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Lyellian curves and mean taxonomic durations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 April 2016

Craig M. Pease
Craig M. Pease*
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Mathematics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100 Israel
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Abstract

The mean taxon duration, , and the 50 percent point of the Lyellian curve, T50, are directly proportional to one another: . However, there is a disagreement in the literature over the correct value of the proportionality constant, C. Various authors have claimed that C ≈ 1.44, C = 2.00 and C ≈ 2.89. I critically examine the assumptions underlying these three choices of C and argue that C ≈ 1.44, which is based on an exponential model of survivorship, is more widely applicable than the other values of C.

Type
Articles
Information
Paleobiology , Volume 13 , Issue 4 , Fall 1987 , pp. 484 - 487
Copyright
Copyright © The Paleontological Society 

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References

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