<descriptor thcode="61"><thesaurus thcode="61" name="Marine Realms Information Bank (MRIB) keywords" scope="Theme keywords from the former Marine Realms Information Bank, focusing on characteristics of coasts and oceans, processes acting on them, and human concerns about them." creator="U.S. Geological Survey" rights="Public domain" date="2016-09-07" codetype="number" prefix="mrib" tblname="mrib" nonpref="mribnp" relterm="mribrt" root_code="1" contact="aallwardt"><category><term thcode="25" code="27" name="types" parent="26" scope="Terms are types of things rather than named instances"/><term thcode="25" code="16" name="hierarchical" parent="11" scope="Substantive broader-narrower relationships exist among the terms."/><term thcode="25" code="13" name="transitive" parent="12" scope="Narrower terms have an &quot;is a&quot; relationship with their broader terms, and generally can be described as part-of, type-of, or instance-of the broader term."/><term thcode="25" code="5" name="theme" parent="2" scope="Terms indicate domains of human concern, such as scientific discipline, societal problems, or characteristics of earth, space, oceans, and living things."/><term thcode="25" code="21" name="disciplines" parent="2" scope="Broad categories of human inquiry or activity, such as scientific disciplines."/><term thcode="25" code="20" name="methods" parent="2" scope="Actions taken to obtain or analyze information"/><term thcode="25" code="27" name="types" parent="26" scope="Terms are types of things rather than named instances"/><term thcode="25" code="16" name="hierarchical" parent="11" scope="Substantive broader-narrower relationships exist among the terms."/><term thcode="25" code="13" name="transitive" parent="12" scope="Narrower terms have an &quot;is a&quot; relationship with their broader terms, and generally can be described as part-of, type-of, or instance-of the broader term."/><term thcode="25" code="5" name="theme" parent="2" scope="Terms indicate domains of human concern, such as scientific discipline, societal problems, or characteristics of earth, space, oceans, and living things."/><term thcode="25" code="21" name="disciplines" parent="2" scope="Broad categories of human inquiry or activity, such as scientific disciplines."/><term thcode="25" code="20" name="methods" parent="2" scope="Actions taken to obtain or analyze information"/></category><altlabel><altlabel>MRIB keywords</altlabel><altlabel>MRIB keywords</altlabel><altlabel>Marine Realms Information Bank keywords</altlabel><altlabel>Marine Realms Information Bank keywords</altlabel></altlabel></thesaurus><term thcode="61" code="729" name="biostratigraphy" parent="728" scope="the study of fossil assemblages to determine the relative ages of sedimentary rock strata."/><bt><term thcode="61" code="728" name="stratigraphy" parent="711" scope="the study of layered sedimentary and volcanic rocks."/><term thcode="61" code="711" name="geology" parent="639" scope="the study of the Earth's structure, composition, past and present processes, and history."/><term thcode="61" code="639" name="discipline" parent="1"/><term thcode="61" code="1" name="Marine Realms Information Bank (MRIB) keyword categories"/></bt><rt><term thcode="61" code="512" name="biostratigraphic correlation" parent="511" scope="the use of fossil assemblages to establish the relative ages of sedimentary strata in different locations (i.e., where direct superposition cannot be observed); not to be confused with lithostratigraphic correlation (the matching of sedimentary strata based solely on rock type)."/></rt></descriptor>