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biostratigraphy

American  
[bahy-oh-struh-tig-ruh-fee] / ˌbaɪ oʊ strəˈtɪg rə fi /

noun

  1. a branch of geology dealing with the differentiation of sedimentary rock units on the basis of the fossils they contain.

biostratigraphy Scientific  
/ bī′ō-strə-tĭg′rə-fē /

  1. The study and categorization of rock strata based on their fossil content and distribution. Biostratigraphic data are often considered together with radiometric and paleoenvironmental data as a means of dating rock strata.

  2. Compare lithostratigraphy

Other Word Forms

  • biostratigraphic adjective

Etymology

Origin of biostratigraphy

bio- + stratigraphy

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Puckett, T. M. Santonian–Maastrichtian planktonic foraminiferal and ostracode biostratigraphy of the northern Gulf Coastal Plain, USA.

From Nature • Apr. 10, 2018

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.