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Elsevier

Books in Paleontology

  • Graptolites from the Wufeng Formation (latest Ordovician) in the Yangtze Region of China

    • 1st Edition
    • Chen Xu + 3 more
    • English
    The age and stratigraphic division of the Wufeng Shale has buried an unresolved issue in the Chinese geological community for a long time since its birth. A paper "On the Wufeng Shale" was published in 1954 (Mu, 1954) with a reliable conclusion obtained that the Wufeng Formation belongs to the Upper Ordovician.There are too much insignificant species or subspecies and many wrong identification in the monograph “Upper Ordovician Graptolites of Central China Region” (Mu et al., 1993). It makes confusion of age duration of the Wufengian species. This is the one of reasons for the need to restudy the Wufengian graptolites.In the past two decades, two black shales, the Wufeng Formation (uppermost Ordovician) and the Lungmachi Formation (lower Silurian) in the Yangtze Region have become important shale gas production horizons. Among them, the division and precise comparison of graptolite biozones is an important basis for downhole determination and comparison of shale gas sweet spots. This requires the accuracy and recognized graptolite classification. This is the other one of most important reasons for restudying the Wufengian graptolites.Since 1990s of last century, a large number of Ordovician graptolites, including Wufengian graptolites have been collected for the research on the global boundary stratification of the Ordovician stages in South China. Recently some better preserved graptolite specimens, in particular a few three-dimensional graptolite specimens, have been obtained from Shuibatang section in Guizou. It provided a good opportunity for restudying the Wufengian graptolites. In this book, all the Wufengian graptolites in South China are restudied and revised, in order to clarify their morphological characteristics, systematic classification, temporal and spatial distribution, and evolutionary significance.

  • Fossils and Earth Time

    Evolution and Biostratigraphy
    • 1st Edition
    • Felix Gradstein + 3 more
    • English
    Fossils and Earth Time: Evolution and Biostratigraphy presents an in-depth examination of both micro- and macrofossils, showcasing their evolution and biostratigraphy throughout the Phanerozoic Era. The book meticulously explores various fossil groups that have influenced Earth's history. It integrates paleontological data with geological context and biostratigraphic principles, elucidating the intricate relationship between fossil assemblages and Earth's dynamic past. This resource is invaluable for those studying geology, paleontology, or investigating the spatial and temporal distribution across Earth’s history.The book delves into the significance of fossils as vital biostratigraphic tools, enabling precise dating and correlation of sedimentary rocks across different regions and continents. It offers up-to-date information, making it an essential reference for researchers and professionals. The comprehensive coverage of fossil groups and their geological implications provides readers with a thorough understanding of Earth’s evolutionary timeline. Practical applications and case studies further enhance its utility for academia and industry alike.

  • Vertebrate Ichnology

    Tracks and Trails, Consumption, Digging and Reproduction, Geoconservation
    • 1st Edition
    • Spencer G Lucas + 2 more
    • English
    Vertebrate Ichnology: Fish Ichnology, Consumption, Burrows and Reproduction, Geoconservation is a comprehensive and meticulously researched review and analysis of the entire vertebrate trace fossil record, shedding light on lesser-known vertebrate traces beyond footprints. From vertebrate burrows to the ichnology of reproduction, each chapter provides valuable insights and up-to-date information. The book explores a wide range of topics, including consumption through coprolites, dentalites, regurgitalites, and other trace fossils that are evidence of vertebrate predation and consumption.This authoritative reference provides students, researchers, and professionals in the field of Earth and Planetary sciences with updated information on the geological heritage of vertebrate ichnosites and their importance in geoconservation efforts.

