What is a Fossil? * A fossil is any evidence of prehistoric life. * Must be older than 10,000 years but can be up to billions of years old. * Can be plant or animal. * The history of the earth and ages of rocks can be better understood by studying fossils. * Question: What type of rock would most likely have fossils? ° Answer: Sedimentary!Life has changed i and become more ~* complex over time. i : Studying fossils tells = .. us this. “ — Geologic time scale, 650 million years ago to the present peried Conese Paleozate ira dest (4 4 extinction of dinesGeologic Eras * Paleozoic: Means “Ancient Life.” » -Age of Fishes » -Cambrian Explosion (life evolved at an alarming rate during this period) » -Ended with Permian-Triassic Extinction * Mesozoic: Means “Middle Life.” » -Age of Reptiles or Age of Dinosaurs * -Mammals appeared at this time. » -Ended with Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) Extinction. Likely froma meteorite impact. (Chicxulub impact crater in Mexico). * Cenozoic: Means “New Life.” » -Age of Mammals » -Evolution of HumansVirginia’s Fossils Fossils mainly found in Coastal Plain, Valley and Ridge, and Appalachian Plateau provinces. Most Virginia fossils are marine organisms. Question: What does this mean about Virginia’s past environment? Answer: Virginia has been covered by seawater for much of its history. Question: Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic fossils are found in Virginia. What does this tell us? Answer: Virginia has been around since the Paleozoic Era.Conditions for making a fossil ° 1.) Quick burial: Prevents organism’s remains from being weathered and eroded or consumed by other organisms. ° 2.) Hard Parts: Organism usually must have hard parts such as bone, teeth, or shell that won’t be eaten or won’t rot.Types of Preservation * 1.) Unaltered Remains: Original organism or hard parts are preserved either in ice, amber, or tar pits. * 2.) Petrified/Replacement by permineralization (Turned to stone): Original material is replaced with another mineral. * 3.) Mold (Cake Pan): For example, a shell presses into soft sediment leaving an impression. Shows you outside parts. * 4.) Cast (Cake): If the mold is filled in with sediment. Shows you inside parts. » 5.) Carbonized (thin and delicate): Anoxic environment. Burgess Shale. Can preserve soft parts (i.e. insects/feathers). * 6.) Impression (shallow mold) * 7.) Trace: Fossils of tracks, burrows, coprolites (poop). |Principle of Faunal Succession States that fossils aren’t randomly placed in strata, but rather follow a succession where they succeed each other ina definite and determinable order. Organisms live for a certain amount of time and then go extinct, so we can use them to tell us age of rocks. Index Fossils: A good index fossil is is widespread but short- lived. Certain Trilobites are good index fossils.Fossil Correlation * Fossils can be used to correlate strata hundreds of miles ‘4am sem apart. seo _$e@ ° If an index fossil is found in two different rock layers, we know they must be the same age. 8e 8 » We can then correlate cee nee or connect them seneenseecneeeon together.Fossil Correlation Lab eStart today and finish next class.