Biozone

In biostratigraphy, biostratigraphic units or biozones are intervals of geological strata that are defined on the basis of their characteristic fossil taxa, as opposed to a lithostratigraphic unit which is defined by the lithological properties of the surrounding rock. A biostratigraphic unit is defined by the zone fossils it contains. These may be a single taxon or combinations of taxa if the taxa are relatively abundant, or variations in features related to the distribution of fossils. The same strata may be zoned differently depending on the diagnostic criteria or fossil group chosen, so there may be several, sometimes overlapping, biostratigraphic units in the same interval. Like lithostratigraphic units, biozones must have a type section designated as a stratotype. These stratotypes are named according to the typical taxon (or taxa) that are found in that particular biozone. The boundary of two distinct biostratigraphic units is called a biohorizon. Biozones can be further subdivided into subbiozones, and multiple biozones can be grouped together in a superbiozone in which the grouped biozones usually have a related characteristic. A succession of biozones is called biozonation. The length of time represented by a biostratigraphic zone is called a biochron. The concept of a biozone was first established by the 19th century paleontologist Albert Oppel, who characterized rock strata by the species of the fossilized animals found in them, which he called zone fossils. Oppel's biozonation was mainly based on Jurassic ammonites he found throughout Europe, which he used to classify the period into 33 zones (now 60). Alcide d'Orbigny would further reinforce the concept in his Prodrome de Paléontologie Stratigraphique, in which he established comparisons between geological stages and their biostratigraphy. The International Commission on Stratigraphy defines the following types of biozones: Range zones are biozones defined by the geographic and stratigraphic range of occurrence of a taxon (or taxa).