< p >肯定有许多的例子覆盖中生代地层含恐龙化石特征(和遗迹化石——即痕迹化石)。最好的例子之一是中生代地层的< a href = " http://amesgeology.weebly.com/moenkopi-formation.html " rel =“nofollow”>犹他州< / >和科罗拉多州。然而,大多数地质时间间隔的特点是著名的化石材料(如软体动物、三叶虫或花粉粒)。这并不呈现相关性涉及恐龙更有效。< / p > < p >考虑这样一个假设的情况下,一些恐龙足迹中发现一个泥岩层。泥岩还包含独特的花粉粒。在上面的层泥岩我们再也看不到恐龙脚印但我们仍然有相同的花粉粒。这些花粉被发现在其他层(也许在另一边的世界!),而恐龙脚印更罕见。在这种情况下,我们将能够与这些岩层更广泛使用的花粉比恐龙打印。然而,如果泥岩层是< em >的< / em >已知地质单元包含特定的恐龙物种的化石残骸(假设它有一个独特的足迹)然后我们可以假定物种灭绝。 Extinctions are very useful for correlating the relative age of geological units, therefore the last appearance of the dinosaur footprints will provide a tighter age control than the pollen (which persists in the rock record). I should add that stratigraphic corrections based on the fossil record can be very complex. The scientists who study the fossil record (palaeontologists) spend decades trying to decipher the exact details of the evolution of life on this planet preserved in rocks. Due to the complexity of this science it is very easy for a layperson to get confused or make false assessments.