List of index fossils

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Examples of index fossils[1]
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Index fossils (also known as guide fossils or indicator fossils) are

geologic periods (or faunal stages). Index fossils must have a short vertical range, wide geographic distribution and rapid evolutionary trends. Another term, "zone fossil", is used when the fossil has all the characters stated above except wide geographical distribution; thus, they correlate the surrounding rock to a biozone
rather than a specific time period.

Fossil Scientific Name Geological time interval Million Years Ago

Calico scallop
Argopecten gibbus
 Quaternary 1.8 million years ago
Neptunea tabulata Quaternary 1.8 million years ago
Viviparus glacialis Tiglian (Early Pleistocene) 0.5 million years ago
Calyptraphorus velatus Tertiary
Venericardia planicosta Eocene

Scaphites
Scaphites hippocrepis
 Cretaceous 145 to 66 million years ago

Inoceramus		 Inoceramus labiatus Cretaceous

Perisphinctes		 Perisphinctes tiziani Jurassic 201.3 to 145 million years ago
Nerinea trinodosa Jurassic
Tropites subbullatus Triassic
Monotis subcircularis Triassic

Leptodus		 Leptodus americanus Permian
Parafusulina Parafusulina bosei Permian
Dictyoclostus americanus Pennsylvanian
Lophophyllidium proliferum Pennsylvanian
Cactocrinus multibrachiatus Mississippian
Prolecanites gurleyi Mississippian

Mucrospirifer		 Mucrospirifer mucronatus Devonian 416 to 359 million years ago
Palmatolepis unicornis
 Devonian
Tetragraptus fructicosus Ordovician
Paradoxides Cambrian 509 to 500 million years ago
Billingsella corrugata Cambrian
Archaocyathids Cambrian 529 to 509 million years ago

See also

References

  1. US Geological Survey
    . Updated July 31, 1997.
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