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Fossils & Paleontology Basics

Fossils are the remains or traces of ancient plants and animals from past geological eras. Paleontology studies fossils to understand past forms of life. Fossils are formed when an organism is quickly buried after death, becoming encased in sediment over time as the sediment builds up. As the sediment hardens into rock, it preserves the organism's hard parts like bones and teeth as a fossil.

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68 views2 pages

Fossils & Paleontology Basics

Fossils are the remains or traces of ancient plants and animals from past geological eras. Paleontology studies fossils to understand past forms of life. Fossils are formed when an organism is quickly buried after death, becoming encased in sediment over time as the sediment builds up. As the sediment hardens into rock, it preserves the organism's hard parts like bones and teeth as a fossil.

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FOSSILS

WHAT IS A FOSSILS

Fossils are the remains of ancient animals and plants, the traces or impressions of living things from past
geologic ages, or the traces of their activities. Fossils have been found on every continent on Earth

PALEONTOLOGY

• Paleontology is the branch of biology that studies the forms of life that existed in former geologic
periods, primarily by studying fossils.

HOW FOSSILS FORMED


Some animals were quickly buried after their death (by sinking in mud, being buried in a sandstorm, etc).
Over time more and more sediment covered the remains. The parts of the animals that didn't rot (usually
the harder parts like bones and teeth) were encased in the newly formed sediment. In the right
circumstances (when there is no scavengers, quick burial, not much weathering) parts of the animal turned
into fossils over time

PETRIFICATION OF
FOSSILS FORMED
• Petrification can preserve hard and soft parts and slowly replaces organic material with silica,
calcite or pyrite, forming a rock-like fossil. Wood is often found petrified.
• Some organisms are embedded in Amber (a hardened form of tree sap). This usually preserved
insects or pieces of plants.
• Fossils of imprints may form, like casts of dinosaur footprints. The impressions, in the right
circumstances, fill with sediments that fossilize.
• Most animals did not fossilize, they simply decayed and were lost from the fossil record.
Paleontologist’s estimate that only a small percentage of the dinosaurs that ever lived have been
or will be found as fossils.

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