How Do Fossils Form

What must happen first for a fossil to form?

• rocks slowly wear away

• sand and soil turn into rock

• bones are covered in sand and soil

• a living thing must die

What happens when an insect get stuck in tree sap?

• the insect becomes trapped, it dies, the tree sap hardens into amber, the fossilized insect is preserved in the amber.

• the sap dries up and the insect is able to fly away.

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NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Which is a step in the process of how animals become fossils?

• An animal dies high up on a mountain.

• The soft parts of an animal turn to rock.

• Most of the animal rots away, leaving only the skin.

• Sediment covers an animal's remains.

Jenni goes to visit her uncle, a scientist who digs for fossils. She is excited to see all of these fossils together in one rock. She notices a pa"ern to the type of fossil in that rock. In which type of place were these fossils most likely formed?

• a warm desert

• a valley plain

• a shallow seabed

• a mountain meadow

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NGSS.MS-LS4-1

True or False: An organism must become buried before it breaks down.

• True

• False

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NGSS.MS-LS4-1

What kind of fossil is formed when the impression is made in the mud or dirt?

• body fossil

• trace fossil

A seashell sinks to the bottom of the ocean. It makes an impression in the sand. What must happen next in order for a fossil to form?

• Amber must cover the impression.

• Minerals must cover up the seashell.

• Mud must fill the impression and harden.

• The hard tissue must decay and harden.

Which shows the correct order of steps in the formation of a fossil?

• branch leaves a mold, cast forms, branch is pressed into mud, mold fills with mud

• branch is pressed into mud, branch leaves a mold, mold fills with mud, cast forms

• cast forms, branch is pressed into mud, branch leaves a mold, mold fills with mud

• branch leaves a mold, cast forms, branch is pressed into mud, mold fills with mud

Which part of an organism is the most likely to be fossilized?

• the feet

• the hard tissues

• the head

• the soft tissues

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NGSS.MS-LS4-1

What is the first step in the fossilization process?

• An organism dies and is buried by sediment.

• Minerals replace the organic material.

• The organism is exposed to the surface.

• The organism is eaten by scavengers.

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NGSS.MS-LS4-1