Principle of faunal succession

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The principle of faunal succession, also known as the law of faunal succession, is based on the observation that sedimentary rock

This principle, which received its name from the English geologist William Smith, is of great importance in determining the relative age of rocks and strata.^[1] The fossil content of rocks together with the law of superposition helps to determine the time sequence in which sedimentary rocks were laid down.

In practice, the most useful diagnostic species are those with the fastest rate of species turnover and the widest distribution; their study is termed biostratigraphy, the science of dating rocks by using the fossils contained within them. In Cenozoic strata, fossilized tests of foraminifera are often used to determine faunal succession on a refined scale, each biostratigraphic unit (biozone) being a geological stratum that is defined on the basis of its characteristic fossil taxa. An outline microfaunal zonal scheme based on both foraminifera and ostracoda was compiled by M. B. Hart (1972).

Earlier fossil life forms are simpler than more recent forms, and more recent fossil forms are more similar to living forms (principle of faunal succession).^[3]

See also

The Wikibook Historical Geology has a page on the topic of: Principle of faunal succession

• Index fossil
• Law of superposition
• Principle of cross-cutting relationships
• Principle of lateral continuity
• Principle of original horizontality
• History of paleontology

References