  • Reconstructing Olduvai

    The Behavior of Early Humans at David's Site
    • 1st Edition
    • Manuel Domínguez-Rodrigo + 5 more
    • English
    Reconstructing Olduvai: The Behavior of Early Humans at David's Site provides the necessary information for future generations of archaeologists to peer into the lifestyle of early humans. Much of what is known about these hominins originates from the detailed excavations that Mary Leakey carried out at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. Since then, work at Olduvai has produced a wealth of new fossils, resulting in the discovery of David's Site, the biggest early Pleistocene site in the world. This will be an indispensable resource for students, academics, and researchers who share an interest in the evolution of early human behavior.Written by leaders of present-day excavations at Olduvai Gorge, this book is systematically divided into three parts to deliver a clear account of the research advancements at David's Site. Part I focuses on the presentation of the site and the description of its geological and palaeoecological reconstruction. Part II examines hominin feeding habits, including how they brought, processed, and consumed animals at the site. Part III explores hominin technologies, including reconstruction of the stone-tool activities carried out at the site.

  • Darriwilian to Katian (Ordovician) Graptolites from Northwest China

    • 1st Edition
    • Chen Chen Xu + 4 more
    • English
    Darriwilian to Sandbian (Ordovician) Graptolites from Northwest China analyzes the significance of these exquisite, mostly pyritic, graptolites of the middle to late Ordovician period from North China and Tarim, China—locations that have developed the world’s most complete successions of strata and fossil records. The book provides the first systematic account of the renowned graptolite faunas, with over 100 species belonging to 45 genera and 15 families preserved in black shale and limestone, also presenting a comprehensive accounting of the graptolites during the critical transition from the middle to late Ordovician period with important data on new morphologies, the latest conventions in classification, diversity change and evolution, refined biostratigraphy divisions, and correlation with other major regions or continents. The book provides a key resource for paleontologists, stratigraphic specialists, petroleum geologists, and graduate students in varying fields of geology.

  • Cenozoic Foraminifera and Calcareous Nannofossil Biostratigraphy of the Niger Delta

    • 1st Edition
    • Oluwafeyisola Sylvester Adegoke + 4 more
    • English
    Cenozoic Foraminifera and Calcareous Nannofossil Biostratigraphy of the Niger Delta is available just as exploration and production activities are moving into the little known deep water terrain of the Niger Delta. A thorough understanding of the Cenozoic Niger Delta will improve understanding and exploration of the evolution of deeper offshore belts, help researchers strengthen and refine existing Neogene nannofossil biostratigraphic schemes for the Niger Delta region, and gain a better understanding of the relationship between nannofossil assemblage variations and paleoenvironments. The hydrocarbon reserves of the Niger Delta are an extremely valuable natural resource. Biostratigraphy and Correlation play important roles in the discovery, development and maturing of hydrocarbon fields. Calcareous nannofossils have been important tools for the stratigraphers in the Niger Delta and in recent years exploration has moved into deeper offshore areas where nannofossils are more abundant and diverse. Little has been published about the calcareous nannofossil chronostratigraphy of the Niger delta. Cenozoic Foraminifera and Calcareous Nannofossil Biostratigraphy of the Niger Delta fills the gap for earth scientists and those working in the oil and gas industry.

  • Phytolyth Analysis

    An Archaeological and Geological Perspective
    • 1st Edition
    • Dolores R. Piperno
    • English
    This is a methodological guide to the use of plant opal phytolith analysis in paleoenvironmental and paleoecological reconstruction. It is the first book-length treatment of this promising technique, which has undergone rapid development within the past few years and is now beginning to be used with considerable success by paleobotanists who serve the archaeological and paleontological research communities. It will be mandatory reading for all paleobotanists, paleoecologists, and archaeological scientists.

  • Drawing & Understanding Fossils

    A Theoretical and Practical Guide for Beginners with Self-assessment
    • 1st Edition
    • E. W. Nield
    • English
    A practical manual for the student of palaeontology, giving a grounding in theory, in addition to teaching graphical skills needed to make clear, representative and pleasing drawings of fossil specimens. As most early practical work in palaeontology is graphical the author has sought to teach the basics of graphic art as relevant to each fossil group. Puzzles, exercises and experiments are included, also self-assessment tests to allow students to check their progress.

