Cenozoic Seas: The View From Eastern North America - Tapa dura

"In this very interesting and different kind of academic book, Petuch has generated a paleogeographic world of the Gulf Coast and Atlantic Coastal Plain . [L]ibraries that cover systematic zoology will probably need to acquire this book." - CHOICE "Ed Petuch's latest book will be welcomed by many loyal fossil collectors, is necessary for serious researchers dealing with Western Atlantic gastropod groups, and is of interest to students of evolution, ecology, stratigraphy and oceanography. It will help collectors understand their shells as living organisms [and] put their shells in a framework of time and space . The photography in this book is very good . [O]verall this book succeeds in its basic premise: to divide the east coast malacofaunas into communities ." - American Conchologist "Petuch lays the groundwork for those who want to study evolution and extinction within specific communitiesand evaluate how different community types were affected by changes in geography and climate. His descriptive foundation allows us to view events in the history of life in the specific environmental and biotic contexts in which evolution, invasion, and extinction take place. There are no apples and oranges in the fossil record, but the present book will stimulate the kind of research in which metaphorical apples and oranges will no longer be confused. We shall all benefit from the fruits of Petuch's pioneering efforts." Geerat J. Vermeij, University of California at Davis, from The Foreword Promo Copy

>The rich fossil record of the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains of the United States is a gold mine for interested scientists. The last thirty million years of Earth history are superbly chronicled by a succession of fossil assemblages extending from the St. Lawrence River to Florida. Marine scientists, paleontologists, and systematic biologists alike need a thorough guide to interpret this history.

Cenozoic Seas: The View from Eastern North America analyzes the changing geography, the arrival and departures of ecosystems and species, and the affect of climate on living things. The author classifies all of the region's fossil-bearing formations and their contents within a logical, descriptive framework of space and time, providing a clear path for those studying evolution and extinction within specific communities of organisms.

The book is also an excellent field guide for fossil collectors, providing detailed information for all species illustrated. Many organisms have never before been illustrated in a book on fossil shells.