Stratigraphy is the book of Earth history. This book has been read for a long time, and each reader tries to improve its general understanding. Since the introduction of the concept of stratotypes by d’Orbigny, nearly two centuries ago, the point of view has evolved and shifted from a one-dimension perception, the vertical one, the time one, to a four-dimension comprehension, the time–space one. The Paris Basin illustrates the evolution of the main concepts that prevailed in stratigraphy.
d’Orbigny, stratigraphy, history of Sciences