Editing Stratigraphy (section)

==Historical development==
[[Image:Smith fossils1.jpg|left|thumb|Engraving from William Smith's monograph on identifying strata based on fossils]]
Catholic priest [[Nicholas Steno]] established the theoretical basis for stratigraphy when he introduced the [[law of superposition]], the [[principle of original horizontality]] and the [[principle of lateral continuity]] in a 1669 work on the fossilization of organic remains in layers of sediment.

The first practical large-scale application of stratigraphy was by [[William Smith (geologist)|William Smith]] in the 1790s and early 19th century. Known as the "Father of English geology",<ref name="Davies">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8j-nmabapH0C&q=1831+Sedgwick+Smith+Father+of+English+geology&pg=PA78 | title=Whatever is Under the Earth the Geological Society of London 1807–2007 | publisher=Geological Society | author=Davies G.L.H. | year=2007 | location=London | page=78 | isbn=978-1862392144}}</ref> Smith recognized the significance of [[Stratum|strata]] or rock layering and the importance of fossil markers for correlating strata; he created the first [[geological map]] of England. Other influential applications of stratigraphy in the early 19th century were by [[Georges Cuvier]] and [[Alexandre Brongniart]], who studied the geology of the region around Paris.
[[Image:Quebrada de Cafayate, Salta (Argentina).jpg|thumb|Strata in [[Cafayate]] ([[Argentina]])]]