Fossils

Fossils

Fossils

• How to tell time with rocks

  
  

• ►A fossil is any naturally preserved evidence of life.

Mineralization 

• Organisms can also be preserved by mineralization (petrified),

• ►process in which minerals fill in pore spaces of an organism’s tissues.

Fossils in Amber

• When tree sap hardens, an insect may be preserved inside. 

• Tahoma (Body)

Multiple Choice

Fossils could provide evidence for....

• relationships between past organisms and current organisms

• past organisms only

• current organisms only

Multiple Choice

How do fossils form?

• An organisms is rapidly buried. The sediments and minerals replace the tissues.

• An organism is buried slowly. Only bones can become fossils

Multiple Choice

The hardened remains of a living thing that died long ago.

• fossil

• extinct

• endangered

• minerals

Trace Fossils

• ►Any naturally preserved evidence of an animal’s activity is called a trace fossil.

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Molds and Casts

• ►A mold is a cavity in the ground or rock where a plant or animal was buried.

• ►A cast is an object created when sediment fills a mold and becomes rock.

Fossils Show

Changes in Life

• ►Older rock layers contain organisms different from those found in younger rock layers.

• ►Life forms have changed over millions of years. For example, giant sea reptiles came before giant land dinosaurs. Mammals arrived last! 

Multiple Choice

Which type of fossil is created when an organism gets trapped in tree resin?

• Trace

• Mold/Imprint

• Amber

• Cast

Multiple Choice

What type of fossils provide evidence of the activities of ancient organisms?

• molds and casts

• petrified fossils

• trace fossils

• carbon films

Multiple Choice

Soft part of organisms do NOT fossilize. They may be eaten or...

• decay.

• vanish.

Multiple Choice

Evidence of ancient life is present in these.

• shells

• fossils