Rock Cycle and Fossils

A(n) __________ is the preserved or mineralized remains

(teeth, bones, etc.) or imprint of an organism that lived long ago.

• fossil

• index

• mineral

• trace

This is a fossil of a dinosaur's footprint. This fossil can give scientists clues about the dinosaur's

• size

• color

• mating habits

• reason for extinction

Scientists who study fossils are called

• astronomers

• biologists

• geologists

• paleontologists

This is a fossil made when an organism buried in sediment decomposes, leaving a hollow area showing part or all of the organism's structure.

• cast

• mold

• petrified fossil

• trace fossil

This is a fossil that is a copy of an organism's structure, formed when minerals seep into a mold in sediment.

• cast

• mold

• petrified fossil

• trace fossil

This is a fossil in which minerals replace part or all of an organism.

• cast

• mold

• petrified fossil

• trace fossil

This is a fossil that provides evidence of the existence of an ancient organism. A footprint.

• cast

• mold

• petrified fossil

• trace fossil

An insect gets trapped in tree sap. The sap dries, and the insects are preserved exactly as they were in real life.

• amber

• imprint

• mold

• petrified fossil

A tree falls and is covered in mud. Over time, the wood rots away and minerals seep into where the wood once was. The tree now seems like it is made of rock.

• amber

• cast

• imprint

• petrified

A crab dies and becomes buried beneath the mud in the bottom of the ocean. The mud fills in tightly around the crab's shell. Over many years, the shell decays and the mud hardens. This leaves a hollow space that is the same shape as the crab's original shell.

• cast

• mold

• petrified fossil

• imprint