This timeline of Ordovician research is a chronological listing of events in the history of geology and paleontology focused on the study of earth during the span of time lasting from 485.4–443.4 million years ago and the legacies of this period in the rock and fossil records.
Conodonts are an extinct group of agnathan (jawless) vertebrates resembling eels, classified in the class Conodonta. For many years, they were known only from their tooth-like oral elements, which are usually found in isolation and are now called conodont elements. Knowledge about soft tissues remains limited. They existed in the world's oceans for over 300 million years, from the Cambrian to the beginning of the Jurassic. Conodont elements are widely used as index fossils, fossils used to define and identify geological periods. The animals are also called Conodontophora to avoid ambiguity.
Octocorallia is a class of Anthozoa comprising around 3,000 species of water-based organisms formed of colonial polyps with 8-fold symmetry. It includes the blue coral, soft corals, sea pens, and gorgonians within three orders: Alcyonacea, Helioporacea, and Pennatulacea. These organisms have an internal skeleton secreted by mesoglea and polyps with eight tentacles and eight mesentaries. As with all Cnidarians these organisms have a complex life cycle including a motile phase when they are considered plankton and later characteristic sessile phase.
Paleontology, palaeontology or palæontology is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils. This includes the study of body fossils, tracks (ichnites), burrows, cast-off parts, fossilised faeces (coprolites), palynomorphs and chemical residues. Because mankind has encountered fossils for millennia, paleontology has a long history both before and after becoming formalized as a science. This article records significant discoveries and events related to paleontology that occurred in the year 1978.
The Pander Society is an informal organisation founded in 1967 for the promotion of the study of conodont palaeontology. It publishes an annual newsletter. Although there are regular meetings of the Pander Society, at the Annual Meeting of the Geological Society of America, at European Conodont Symposia, and elsewhere, any meeting of three or more "Panderers" is considered an official meeting of the "Pander Society". The society is headed by the Chief Panderer, currently Maria Cristina Perri of the Università di Bologna. The society confers two awards, the Pander Medal for a lifetime of achievement in conodont palaeontology, and the Hinde Medal for an outstanding contribution to conodont palaeontology by a young Panderer.
Pilina is an extinct genus of paleozoic monoplacophorans in the family Tryblidiidae.
Carcinosomatidae is a family of eurypterids, an extinct group of aquatic arthropods. They were members of the superfamily Carcinosomatoidea, also named after Carcinosoma. Fossils of carcinosomatids have been found in North America, Europe and Asia, the family possibly having achieved a worldwide distribution, and range in age from the Late Ordovician to the Early Devonian. They were among the most marine eurypterids, known almost entirely from marine environments.
Mimetaster is an extinct genus of marrellomorph arthropod. The type species, Mimetaster hexagonalis is known from the Lower Devonian (Pragian-Emsian) Hunsrück Slate, and amongst the most common arthropods from the locality, with over 120 specimens including three juveniles.
Paleontology in Kentucky refers to paleontological research occurring within or conducted by people from the U.S. state of Kentucky.
This timeline of Cambrian research is a chronological listing of events in the history of geology and paleontology focused on the study of Earth during the span of time lasting from 538.8 to 485.4 million years ago and the legacies of this period in the rock and fossil records.
This timeline of Silurian research is a chronological listing of events in the history of geology and paleontology focused on the study of Earth during the span of time lasting from 443.4–419.2 million years ago; the Silurian, and the legacies of this period in the rock and fossil records.
This timeline of Devonian research is a chronological listing of events in the history of geology and paleontology focused on the study of earth during the span of time lasting from 419.2 to 358.9 million years ago and the legacies of this period in the rock and fossil records.
This timeline of Carboniferous research is a chronological listing of events in the history of geology and paleontology focused on the study of earth during the span of time lasting from 358.9 to 298.9 million years ago and the legacies of this period in the rock and fossil records.
This timeline of Permian research is a chronological listing of events in the history of geology and paleontology focused on the study of earth during the span of time lasting from 298.9–252.17 million years ago and the legacies of this period in the rock and fossil records.
Maurits Lindström was a Swedish geologist and paleontologist. Lindström's initial work was divided among two topics conodont paleontology and the structural geology of the Scandinavian Caledonides in Lappland.
Walter C. Sweet was an American paleontologist.
Stig M. Bergström is a Swedish-American paleontologist.
Appalachignathus is a genus of multielement conodonts from the Middle Ordovician of North America.
Baltoniodus is an extinct genus of conodonts.
Microzarkodina is an extinct genus of conodonts mainly from the Middle Ordovician of Baltoscandia. The Microzarkodina apparatus probably consisted of 15 or 17 elements: four P, two or four M and nine S elements. The S elements include different Sa, Sb1, Sb2, and Sc element types.