  • The Platyrrhine Fossil Record

    • 1st Edition
    • John G. Fleagle + 1 more
    • English
    The Platyrrhine Fossil Record is a compendium of papers presented in a symposium of the 12th Congress of the International Congress of Primatology held in Brazil. One paper reviews evidence from fossil platyrrhines where the author concludes new dating and environmental data where these animals lived. Another paper describes the major changes pertaining to South American mammalian fauna during the Cenozoic Era, which he relates to global and regional geotectonic changes. Other papers review the paleontology and geology of the Miocene Pintura Formation and reassess the morphological transformations traditionally assumed as having been involved in platyrrhine phylogeny. One author also proposes that a prosimian-like ancestor is probably the predecessors of anthropoids; any similarities and primitive mammals can be evolutionary reversals associated with quadrupedal movements. The text also addresses the issue whether anthropoids, including platyrrhines, evolved from a prosimian ancestor or prosimians are just a group with mammalian postcranial skeletal structure. One author also reviews fossil remains found in the Caribbean, citing seven endemic taxa of platyrrhines in Cuba, Hispaniola, and Jamaica. Anthropologists, researchers involved in anatomical sciences, academicians, and administrators whose works are connected with museums of natural history or institutes of primate research will find this collection valuable.

  • Evolution of Fossil Ecosystems

    • 2nd Edition
    • Paul Selden + 1 more
    • English
    The first edition of Evolution of Fossil Ecosystems was widely praised for its coverage and approach in describing and illustrating 14 well-known fossil sites from around the world. The authors have now updated the text and added 6 new chapters with many new color illustrations. Following a general introduction to fossil Lagerstätten, each chapter deals with a single site and follows the same format: its evolutionary position and significance; its background sedimentology, stratigraphy and palaeoenvironment; a description of the biota and palaeoecology; a comparison with other similar Lagerstätten; and a list of relevant museums and suggestions for visiting the sites. This study of exceptionally well-preserved fossil sites from different periods in geological time provides a picture of the evolution of ecosystems through the ages.

  • Trace Fossils as Indicators of Sedimentary Environments

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 64
    • Dirk Knaust + 1 more
    • English
    Integration of ichnological information into sedimentological models, and vice versa, is one of the main means by which we can improve our understanding of ancient depositional environments. Mainly intended for sedimentologists, this book aims to make ichnological methods as part of facies interpretation more popular, providing an analytical review of the ichnology of all major depositional environments and the use of ichnology in biostratigraphic and sequence stratigraphic analysis. It starts with an introduction to the historical aspect of ichnology, introducing common concepts and methods, and then continues with parts treating the main depositional systems from continental, shallow-marine and deep-marine siliciclastics, and marine carbonates. The last part is dedicated to the ichnology in hydrocarbon reservoir and aquifer characterization.

  • Evolutionary Biology of Ostracoda

    Its Fundamentals and Applications
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 11
    • N. Ikeya + 2 more
    • English
    There are many competitive works on the market concerning evolutionary biology, but this volume is quite distinctive in its idiographic aspect focusing on Ostracoda viewed from a wide range of disciplines, ages and environments. The book deals with various lines of idiographic biology and palaeontology of Ostracoda and nomothetic trials focusing strongly on evolutionary biology. Particular themes are morphology, biology, evolution, speciation, ecology, palaeoecology, deep sea fauna, biogeography, palaeobiogeography, biostratigraphy and exploration, all concerning Ostracoda.The last decade has witnessed a spectacular renewal of interest in the study of Otracoda, particularly in the evolutionary biology of Ostracoda, including speciation. Ostracoda are unique, ranging in age from the Cambrian period to modern times with carapaces ready to be preserved as fossils, providing various lines of invaluable evidence regarding evolutionary processes.More than 120 participants from 20 countries assembled at the Ninth International Symposium on Ostracoda and this book is a collection of all the papers presented at the Symposium, plus selected papers submitted by non-attending members. It presents an outstanding record of much pioneering research and will be of interest to specalists in Ostracoda as well as all earth and life scientists concerned with evolution. Its value is further enhanced by easy-to-use indexes of authors, localities and taxa.

