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Meaning of "index fossil" in the English dictionary

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DICTIONARY
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PRONUNCIATION OF INDEX FOSSIL

index fossil play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF INDEX FOSSIL

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Index fossil is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES INDEX FOSSIL MEAN IN ENGLISH?

index fossil

Index fossil

Index fossils are fossils used to define and identify geologic periods. They work on the premise that, although different sediments may look different depending on the conditions under which they were laid down, they may include the remains of the same species of fossil. If the species concerned were short-lived, then it is certain that the sediments in question were deposited within that narrow time period. The shorter the lifespan of a species, the more precisely different sediments can be correlated, and so rapidly evolving types of fossils are particularly valuable. The best index fossils are common, easy-to-identify at species level, and have a broad distribution—otherwise the likelihood of finding and recognizing one in the two sediments is minor. Ammonites fit these demands well, and are the best-known fossils that have been widely used for this. Other important groups that provide index fossils are the corals, graptolites, brachiopods, trilobites, and echinoids. Conodonts may be identified by experts using light microscopy such that they can be used to index a given sample with good resolution. Fossilized teeth of mammals have also been used.

Definition of index fossil in the English dictionary

The definition of index fossil in the dictionary is a fossil species that characterizes and is used to delimit a geological zone Also called: zone fossil.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE INDEX FOSSIL

index
index card
index case
index figure
index finger
index futures
Index Librorum Prohibitorum
index number
Index of Industrial Production
index of refraction
index-linked
index-linking
index-tied
index-tracking fund
indexable
indexal
indexation
indexed
indexer
indexical

WORDS THAT END LIKE INDEX FOSSIL

derived fossil
dossil
fossil
ichnofossil
living fossil
macrofossil
microfossil
mofussil
nonfossil
reworked fossil
scissil
subfossil
trace fossil
zone fossil

Synonyms and antonyms of index fossil in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «index fossil» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF INDEX FOSSIL

Find out the translation of index fossil to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of index fossil from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «index fossil» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

指数化石
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

fósil índice
570 millions of speakers

English

index fossil
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

सूचकांक जीवाश्म
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

مؤشر الأحفوري
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

ископаемое
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

índice de fósseis
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

সূচক জীবাশ্ম
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

indice fossiles
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Indeks fosil
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Leitfossil
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

示準化石
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

화석
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Indeks fosil
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

chỉ số hóa thạch
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

குறியீட்டு படிமம்
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

अनुक्रमणिका जीवाश्म
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

Endeks fosili
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

indice fossile
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

indeks kopalnych
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

викопне
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

index fosil
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

δείκτης ορυκτών
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

indeks fossiel
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

index fossilt
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

index fossil
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of index fossil

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «INDEX FOSSIL»

The term «index fossil» is used very little and occupies the 161.436 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Rarely used
25
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «index fossil» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of index fossil
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «index fossil».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «INDEX FOSSIL» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «index fossil» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «index fossil» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about index fossil

EXAMPLES

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «INDEX FOSSIL»

