The Nature of the Stratigraphical Record
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| Author | Derek Victor Ager |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Geology, stratigraphy, catastrophism |
| Published | 1993 (3rd ed.; 1st ed. 1973) |
| Publisher | John Wiley & Sons |
| Pages | 166 |
| ISBN | 0471938084 |
The Nature of the Stratigraphical Record is a book by the British geologist Derek Victor Ager, first published in 1973 (Macmillan) with later editions through John Wiley (3rd edition, 1993).
Overview
The book is a lively, non-technical account of Earth history as recorded in the rocks, intended to stimulate thought and debate about geology as a unified science. Its central theme is what Ager called the "catastrophic" nature of much of the stratigraphical record: that sedimentation has often been rapid and episodic, with the rock record dominated by gaps rather than by continuous deposition. He famously summarized the history of any one place as "long periods of boredom separated by short periods of terror." Although Ager firmly regarded himself as an evolutionist and a (broadly) uniformitarian geologist, his emphasis on rare, high-energy events has often been cited by catastrophists.
About the author
Derek Victor Ager (1923–1992) was an English geologist and palaeontologist, professor at University College Swansea and a President of the Geologists' Association. He was known both for technical work in stratigraphy and palaeontology and for accessible, provocative writing; his later book The New Catastrophism (1993) developed the same themes.
Publication details
- Author: Derek Victor Ager
- Publisher: John Wiley & Sons (3rd edition; originally Macmillan, 1973)
- Published: 1993
- Pages: 166
- ISBN: 0471938084