  • Terminal Eocene Events

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 9
    • C. Pomerol + 1 more
    • English
    The papers in this volume provide an exhaustive inventory and description of the most complete sedimentary sequences across the Eocene-Oligocene Boundary (EOB) from all over the world, and present a synthesis of the biotic and chemico-physical events detected at the Eocene-Oligocene transition. The content of the book represents the results achieved by Project no. 174 on ``Geological Events at the Eocene-Oligocene boundary'' of the International Geological Correlation Program, sponsored by UNESCO. The project was carried out over a five year period and has provided a wealth of new and interesting information.

  • Evolution and Extinction Rate Controls

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 1
    • A.J. Boucot
    • English

  • Pleistocene Vertebrate Faunas of Hungary

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 8
    • D. Jánossy
    • English
    The last two decades have seen a spectacular renewal of interest in the study of Pleistocene vertebrates. This is especially true in the case of fine stratigraphy based on microvertebrates. Hungary's natural endowments as well as the development of science in the country, have made continuous research in this area possible since the last century.The literature amassed during the last fifty years is so scattered and difficult to retrieve that there has been a great need for a comprehensive treatise in this field. Recent decades have seen work in a series of important new localities, with new systematic-stratigra... results. This Hungarian work is outstanding in Europe for its quantity and completeness. It is clear that a handbook would have to be both comprehensive and analytical. This volume aims to be just that, in so far as it describes all animal assemblages of the Hungarian Pleistocene deposits, with complete faunistic lists and with detailed explanation of the stratigraphical arrangements. The value of this book is enhanced by a series of chronological tables for various localities, several sketches, pictures of localities, as well as indexes of localities and species.

  • Neoproterozoic-Cambrian Tectonics, Global Change and Evolution

    A Focus on South Western Gondwana
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 16
    • Claudio Gaucher + 3 more
    • English
    The book deals with the record of important Neoproterozoic to Early Palaeozoic events in southwestern Gondwana, that heralded the Cambrian explosion and the dawn of modern ecosystems. It contains a detailed account of the Neoproterozoic to Cambrian geological record in a poorly-known part of the world, which is at the same time key to understand fundamental processes at the Proterozoic-Cambrian transition. The emphasis is placed on litho-, bio-, chemostratigraphy and magmatism. The palaeoclimatic, tectonic, evolutionary radiation and extinction events and associated mineralizations will be identified and discussed. A synthesis of all data is provided at the end of the book, integrating the data from all cratons and fold belts in southwestern Gondwana. The events will be individualized, their impact discussed and correlations between different successions both within and outside Gondwana proposed.The book is organized in three sections. Section one is an introduction to the neoproterozoic and Cambrian seen as a time of upheavals, extremes and innovations. Section two comprises nineteen chapters dealing with the neoproterozoic-Cambr... events in southwestern Gondwana. Section three will provide a synthesis on every major topic, and a critical assessment of the global implications of the presented data.

  • Paleoseismology

    • 2nd Edition
    • Volume 95
    • James P. McCalpin
    • English
    Paleoseismology has become an important component of seismic risk analysis, which is mandated for nuclear power plants, dams, waste repositories, and other critical structures. This book is the first in the English language to be devoted solely to paleoseismology. It summarizes the development of the field from the 1960s to the present, encompassing material that is currently widely dispersed in journal articles.

