Field Guide to Fossils: No. 4 - Fossils of the Oxford Clay

The Jurassic Oxford Clay, the major source of brick clay in the United Kingdom, contains a diverse and exceptionally well preserved fauna. Historically it has provided the basis for Brinkmann's now classic work on ammonite evolution, and furnished the Leeds brothers with the finest collection of marine reptiles ever assembled. Only now have descriptions of the entire fauna been available in a single volume. The introduction describes the geological setting and discusses aspects of the paleoecology. Ten chapters deal with all the major macroinvertebrate groups, some of the microinvertebrates, and the famous vertebrate fauna. Useful appendices provide the collector with a list of important fossil localities and the locations of museums with collections of comparative material. In addition, an up-to-date list of Oxford Clay taxa and a comprehensive bibliography of Oxford Clay palaeontology are provided. This book is a definitive guide to our current knowledge of Oxford Clay faunal diversity. It is an essential purchase for all those interested in Jurassic paleontology.