ANTH 1001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Biochronology, Principle Of Faunal Succession, Absolute Dating
26 Mar 2020
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Paleontology - the study of extinct organisms based on their fossilized remains. A fossil is the preserved remains of once-living organisms. Several conditions must be met before remains can be preserved. Remains must be suitable for fossilization, must be buried, material in which the remains are buried must be suitable for fossilization. Cranial size and shape: cognition and behavior. Individual walked across volcanic ash layer, soft rain cemented the footprints, and they were covered by another ash deposit. Information about locomotion: strides, makeup of groups walking together. More common when individuals incorporate inorganic components into their diets (hyenas eat bones) Skeletons become fossils by absorbing minerals from their surroundings. The matrix composition is informative for analyzing fossils, and it is critical for the dating of fossils. Using principles of stratigraphy (geology of layers) Biochronology (faunal succession, other animals near fossil) Looking at how magnetic field of earth has changed over time, links up to absolute dating.