  • The Late Cenozoic of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 11
    • J. Rabassa
    • English
    Written by highly qualified Argentine scientists and scholars, this book focuses on the uninterrupted geological and paleontological record of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego since the Miocene-Pliocene boundary to the arrival of man and modern times. This region is an outstanding area for research, with significant interest at the international level. It provides an updated overview of the scientific work in all related fields with a strong paleoclimatic approach. Patagonia has also been a sort of a "paleoclimatic bridge" between the Antarctic Peninsula and the more northerly land masses, since the final opening of the Drake Passage in the middle Miocene. Timely and comprehensive, The Late Cenozoic of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego is the only monograph book written in English.

  • Tropical and sub-tropical West Africa - Marine and continental changes during the Late Quaternary

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 10
    • P. Giresse
    • English
    West Africa and the eastern Atlantic stretching from Mauritania in the north to Namibia in the south offer a large latitudinal stretch incorporating nearly symmetrical climatic gradients from the Equator. On the time scale of Quaternary Glacial and Interglacial cycles, today, we possess well-documented and recently published marine sedimentary records showing changes in oceanic and atmospheric circulations and terrestrial fluxes. Deep-sea sediment records contain a wide range of palaeoenvironmental indicators like oxygen and carbon isotopes, alkenones, foraminiferal and other planktonic assemblages over time periods up to and greater than 125,000 years. These are signals of temperature and circulation shifts and allow Interglacial and Glacial comparisons on a regional and inter-hemispheric scale. However, this effort to synthesize the existing knowledge cannot yet aspire to a global modelling. Linking with terrestrial records, albeit spatially patchy and generally lacking a firm chronology, this book points to shorter time scale chronologies from lakes, marshes and river deposits. Diverse and not very wellknown literature, both French and English, is reported here. Lastly, the book records recent knowledge of the first steps of human occupation of frequently hostile environments and considers the environmental impact of ancient and modern societies.

  • Polymerid Tribolites from the Cambrian of Northwestern Hunan, China, Two-Volume Set

    • 1st Edition
    • S. Peng + 2 more
    • English
    China is richly endowed with Cambrian strata yielding some of the best-preserved fossils known anywhere in the world. The trilobites are most important element in the fauna, and of scientific relevance for several reasons. First, they are of regional importance in the precise correlation of strata, and are of primary use in characterising mappable formations. Second, some of the species are widespread internationally, and these permit the placing of Chinese stratigraphical schemes within the global chronostratigraphy. Thirdly, the variety, relationships and endemicity of the faunas contributes to the broad questions of how evolution proceeded in the Cambrian, and is relevant to debates about whether special conditions applied at the early stage of the Phanerozoic radiation. Volume 1 of this set contains general geologic information concerning the Huaqiao Formation of the northwestern Hunan, lithostratigraphic data, biostratigraphic zonation, detailed description of three stratigraphic sections, and the systematic of corynexochid, lichid, and as aphid trilobites. Volume 2 contains systematic treatments of ptychopariids, eodiscids, trilobites of uncertain affinity, and some undertermined sclerites. In both volumes, considerable effort was made to reillustrate type material of many previously described taxa. In some older literature, illustrations were not always reproduced well, so the new illustrations should help to clarify taxonomic concepts.

  • The Campanian-Maastrichtian Stage Boundary

    Characterisation and Correlation from Tercis-les-Bains (Landes, SW France) to Europe and Other Continents
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 19
    • G.S. Odin
    • English
    The Phanerozoic calendar of the history of the earth is composed of fundamental units called stages. A priority of the International Commission on Stratigraphy is to redefine these stages using a modern approach. This work presents a unique solution to the previously debated and diversified locations of the Campanian-Maastricht... boundary, providing a precise correlation using the most accepted known time markers. The Campanian and the Maastrichtian are the last two stages of the Cretaceous System.This volume includes a large amount of previously unpublished stratigraphical data. With the use of uncertainty margins for observations, established by comparison of results obtained by various experts using different approaches for the same stratigraphical tool, a new approach to stratigraphical information was employed. While most of the data have been taken from the recently rediscovered geological site at Tercis, France, data from other sections around the world have been considered. The section studied at Tercis is the best stratigraphical record on Earth for the period of several million years across the Campanian-Maastricht... boundary.

