Paleontology Practical Manual

Invertebrate Macrofossils
Erscheinungsjahr 2026
ISBN: 978-3-032-33317-9
Verlag: Springer Nature Switzerland AG

Buch, Englisch, 550 Seiten, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 235 mm

Reihe: Springer Geology

Identifying and describing a specimen (extant or extinct) is not just a challenge for students and early researchers but is also the first step in doing any form of environmental analyses (of the past and the present) and the depositional history of a basin based on correct species identification. Additionally, a sound specimen identification is a prerequisite for refined biostratigraphic correlations (local, regional or global). Hence, identifying a specimen based on its morphological characteristics is fundamental for improving taxonomy (paleontological systematics). Most such identifications for a student (or even for a researcher who is starting to take his first steps) are very difficult as there is a general lack of books outlining the specimen’s morphological characteristics. Due to this lack of available illustrated study material, teaching in paleontological laboratories is not just tedious, time consuming, and cumbersome but also difficult. The present practical book with over 1000 well-labelled illustrated diagrams of paleontological specimens aims to fill this gap and also provides a much-needed supplementary text for a corresponding theory class. The final chapter provides a comprehensive look at when and where significant fossil deposits have been discovered across the United States throughout geological history.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Jain, Sreepat

Fachgebiete

• Naturwissenschaften Biowissenschaften Biowissenschaften Evolutionsbiologie
• Geowissenschaften Geologie Paläontologie, Taphonomie
• Geowissenschaften Geologie Geologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Chapter 1: Introduction.- Chapter 2: Sponges.- Chapter 3: Cephalopods.- Chapter 4: Bivalves.- Chapter 5: Trilobites.- Chapter 6: Echinoids.- Chapter 7: Graptolites.- Chapter 8: Brachiopods.- Chapter 9: Gastropods.- Chapter 10: Corals.- Chapter 11: Corals.- Geological history, fossil content and major geological events in the USA.

Über Autor(innen)

Sreepat Jain is a Professor in the Department of Applied Geology at Adama Science and Technology University in Ethiopia, bringing 22 years of teaching experience and more than 25 years of research to my students. My academic journey includes two doctorates, one from India and one from the United States, where I was honored with the TA Excellence in Teaching award. My research has also been recognized with the Paleontological Society of India’s Prof. S. K. Singh Memorial Gold Medal for best research paper, and I am a recipient of the Indo-German DST-DAAD Fellowship.   My research is highly multidisciplinary, spanning paleontology, sedimentology, sequence stratigraphy, and stable isotopes from the Triassic period to the present day, with a specific focus on the Jurassic-Cretaceous. Over the course of my career, I have published more than 115 research papers in peer-reviewed journals and authored five major textbooks with Springer and CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Group. These volumes are widely recommended for undergraduate Earth Science courses globally. Through it all, my guiding principle has remained simple: I love what I do, and I do what I love.