| a widely distributed fossil, of narrow range in time, regarded as characteristic of a given geological formation, used esp. in determining the age of related formations. |
| index fossil n. The fossil remains of an organism that lived in a particular geologic age, used to identify or date the rock or rock layer in which it is found. Also called guide fossil. |
index fossil  (ĭn'děks') Pronunciation Key
The fossil remains of an organism that lived in a particular geologic age, used to identify or date the rock or rock layer in which it is found. The best type of index fossils are usually those of swimming or floating organisms that evolved quickly (and therefore did not cover a long span of geologic history) and were able to spread over large areas. Ammonites and graptolites are good index fossils. |
index fossil
any animal or plant preserved in the rock record of the Earth that is characteristic of a particular span of geologic time or environment. A useful index fossil must be distinctive or easily recognizable, abundant, and have a wide geographic distribution and a short range through time. Index fossils are the basis for defining boundaries in the geologic time scale and for the correlation of strata. In marine strata, index fossils that are commonly used include the single-celled Protista with hard body parts and larger forms such as ammonoids. In terrestrial sediments of the Cenozoic Era, which began about 66.4 million years ago, mammals are widely used to date deposits. All of these animal forms have hard body parts, such as shells, bones, and teeth, and evolved rapidly.
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