Donald Prothero | |
|---|---|
 Donald Prothero, in the Troublesome Formation near Kremmling, central Colorado, 2008 | |
| Born | February 21, 1954 |
| Citizenship | American |
| Alma mater | University of California, Riverside, Columbia University |
| Known for | Mammalian paleontology |
| Scientific career | |
| Thesis | Medial Oligocene magnetostratigraphy and mammalian biostratigraphy: testing the isochroneity of mammalian biostratigraphic events |
| Website | http://www.donaldprothero.com/ |
Donald Ross Prothero (February 21, 1954) is an American geologist, paleontologist, and author who specializes in mammalian paleontology and magnetostratigraphy, a technique to date rock layers of the Cenozoic era and its use to date the climate changes which occurred 30–40 million years ago. He is the author or editor of more than 30 books and over 300 scientific papers, including at least 5 geology textbooks.
Stephen Jay Gould cited Prothero's research on the lack of response to climate change in mammals from the Eocene, Oligocene and Pleistocene epochs to support the punctuated equilibrium model of evolution. He called Prothero "the best punctuated equilibrium researcher on the West Coast".[1]
- ^ Gould, S.J. (2002). The Structure of Evolutionary Theory. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0674006133.