Discover the use of index fossil in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to index fossil and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Archaeology
The index fossil concept provided the answer, except that in archaeology, artifacts replaced fossils. This meant that strata in widely separated sites containing the same distinctive artifact forms—called time-markers in archaeology—are as- ...
Robert Kelly, David Thomas, 2012
2
Roadmap to the Regents: Physical setting/Earth science
60 The question asks you to explain why Chronoperates paradoxus would not be a good index fossil. In order to answer correctly, you must understand the concept of an index fossil. A fossil is the remains or evidence of a once-living plant or ...
James Flynn, 2003
3
The Fossil Book: A Record of Prehistoric Life
An index fossil is found in rocks that formed in one limited part of earth history. A certain species of Inoceramus, for example, is common in Late Cretaceous shales that extend from Minnesota to Alberta, and formations containing shells of this ...
Pat Vickers Rich, Thomas H. V. Rich, 1989
4
Laboratory Exercises in Oceanography
As you can imagine, a good index fossil would be one that lived over the entire surface of an ancient ocean for a short interval of geologic time. As individuals died and sank, their skeletons would be incorporated into the bottom sediments,  ...
Donn S. Gorsline, Richard E. Casey, 2001
5
Encyclopedic Dictionary of Archaeology
New chronometric dating techniques have shown the probability of independent invention for at least some of these ideas, (syn. parallelism) index fossil: A fossil with widespread geographical range but restricted in time to a brief existence.
Barbara Ann Kipfer, 2000
6
Animal Behavior Desk Reference: A Dictionary of Animal ...
A fossil species, or genus, that is often found in a particular stratigraphic unit or time unit; contrasted with guide fossil and index fossil (Bates and Jackson 1984). See fossil: index fossil. syn. diagnostic fossil, index fossil (not preferred) (Bates ...
Edward M. Barrows, 2011
7
Paleobotany: The Biology and Evolution of Fossil Plants
To be effective, an index fossil should (1) distinguishable from other fossils and easily identifiable, (2) have existed during a relatively short period of geologic time, (3) be abundant, (4) be widely distributed geographically, and (5) have lived in ...
Edith L. Taylor, Thomas N. Taylor, Michael Krings, 2009
8
Principles of Paleontology: Second Edition
The attributes of an ideal index fossil are: wide geographic distribution, ecologic tolerance, abundance, rapid evolutionary rate, and distinct morphologic features. Index fossils are especially useful for interregional and intercontinental ...
David M. Raup, 1978
9
Bringing Fossils to Life: An Introduction to Paleobiology
There are also some problems with the index fossil approach to correlation. Too often, the index fossil is equated with the formation, and no attempt is made to document the actual range of the fossil within thefor- mation.This results in a loss of ...
Donald R. Prothero, 2013
10
CliffsTestPrep Regents Earth Science: The Physical Setting ...
During what geologic time period did the oldest index fossil shown in this table exist? Correct Answer: Silurian Locate each fossil on the Earth Science Reference Tables. You will see that they are labeled Y, G, and C, respectively. Under the ...
American BookWorks Corporation, 2008

8 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «INDEX FOSSIL»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term index fossil is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Nuclear Blasts May Prove Best Marker of Humanity's Geologic …
It's not a real golden spike but a line of darker shale and a marker of these graptolites' significance as what's called an index fossil: Wherever ... «Scientific American, Feb 15»
2
Yes, Virginia, there is a state fossil
They are the index fossil for the Lower Yorktown Formation. Index fossils are ones that are used to define periods of geologic time, in this case ... «Suffolk News-Herald, Oct 14»
3
A mysterious seed fern, Lepidopteris, discovered from the Upper …
Although Lepidopteris was a typical element of the Late Permian Euramerican flora, the species L. ottonis was considered to be an index fossil ... «Phys.Org, Sep 12»
4
New material of mammal Coryphodontid found from the Erlian Basin …
... widespread geographic distribution of E. mongoliensis make this species an index fossil for the Arshantan Asian Land Mammal Age (ALMA). «Phys.Org, Aug 12»
5
Zazen and the Art of Fiction - an interview with Vanessa Veselka
Thinking of Taco Bell as an index fossil of a cultural movement makes sense to me. But in general, I\'m shocked at how much science comes up in my work. «CultureMob, May 11»
6
Bad Religion-Part IV (The Index Fossil)
... is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Jul 3, 2010. Band: Bad Religion Album: Suffer Song: Part IV (the Index Fossil) ... «YouTube, Jul 10»
7
Celtic Hoard Found in Netherlands
Coins are often used as "index fossils" by archaeologists. An index fossil is a fossil with which paleontologists are familiar that is also known to ... «NumisMaster.com, Jan 09»
8
Past global warming created new species
"If it turns out that these unique types of magnetite are limited to this boundary, they could be used as an index fossil. In addition, it is clear that a ... «environmentalresearchweb, Oct 08»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Index fossil [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/index-fossil>. Apr 2024 ».
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