 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| • |
William
Smith born in1769, had little formal education
|
|
|
but
as a surveyor made many inspired fossil observations,
|
|
|
|
an
interest that he began at an early age.
He is known for
|
|
|
|
his
description of the specific fossils in each stratum layer,
|
|
|
and
that successive layers contained related but different
|
|
|
|
species. This principle of faunal succession,
showed that
|
|
|
|
the
same fossil types (species) could be found in the same
|
|
|
|
sedimentary
layers in any location and that the species
|
|
|
|
found
in other layers followed the same succession.
|
|
|
|
Clearly,
these observations mark the beginnings of
|
|
|
|
evolutionary
thought.
|
|