[PART I.]
GENERAL PRINCIPLES.
[CHAPTER I.]
NATURE AND USES OF FOSSILS.
Scope of Geology.—
T
The science of GEOLOGY, of which PALAEONTOLOGY or the study of fossils, forms a part, is concerned with the nature and structure of the earth, the physical forces that have shaped it, and the organic agencies that have helped to build it.
Nature of Fossils.—
The remains of animals and plants that formerly existed in the different periods of the history of the earth are spoken of as fossils. They are found, more or less plentifully, in such common rocks as clays, shales, sandstones, and limestones, all of which are comprised in the great series of Sedimentary Rocks ([Fig. 1]).