| Stratigraphy |
 Layering of Rocks
Stratigraphy is the study of rocks and their layers, how they were laid down and in what order.
Nicolai Stenonis is Stratigraphy's Founding Saint (actually beatified in 1988) and was also known by the name Nicolaus Steno (Niels Steensen). He was an eminent Danish anatomist and geologist, was born in Copenhagen, January 1st, 1638 and died in Schwerin, Germany, on November 25, 1686.
Best know for creating the the "law of superposition" which basically means that the oldest layers are on the bottom of the pile.
At the time when he was alive it was believed that the earth was formed on October 23rd, 4004 BC. It was even thought that Fossils were also all formed at the same time and were not the remains of living creatures.
As you look at sedimentary outcrops - you can see what appears to be layers of rock. To better understand how these can be stacked and appear to even be at different angles, the following animation is a good example on how layers are formed. (courtesy of Christopher Kendall Distinguished Visiting Scientist, Jackson School of Geological Sciences, UT Austin)
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