Palaeontology Notes

The species data used in this section of the Expansion Tectonic small Earth modelling is based on the published Paleobiology Database (PaleoBioDB). The navigator used to access this data can be opened from: paleobiodb.org/navigator/

The Paleobiology Database (PBDB) is a non-governmental, non-profit public resource for paleontological data. Its purpose is to provide global, collection-based occurrence and taxonomic data for organisms of all geological ages, as well data services to allow easy access to data for independent development of analytical tools, visualization software, and applications of all types.

The reader is encouraged to visit the PBDB Navigator in order to compare and contrast the data plotted here on Expansion Tectonic small Earth models with the same data plotted on conventional Plate Tectonic plate assemblages.

It should be noted that the data points plotted from the PBDB represent known fossil sites present throughout the world. It should also be noted that the preservation and discovery of these fossil sites is governed by a number of factors, including:

•	Remaining outcrop of suitable fossiliferous strata.
•	Degree of erosion or weathering of fossiliferous strata.
•	Burial of fossiliferous strata by younger cover rocks.
•	Remoteness of site.
•	Research effort and available research funding.
•	Sampling bias from better studied sites.
•	Political stability of the various countries.

The distribution of the various fossil species shown on each of the small Earth models should therefore be viewed simply as the distribution of known fossil sites, and these should be visualised along with their relationships to adjoining continents.

Note: The coastal outlines shown on each of the models represent a snapshot in time. In reality, these coastlines were constantly shifting and changing during changes to Earth surface curvature through time. In contrast, the various fossil species plotted on these models represent the known distributions for the full extent of each time period represented. As such, the various species may have originated on land or in the sea but their remains were later buried or exposed during inundation or draining of the ancient seas.

Note also that the coastal outlines used in this website are published by others and may not be truly representative of the actual coastal outlines. These published outlines are adopted here for reference purposes only.