) | "head foot"
usually coils in most recent chamber
Siphuncle allows gas exchange b/w chambers
4 types of suture patterns |
| Phylum Mollusca - Cephalopoda - Subclasses (Traits) | Subclass Nautiloidea
- nautilitic sutures~
Subclass Ammonoidea
- goniatitic sutures (Silurian-Permian)~~
- ceratitic sutures (Permian-Triassic)~^~
- ammonitic sutures (Triassic-Cretaceous)~*~
Subclass Coleoidea
- Genus Belemnites=cigar fossil |
| Phylum Arthropoda (Traits) | "joint foot"
Class Trilobita - body is partitioned in three lobes and three segments
Marine/Neritic
Benthonic
Trilobites - Paleozoic
Cretaceous - Ordovician-Precambrian |
| Phylum Echinodermata (Traits) | "spiny skin"
Attached (Marine, Benthonic, Paleozoic)
- Class Blastoidea
- Class Crinoidea
Unattached (Marine, Benthonic, Mesozoic/Cenozoic)
- Class Asteroidea
- Class Echinoidea |
| Phylum Hemichordata (Traits) | looks like pencil markings
carbonization
Marine
Planktonic
Paleozoic |
