Paleontology, anatomy and stratigraphy terms used on Dinopedia.
Amber
Ambre jaune
Fossilized plant resin, typically yellow to orange in color, capable of trapping organisms (insects, arachnids, feathers, plants) and preserving them in three dimensions with exceptional fidelity for tens of millions of years.
Paleontology
Ammonite
Ammonite
Extinct marine cephalopod mollusk characterized by a coiled shell divided into chambers. Ammonites thrived from the Devonian to the end of the Cretaceous (385-66 Ma) and are excellent stratigraphic index fossils used to date rock layers.
Paleontology
Magnetic anomaly
Anomalie magnétique
Local variation in Earth's magnetic field relative to a reference value, caused by the magnetic properties of rocks. Symmetrical magnetic anomalies on either side of mid-ocean ridges provided key evidence for seafloor spreading.
Geology
Asteroid
Astéroïde
Rocky or metallic body orbiting the Sun, smaller than a planet. In paleontology, the term most often refers to the Chicxulub impactor (estimated diameter ~10 km) whose collision 66 million years ago triggered the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary event and the mass extinction that wiped out non-avian dinosaurs.
Astrophysics
Biomineralization
Biominéralisation
Process by which living organisms synthesize minerals (calcite, aragonite, silica, apatite) to build hard structures such as shells, bones, teeth, or spicules. These structures account for the vast majority of the fossil record.
Paleontology
Carbonization
Carbonisation
Fossilization mode in which organic matter is reduced to a thin film of residual carbon by heat and pressure, preserving outlines and sometimes fine details such as leaves, graptolites, or fish organic films.
Paleontology
Carnivore
Carnivore
Organism feeding primarily or exclusively on animal flesh. In paleontology, a carnivorous diet is inferred from dental morphology (cutting teeth, fangs), skull shape, coprolites, or bite marks on bones.
Paleontology
Core drilling
Carottage
Geological sampling technique in which a continuous cylinder of rock or sediment (core) is extracted using a hollow rotary drill. Cores allow in-depth study of stratigraphy, microfossils, and paleoenvironmental signals.
Paleontology
Fungi
Champignons
Kingdom of eukaryotic, heterotrophic organisms with chitinous cell walls. In paleontology, fungi are documented as early as the Precambrian. Following the Chicxulub impact (66 Ma), a massive proliferation of fungi — the fungal spike — is recorded in sedimentary archives as a consequence of widespread death of plants and animals.
Biology
Crater
Cratère
Circular depression formed by a meteorite impact, volcanic explosion, or caldera collapse. Impact craters (astroblemes) record the bombardment history of Earth.
Geology
Orogenic cycle
Cycle orogénique
Set of geological processes leading to mountain belt formation, from subduction and plate collision through to erosion and flattening of the mountain range.
Geology
Living fossil
Espèce panchronique
Species or taxonomic group that has persisted virtually unchanged over a very long geological period, sometimes hundreds of millions of years. The coelacanth (Latimeria), nautilus, and horseshoe crab are iconic examples.
Paleontology
Cambrian explosion
Explosion cambrienne
Rapid biological diversification event that occurred approximately 541 million years ago at the start of the Cambrian period, during which most major animal body plans (phyla) appeared for the first time in the fossil record.
Geology
Adaptive radiation
Explosion radiative
Evolutionary episode of rapid diversification during which a taxonomic group branches into numerous lineages occupying new ecological niches. The Cambrian explosion and mammal radiation after the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction are major examples.
Paleontology
Mass extinction
Extinction massive
Geological episode during which a large proportion of species disappears abruptly across the globe in a geologically short time interval. Five major extinctions are recognized (Ordovician, Devonian, Permian, Triassic, Cretaceous-Paleogene). The most devastating is the end-Permian event (252 Ma, ~96% of marine species); the K-Pg boundary (66 Ma), triggered by the Chicxulub asteroid impact, ended the reign of non-avian dinosaurs.
Geology
Ediacaran fauna
Faune de l'Édiacarien
Group of soft-bodied multicellular organisms from the late Precambrian (~635-541 Ma), preserved as frond-, disk-, or ribbon-shaped fossils with no clear modern equivalents. First described from the Ediacara Hills of South Australia.
Paleontology
Fossil
Fossile
Remains or trace of an organism that lived in the geological past, preserved in sedimentary rocks. Fossils can include bones, teeth, shells, impressions, or activity traces (ichnofossils).
Paleontology
Gigantothermy
Gigantothermie
Thermoregulation strategy in which an animal maintains a stable body temperature through sheer body mass, without true endothermy. Often proposed to explain the physiology of large dinosaurs.
Biology
Gradualism
Gradualisme
Darwinian evolutionary model in which morphological changes accumulate slowly and progressively over long geological periods. Contrasted with punctuated equilibrium, which posits rapid transformations concentrated during speciation events.
Paleontology
Graptolite
Graptolite
Extinct colonial marine organism from the Paleozoic, whose colonies formed thread-like or branching structures fossilized as writing-like markings on rocks (from Greek graphein, to write).
Paleontology
Ichnofossil
Ichnofossile
Fossil trace of biological activity (trackway, burrow, footprint, bite mark, fossil egg) as opposed to a body fossil. Ichnofossils inform on the behavior, locomotion, and ecology of past organisms without requiring body preservation.
Paleontology
Lithosphere
Lithosphère
Rigid outer layer of Earth, comprising the crust and upper mantle. Between 70 and 250 km thick depending on the region, it is divided into tectonic plates that move over the more ductile asthenosphere.
Geology
Earth's mantle
Manteau terrestre
Internal layer of Earth lying between the crust (Mohorovičić discontinuity) and the core, representing 84% of Earth's volume. Composed mainly of magnesium silicates, it hosts thermal convection that drives tectonic plate movement.
