Afflicted skeleton of old, doomed to damnation
Soften, thou stone, the hearts of this wicked generation.
- Johann J. Scheuchzer
Some important phyla
Phylum Porifera (sponges)
Phylum Coelenterata (corals, called Phylum Cnidaria by some)
Phylum Brachiopoda
Phylum Arthropoda (exoskeletons, grows by molting, "bugs")
Phylum Echinodermata (radial symmetry, starfish, sand dollars, sea urchins, etc.)
Phylum Mollusca (inclu. clams, snails, octopuses, squids)
Phylum Cordata (Vertebrata)
Cambrian
trilobitesOrdovician
brachiopods
archeocyathids
reefsBurgess Shale fauna
articulate brachiopodsSiluruan
graptolites
conodonts
ammonites
eurypterids
acanthodian fishes
Useful links:
Earth Science Picture of the Day
Return to Historical Geology syllabus