On the Imperfection of the Geological Record
E37494
"On the Imperfection of the Geological Record" is a chapter in Charles Darwin's *On the Origin of Species* that addresses why the fossil record is incomplete and how this affects evidence for evolutionary change.
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
book chapter
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scientific essay → |
| addresses |
apparent absence of transitional forms
→
gaps in geological strata → imperfection of paleontological evidence → incompleteness of the fossil record → unequal exploration of geological formations → unequal preservation of organisms → |
| argues |
that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence for transitional forms
→
that fossilization is a rare event → that geological formations represent only small, broken portions of Earth history → that geological time is vast compared to preserved strata → that many intermediate varieties existed only locally or briefly → that many species existed without leaving fossil traces → that soft-bodied organisms are less likely to fossilize → that terrestrial organisms are less likely to fossilize than marine organisms → that the fossil record is extremely imperfect → |
| author |
Charles Darwin
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|
| contextOf |
development of evolutionary paleontology
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|
| discipline |
evolutionary biology
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historical geology → |
| explains |
how erosion and deposition affect fossil preservation
→
how geological processes destroy earlier strata → how incomplete records can still support gradual evolution → why many intermediate forms are not found as fossils → why the fossil record appears to show sudden appearances of species → |
| hasKeyConcept |
biases in the geological record
→
local versus global fossil sequences → selective preservation of fossils → stratigraphic gaps → time-averaging of fossil assemblages → |
| hasPerspective |
methodological naturalism
→
|
| includedIn |
first edition of On the Origin of Species
→
|
| influenced |
later discussions of fossil record incompleteness
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|
| language |
English
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|
| partOf |
On the Origin of Species
→
|
| publicationYear |
1859
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|
| respondsTo |
objections based on apparent stasis in the fossil record
→
objections based on missing transitional fossils → |
| subject |
evolution
→
fossil record → geology → natural selection → paleontology → |
| supports |
Darwin's theory of gradual evolutionary change
→
|
| workLocation |
United Kingdom
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|
Referenced by (1)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
On the Origin of Species
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|
notableChapter |