Fossils

People who study fossils are called ____.

• meterologists
• fossilologists
• paleontologists
• fossil hunters

In which kind of rock do we usually find a fossil?

• sedimentary  rock
• metamorphic rock
• igneous rock

In order for a fossil to form, which of the following events must happen FIRST?

• Slowly, minerals in the water replace the bone.
• Sediment covers the bone.
• An animal dies.
• The bone is no longer a bone, but a rock copy.

What happens when a group of animals become extinct?

• All of its members have died.
• Only a few of its members are still living.
• The animals can no longer lay eggs.
• All of its members move to another place.

Which layer formed first?

• Rock Layer W
• Rock Layer X
• Rock Layer Y
• Rock Layer Z

Sedimentary rocks form when broken bits of other rock are deposited and then -

• buried and squeezed and cemented together
• melted by the heat of the Earth's core
• completely dissolved in the salt water of the ocean 
• used by humans as a natural resource

Which of the following is an example of a trace fossil?

• A skeleton preserved in a tar pit

• A footprint of an extinct animal

• A mummy buried in ice

• An insect preserved in amber

Why are deserts, tar pits, and ice good places to find body fossils?

• Most ancient organisms lived in these environments

• Bacteria and other decomposers cannot thrive in these environments

• Many ancient organisms traveled to these places to die

• The largest ancient organisms lived in these places

What can you infer from the fact that fossil fuels are carbon-based?

• Over time, flesh turns into carbon

• Most life on earth is made from carbon

• Trees are made from carbon, but animals are not

• Swampy environments are carbon-poor environments

A carbonized fossil is quickly buried and flattened by the pressure of the sediments on top of it.  What remains is____________________

• Just bones
• a trace fossil
• a thin black film
• amber