Geology
Microbiology
Microbiologie
Scientific discipline devoted to the study of microorganisms (bacteria, archaea, protists, microscopic fungi, viruses). In paleontology, microbiology focuses on chemical biomarkers preserved in sedimentary rocks and on the earliest forms of life on Earth.
Biology
Microfossil
Microfossile
Very small fossil (generally under 1 mm), visible only with a hand lens or microscope. Microfossils (foraminifera, conodonts, spores, pollen) are essential in biostratigraphy and the petroleum industry for dating geological formations.
Paleontology
Mineralization
Minéralisation
Process by which organic tissues are progressively replaced by minerals (silica, calcite, pyrite?) during fossilization, preserving the original structure.
Geology
Nummulite
Nummulite
Large extinct benthic foraminifera with a lens-shaped (coin-like) shell, abundant during the Eocene (~55-34 Ma). Their accumulated calcareous tests form nummulitic limestones, famously used in the construction of the Egyptian pyramids.
Paleontology
Osteichthyan
Ostéichtyen
Member of the bony fish group (Osteichthyes), aquatic vertebrates with a skeleton primarily composed of bone. This group includes the vast majority of living fish and first appeared in the Silurian (~420 Ma). Tetrapods, including dinosaurs, are derived from within this group.
Paleontology
Paleobiology
Paléobiologie
Scientific discipline studying the biology of past organisms from their fossils: behavior, ecology, physiology, evolution, and population dynamics.
Paleontology
Paleobotany
Paléobotanique
Branch of paleontology devoted to the study of fossil plants and the evolution of the plant kingdom through geological time.
Paleontology
Permineralization
Perminéralisation
Fossilization process in which the porous spaces of an organism (bone, wood, shells) are filled by minerals dissolved in groundwater, preserving fine structures in three dimensions. Distinct from complete replacement mineralization.
Paleontology
Tectonic plate
Plaque tectonique
Rigid fragment of Earth's lithosphere bounded by active margins (ridges, subduction zones, transform faults). Plate movements drive volcanism, earthquakes, and mountain building, continuously reshaping Earth's surface.
Geology
Shocked quartz
Quartz choqué
Quartz grain bearing planar deformation features (PDFs) produced by the shock wave of a meteorite impact. Its presence in Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary rocks is a key line of evidence for the Chicxulub impact.
Paleontology
Radiolarian
Radiolaire
Unicellular marine protozoan with an elaborate siliceous skeleton, living as zooplankton in open water. Their tests accumulate on ocean floors to form radiolarites. Known since the Cambrian, radiolarians are important biostratigraphic fossils.
Paleontology
Igneous rock
Roche magmatique
Rock formed by the cooling and solidification of magma, either deep underground (plutonic rock, e.g., granite) or at the surface (volcanic rock, e.g., basalt). Contrasted with sedimentary and metamorphic rocks.
Geology
Sediment
Sédiment
Solid material (rock fragments, minerals, organic remains) transported by an agent (water, wind, ice) and deposited in successive layers. When lithified, sediments form sedimentary rocks that make up the bulk of the fossil record.
Paleontology
Seismology
Sismologie
Branch of geophysics studying earthquakes and the propagation of seismic waves through Earth. It allows mapping of the planet's internal structure (crust, mantle, core) and understanding plate tectonic dynamics.
Geology
Stromatolite
Stromatolithe
Laminated sedimentary structure built by microbial communities (mainly cyanobacteria) that trap and cement sediments. Stromatolites are among the oldest traces of life (~3.5 Ga) and record oxygen production through photosynthesis.
Paleontology
Supercontinent
Supercontinent
Landmass grouping the majority or all continents into a single block. Pangaea (~300-200 Ma) is the most recent supercontinent; others existed earlier (Rodinia, Columbia). Their formation and breakup profoundly influence the evolution of life.
Geology
Taphonomy
Taphonomie
Branch of paleontology studying the processes by which organisms become fossils: death, decomposition, transport, burial, diagenesis, and exposure. The term comes from Greek taphos (grave) and nomos (law).
Paleontology
Lazarus taxon
Taxon Lazare
Taxonomic group that disappears from the fossil record for a long period then reappears as if resurrected. Named after the biblical Lazarus, this pattern usually reflects a preservation bias rather than true absence.
Paleontology
Thagomizer
Thagomizer
Popular term for the cluster of bony spikes at the end of a stegosaur's tail, likely used as a defensive weapon. The name was coined in 1982 by cartoonist Gary Larson in his Far Side comic strip and subsequently adopted by paleontologists.
Paleontology
Theory of evolution
Théorie de l'évolution
Foundational framework of modern biology, proposed by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace in 1858, stating that species change over generations through natural selection acting on heritable variation.
Paleontology
Punctuated equilibrium
Théorie des équilibres ponctués
Evolutionary model proposed by Niles Eldredge and Stephen Jay Gould in 1972, arguing that evolution proceeds through long periods of morphological stasis punctuated by brief episodes of rapid change during speciation. Contrasted with Darwinian gradualism.
Paleontology
Volcanic trap
Trapp
Large igneous province formed by massive basaltic lava outpourings over vast areas. The Siberian Traps (end-Permian) and Deccan Traps (end-Cretaceous) are linked to mass extinction events.
Geology
Trilobite
Trilobite
Extinct marine arthropod that thrived from the Cambrian to the end of the Permian (541?252 Ma). Their body is divided into three longitudinal lobes and three regions: cephalon, thorax, and pygidium. They are excellent stratigraphic index fossils.
Biology
Tsunamite
Tsunamite
Sedimentary deposit left by a tsunami, characterized by a chaotic reworked layer often containing mixed marine and terrestrial faunas. Tsunamites are documented at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary.
Geology