Growth of a Prehistoric Time Scale: Based on Organic Evolution

This book, now in a revised edition, outlines the search which led to the development of a method for dividing prehistoric time, based on the evolutionary development of organisms whose fossil record has been left in the rocks of the earth's crust. The search in turn resulted in the growth and development of various units which have been linked together to form a loosely defined time scale. Owing to its coverage of the development of the time scale in detail, and because it emphasizes the role evolution has played in the reckoning of past time, the book is a useful supplementary text for courses in introductory geology, evolution, palaeontology, stratigraphy, and the philosophy and history of science. It should additionally appeal to the general reader who wishes to further explore the scale of time units used in general geological calculations.