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Those that have hard parts that fossilize, are plentiful, ubiquitous and evolve rapidly.

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Gisselle Eichmann

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Q: What type of organism would be most useful as an index fossil?
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What is the difference between trace fossil and index fossil?

A trace fossil is one that merely indicates that an organism left evidence of its existence. Some examples would be burrows or footprints that appear in sedimentary rock. An index fossil is of an organism that dates to a particular time in the geologic record, the organism only appearing in a certain segment of that record. Index fossils are indicators of the age of the rock in which they are found.


What is fossils organisms that lived a short period of time called?

They are called index fossils.


Which fossil would most likely make the best index fossil?

A good index fossil is one of an organism that rapidly evolves and is widespread throughout a geologic time period or periods. This makes it useful in determining the age of the rock formation in which it is contained.


Which characteristics of a fossil would you make it useful as an index fossil in determining the relative age of widely separated rock layers?

C). a narrow time range and a wide geographic range


Would a shark tooth make a good index fossil Why or Why not?

It depends on how old the tooth is,but other than that,unless it's a rare shark,it wouldn't make a very good index fossil.


What environment would the shell of an organism most likely be preserved as a fossil?

A hard shell organism have more of a chance to become a fossil .


Would horseshoe crabs be useful as an index fossils?

No, Index fossils are used to date certain rock layers where the fossil is found. So it's usefull when you can find a certain index fossil only in a small period of time. So you can get the most precise dating for the rock layer. Horseshoe crabs are known as a 'living fossil', the first fossils of horse shoe crabs are found 450 millions years ago. So when you find a fossil of a horse shoe crab in a rock or sediment, you can't say anything about the age of the rock.


What is the definition of range of a fossil species?

The range would be the span of time between the point in the geologic record the fossil organism first appeared to the point in the geologic record that the organism last appeared.


What would be helpful for locating useful information in a book?

Table of Contents and glossarythe index and table of contents (APEX)Using the index


Why chronoperates paradoxus would not be a good index fossil?

they are only been found in a narrow geographic range


How are fossils organized in the fossil record?

Fossils are arragned in sequential order because of the buildup of material over the top of them for millions of years. Hence, the oldest will be on the bottom. This can be altered by certain geoligical processes and will depend on the rockbed and formation present in the area.


What would prevent an organism from becoming part of the fossil record when it dies?

It is fully decomposed by bacteria and fungi.