At the beginning of stratigraphy

The reconstruction of the succession and history of the strata of the Earth was first, under the denomination of geognosy, a German science (Lehmann, Füchsel, Werner) founded upon the nature of the deposits. The role of fossils, initiated by Soulavie, Arduino and Deluc, was developed by Smith in England and by Cuvier and Brongniart in France. However, the influence of Élie de Beaumont, who was preoccupied by the deformation of the strata, delayed the development of stratigraphic Palaeontology in France, despite the efforts of d’Orbigny.