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There are many fossils from the Pre-Cambrian but most are microscopic, single celled organisms. Later life forms became larger but were soft bodied which did not fossilise except under certain conditions.
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∙ 12y ago
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∙ 13y agoThe Precambrian fossil record is poor, and those fossils present (e.g. stromatolites) are of limited biostratigraphic use.[1] Many Precambrian rocks are heavily metamorphosed, obscuring their origins, while others have either been destroyed by erosion, or remain deeply buried beneath Phanerozoicstrata.[2][3]
answ2. And of course, one has to wait till the arrival of organisms with hard bits such as shells or skeletons, like mollusks and vertebrates, to get good fossils. Soft-bodied organisms do not fare well unless the rock is VERY fine-grained, and has not been metamorphosed as above.
But they do exist in India (Vendian), and Australia (Ediacara).
And bacteria and algae are really small and inconspicuous.
[The reference numbers in the first para probably reference sources and is not transferred in cut-and-paste.]
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∙ 14y agoMost precambrian life was soft bodied and did not fossilize well.
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∙ 14y agoMost hard shelled organisms didn't develop until the Cambrian. Soft-bodied organisms are much less likely to survive as fossils.
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∙ 13y agoThere are fewer fossils because there were less animals and also the fossils are so old they are buried deep within the earth.
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∙ 7y agoLife-forms in this era had no skeletons.
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∙ 12y agoSoft bodied organisms
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Why are there few fossils from the precambrian era?
Actually, it isn't really true! We now know (unlike Darwin who would have rejoiced to know what we now know!) that fossils in the PreCambrian are numerous and spread world-wide. But many are very small and not easily recognised or exist in specialised geologically circumstance, often preserved in relatively little-known places. Much PreCambrian rock is igneous, products of vulcanism, and obviously do not preserve fossils. But where suitable conditions prevailed, unusual fossils can be found are a the subject of a great deal of study. Many of the best preserved are where fine volcanic ash settled over the ancient seabed preserving the soft-bodied forms which were around 500-600ma ago. Precambrian fossils may be found at several localities in UK (notably Charnwood Forest in Leicestershire), in Canada, Namibia, Russia, China and especially in Australia.
Name the other fossil animals that have been found in Antarctica?
dinosaurs
Why are more fossils not found?
Asking why there are more animal fossils presupposes that there are more animal fossils than plant fossils. This is not the necessarily case. Plant fossils are actually much more common than animal fossils. If you consider the distribution of biomass in modern ecosystems, it is clear that plants are the dominant kingdom (e.g if you walk into a rainforest, you see hundreds of trees, but few large animals). This distribution is a necessity for any functioning ecosystem because the plants are primary producers (other species need them for survival).Lignite, a low grade coal, is composed entirely of semi-compacted plant fossils. It is so common that it is often burned for use as fuel.This being said, plants also decay faster than animals given the same initial conditions (they do not typically have hard parts like bones), so the percentage of plants that are fossilized should be less than the percentage of macroscopic animals. Since plants so greatly outnumber animals, however, this does not make fossil animals more common.Addendum:It matters too whether one is discussing microfossils or fossils large enough to see or whole fossils or merely a fossilized leaf. See related questions.Plants have softer bodys parts than animals
What is a fossil that can be used as a marker in time called?
Index fossils (also known as guide fossils, indicator fossils or zone fossils) are fossils used to define and identify geologic periods (or faunal stages). They work on the premise that, although different sediments may look different depending on the conditions under which they were laid down, they may include the remains of the same species of fossil. If the species concerned were short-lived (in geological terms, lasting a few hundred thousand years), then it is certain that the sediments in question were deposited within that narrow time period. The shorter the lifespan of a species, the more precisely different sediments can be correlated, and so rapidly evolving types of fossils are particularly valuable. The best index fossils are common, easy-to-identify at species level, and have a broad distribution-otherwise the likelihood of finding and recognizing one in the two sediments is minor. --- Wikipedia
How do scientist know how old fossils are?
they see how deep these rocks are in the earth then they predict ---- Carbon dating is another popular method, by which fossils and other historical artifacts are tested to record levels of a common carbon isotope with a certain half-life.
Why is the Precambrian time period segmented into very few parts?
The Precambrian time period is segmented into very few parts because:
Why is Precambrian history more difficult to study than more recent geological history?
no fossils of organisms with hard parts. the few soft body part fossils found rarely fossilize well.
Why is the precambrian time period segmented into very few parts because?
The Precambrian time period is segmented into very few parts because the fossil record is scarce.
Why are there few fossils from the precambrian era?
Actually, it isn't really true! We now know (unlike Darwin who would have rejoiced to know what we now know!) that fossils in the PreCambrian are numerous and spread world-wide. But many are very small and not easily recognised or exist in specialised geologically circumstance, often preserved in relatively little-known places. Much PreCambrian rock is igneous, products of vulcanism, and obviously do not preserve fossils. But where suitable conditions prevailed, unusual fossils can be found are a the subject of a great deal of study. Many of the best preserved are where fine volcanic ash settled over the ancient seabed preserving the soft-bodied forms which were around 500-600ma ago. Precambrian fossils may be found at several localities in UK (notably Charnwood Forest in Leicestershire), in Canada, Namibia, Russia, China and especially in Australia.
How long did the PreCambrian era last?
The Precambrian Era. The name means: "before the Cambrian period." This old, but still common term was originally used to refer to the whole period of earth's history before the formation of the oldest rocks with recognizable fossils in them. In the last few decades, however, geologists have found that there are some hard-to-discern fossils in some Precambrian rocks, so this period is now also known as the Cryptozoic or "obscure life" Eon (from the words "crypt" = "hidden," and "zoon" = "life"). The Precambrian covers almost 90% of the entire history of the Earth. It has been divided into three eras: the Hadean, the Archean and the Proterozoic. Source: Unknown The Precambrian Era comprises all of geologic time prior to 600 million years ago. The Precambrian was originally defined as the era that predated the emergence of life in the Cambrian Period. It is now known, however, that life on Earth began by the early Archean and that fossilized organisms became more and more abundant throughout Precambrian time. The two major subdivisions of the last part of the Precambrian are the Archean (oldest) and the Proterozoic. Rocks younger than 600 Ma are considered part of the Phanerozoic.
What plants existed in the Precambrian period?
There is very little evidence for any plant life in the Precambrian Period. There is evidence in the form of stromatolites (found near Shark Bay in Australia) for bacteria. Some controversial fossils from the 1.25 billion year old Hatakai Shale from the Grand Canyon in the USA suggest that there was plant life in the Precambrian. Creationalist often use this as evidence that evolution is not true.
The longest era with the least information available?
The Precambrian Era is the longest era with the least amount of scientific information available. This is because so few fossils have been discovered.
Why have so few dinosaur found in Antarctica?
So few dinosaur fossils have been found in Antarctica because the entire continent is covered in ice, making it hard to dig and/or search for large fossils.
Why have so few dinosaur been found in Antarctica?
So few dinosaur fossils have been found in Antarctica because the entire continent is covered in ice, making it hard to dig and/or search for large fossils.
What is the age of fossils?
Fossils have been found with ages from a few tens of thousands of years old to roughly three billion years old.
Why are the earliest fossils yet found are very few?
because the fossil is behind of the filipins
Why fossils are rarely found in metamorphic and igneous rocks?
This is because igneous and metamorphic rocks are created under extreme heat and pressure, and very few fossils would survive those conditions. The most common forms of fossils are those found in sedimentary rocks.
