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The fossil records are incomplete because more fossils are yet to be uncovered. Some fossils have been destroyed, so the fossil records will pretty much always be incomplete.

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If you've ever watched a crime drama on TV you know that evidence is always spotty - no investigator has ever been able to trace the killer footprint by footprint from the crime to where he is ultimately apprehended, your accountant never gathers every link in your tax return - he always assumes that the receipt was written by the named party or that you didn't get another half "under the table", yet for fossils the standard that some want science to be held to is the dead body and bones of every generation going back 70 million years must be gathered with signed certificates from all of its neighbours before it is accepted as proof

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It isn't going to happen because:

  • it's 70 million years, lots of time for things to get lost, groumd to powdwer,washed into the sea.
  • fossils are only created by accident. The dead critters get eaten, burned in fires, eroded away. rotted to dust.
  • fossils have to be found, there are no glowing red arrows saying "Dig here!"
  • everyone makes logical assumptions (your auto mechanic doesn't disassemble the whole car to examine every part before concluding that your tire is flat) especially experts in the field
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14y ago
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12y ago

Sometimes when fossil records are not complete is because the fossil separate during the fossilization process or that particular bone is to soft to preserve

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Q: Why are the fossils records incomplete?
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How many different ways can fossils form?

When most people think of fossils they think of dinosaur skeletons and large bones, but there are many different types of fossils to be found. Palaeontologists, people who study fossils, divide them into two major types - body fossils and trace fossils. Body fossils show us what a plant or animal looked like. The first type, body fossils, are the fossilised remains of an animal or plant, like bones, shells and leaves. These can be mould and cast fossils, like most of the fossilised dinosaur skeletons and big bones we see, replacement fossils, like petrified wood, or whole body fossils - mammoths caught in ice, or insects trapped in amber. Petrified wood, frozen mammoths, and insects in amber are all body fossils. The second type of fossil records the activity of an animal. Known as trace fossils, these include footprints, trackways, and coprolites (fossil poo!). Footprints and coprolite are trace fossils - they show us how an animal lived.

Related questions

Are fossils records complete or incomplete?

Fossil records are not complete. By some estimates, less than 1% of organisms that have lived appear in the fossil record.


How do you avoid incomplete records?

You cannot. You can only add data to records that you have. If you do not have complete data then you will have incomplete records.


Do fossil records help to date fossils?

Fossil records contain radiation, and the older the fossil is, the less radiation it gives off. Scientists study how much radiation is in the fossil record, and they find out how old the earth is.


Is there a precise list of the genealogy on earth?

No, the records are incomplete and very fragmented.


What are the principles and process flow of an incomplete medical record system?

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Why don't organisms have complete fossil records?

Fossil records are incomplete because there are many random, destructive processes which can harm or destroy fossils. Think of all the violence of nature, earthquakes, floods, forest fires, landslides, volcanoes, etc. And fossils are not necessarily that durable. Many things can damage them. Some scavenger could chew on them. A large animal could step on them. It doesn't necessarily take an earthquake to damage a fossil. Fossils are just lying around, they are not protected or conserved, unless some paleontologist digs them up and puts them in a museum.


How many fossil records are there?

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What is one reason why the fossil record is incomplete?

The fossil record is incomplete because not all fossils have been discovered. In actuality it is unlikely that all fossils will ever be discovered given the hit and miss nature of fossil discovery which usually occurs through educated guess work. The fossil record will likely never be complete.


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