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.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| On the Imperfection of the Geological Record canonical | 1 |
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
book chapter
ⓘ
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 ⓘ |
| contextOf | development of evolutionary paleontology ⓘ |
| discipline |
evolutionary biology
ⓘ
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 ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| partOf | On the Origin of Species ⓘ |
| publicationYear | 1859 ⓘ |
| 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 ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
subject surface form:
On the Origin of Species