  • Lake Baikal

    A Mirror in Time and Space for Understanding Global Change Processes
    • 1st Edition
    • K. Minoura
    • English
    Lake Baikal is the oldest lake and largest freshwater reservoir in the world. As a result of its exceptionally long geological history, the lake has been a theatre of evolution and speciation of organisms, and it currently harbors more species than any other lake in the world. Based on its unique nature, Lake Baikal was recently designated a World Heritage site and is regarded as a hotspot for evolution, speciation, and biodiversity. With its tremendously peculiar biota, Lake Baikal is now awaiting modern analytical approaches to the profound problems of speciation and evolution. In late autumn 1998 a symposium was held in Japan with the theme "Lake Baikal: A mirror in time and space for understanding global change processes" to bring together scientists from different disciplines who are studying Lake Baikal. Three international scientific associations: The BICER (Baikal International Center for Ecological Research), BDP (Baikal Drilling Project), and DIWPA (Diversitas Western Pacific and Asia) were involved in the organisation.This book contains a selection of papers presented at this symposium. They are interdisciplinary in nature and bring together results from geology, paleontology, chemistry, biology, limnology and physics.

  • Cretaceous Environments of Asia

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 17
    • H. Okada + 1 more
    • English
    This book presents a synthesis of the principal environmental characteristics of the Cretaceous in East and South Asia. The research was accomplished under IGCP project 350, which deals with the biological, climatological and physical environments of this region during the Cretaceous.This synthesis discusses aspects of stratigraphy, sedimentology, paleontology, geochemistry, tectonics, petrology, mineralogy, and geophysics. The research results are summarised by country, and include Far East Russia, Mongolia, eastern China, Korea, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and India. Although these countries do not encompass the entire region, this coverage provides an excellent perspective of the evolution of the region during the Cretaceous.The records incorporated in this book present a wealth of marine and nonmarine data on climate, biotic diversity, circulation and chemistry of the ocean as well as fundamental plume tectonism. The latter appears to have caused much of the environmental change in this broad region, including both an enhanced greenhouse effect and high sea levels.

  • Fossil Nonmarine Ostracoda of the United States

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 16
    • F.M. Swain Jr.
    • English
    The geographic and stratigraphic distribution of fossil nonmarine Ostracoda in the United States are summarized in this book, followed by diagnoses of the subject species, references to literature and 34 plates of illustrations.This work shows the great diversity and usefulness of this interesting class of organisms which are small bivalved aquatic crustaceans that occupy both marine and nonmarine environments. Many are characteristic of estuarine and other tidal habitats, but only a few occupy hypersaline waters. One or two kinds are found in wet soils, or in leaf or flower cups in tropical rain forests. A few live in caves and others are commensal in gills of fish and other aquatic animals. Micropaleontologists have found their shells in many types of sedimentary rocks and have used them for stratigraphic and paleoenvironmental interpretations.Thei... relatively rapid rates of evolution have made them useful in subsurface stratigraphy and their sensitivity to environmental changes has provided a means of recognizing variations in rock facies. In nonmarine aquatic rocks they are commonly the most easily recoverable microfossils, and have been widely used in petroleum exploration, notably in China, Russia, Brazil and the western United States.

  • Paleoseismology

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 62
    • English
    This is the first book in the English language to be devoted solely to paleoseismology. It summarizes the development of the field from the 1960s to the present, encompassing material that is currently widely dispersed in journal articles. The ten chapters included in this text span the entire range of techniques currently used in paleoseismic reconstruction, and are contributed by active practitioners at the forefront of paleoseismic research.

  • The Study of Benthic Communities

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 9
    • R. H. Parker
    • English