Basic principles of stratigraphy provided by Cambrian paleontology have analogies with Pacific Coast Oligocene, Pliocene, and other rocks. Re-examination of concepts from the time of Hutton (1795) and restudy of the complete fossil record are proposed to interpret the geologic history of new areas of petroleum exploration.

The doctrine of uniformitarianism in sedimentary processes, and uniformitarian biologic laws, provide the key to solution of stratigraphic problems if they are combined with the principle of uniqueness of environments (Nairn, 1965).

Stromatolite reef occurrences from the Precambrian of Glacier National Park (Rezak, 1957) to the Recent of Shark Bay, Australia (Logan, 1961), with oolite, glauconite, and shoal sediment features, illustrate the first principle (unchanging physical geologic processes).

Palmer's biomere concept (1965) for benthonic trilobites and his Upper Cambrian agnostid studies, and the Middle Cambrian agnostid studies of Robison (1964), provide analogy with benthonic and nekto-planktonic fossils of any age under the second principle (uniformitarian biologic laws).

The stratigraphic limitation of the fossil biomere in Cambrian, Oligocene, or Pliocene by historical events, by the migration from eurybathyal to stenobathyal habitats, and by the effect of cyclical climatic events on evolution or extinction shows the third principle (uniqueness of environments).

Analogous examples of the fundamental principles are provided by Foraminifera in benthonic uvigerinid biomeres in the Oligocene of the Pacific Coast. Analogy with cyclothems is found in correlations between cyclical climatic stages of the Pliocene planktonic Globigerina pachyderma (Bolli, 1950) in the Los Angeles and Ventura basins, California (Bandy, 1961), and synchronous climatic history in Japan (Kobayashi and Shikama, 1961).

Correlation of cyclical historical events rather than reliance only on syntax of animal or plant fossils is important for regional correlations and sedimentary-facies studies.

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