Established the Law of
Superposition (layers stack with oldest at bottom) and Principle of Original Horizontality, laying the theoretical groundwork for interpreting rock layers
Nicholas Steno
Often referred to as the “Father of
Modern Geology,”
James Hutton
the science which explains features of the Earth’s crust as the outcome of continuing natural processes over the long geologic time scale
uniformitarianism
proposed classifying Earth’s
crust into Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, and Quaternary, a first step toward modern time-rock units
Giovanni Arduino
Applied stratigraphy
to the Paris Basin, further solidifying
the link between rock layers, fossils,
and Earth’s history.
Georges Cuvier
An engineer and surveyor who created the first geological map of England, recognizing that distinct fossil assemblages (biostratigraphy) could correlate specific rock layers across distances, linking them to time.
William Smith
The concept of a
global time scale developed, with geologists defining systems (like the Silurian by Murchison) based on rock sequences and fossils.
Chronostratigraphy
Became more refined
post-1950s, using fossils for precise
dating.
Biostratigraphy
Modern stratigraphy uses diverse data (seismic,
well logs, outcrops, fossils) to build
complex models of Earth’s history,
evolving from basic layering to
understanding dynamic geological
processes
Integrated Approach
The study of stratified rocks
The study of stratified rocks
3 Concerns of Stratigraphy
- Recognition of distinct bodies of rock and their
spatial relationships with each other - Definition of lithostratigraphic units
- The correlation of rock units with a chronostratigraphic standard
The study of the processes of
formation, transport and deposition of material that accumulates as sediment
in continental and marine environments
and eventually forms sedimentary
rocks
Sedimentology
the study of the sequence,
composition, and relationships of
layered volcanic rocks (strata) to
understand a volcano’s eruptive history
VOLCANIC STRATIGRAPHY
Rock layers (strata) that have been transformed by heat,
pressure, and fluids, focusing not just on their original
sedimentary layers but also on how those layers
changed
METAMORPHIC STRATIGRAPHY
concerned with geologic time units;
an interval of time which is expressed in years
Geochronology
refers to material stratigraphic
units; unit of rock
Chronostratigraphy
basic unit of geologic time;
most commonly used terms when referring to
Earth history
Period/ Systems
major divisions of periods
Epoch
smallest, commonly used
divisions of geologic time
Age
Short periods of time that are
sometimes determined from paleomagnetic
information
Chrons
a recently proposed epoch to emphasize the impact of
human activity on the Earth
Anthropocene
body of rock can be
distinguished and defined by its lithological characteristics and its stratigraphic position
relative to other bodies of rock
Lithostratigraphic units
a body of rock
which exhibits magnetic properties that are
different to adjacent bodies of rocks in the
stratigraphic succession
Magnetostratigraphic units
bodies of rocks
defined by their position relative to
unconformities
Allostratigraphic units
