Why are fossils so rare?

Answer 1

Fossilisation is a rather rare occurrence. Organisms must 'fall' into conditions where decay does not occur. The soft tissues of organisms usually do not form fossils. Fossilisation is more likely in seas, lakes, swamps and caves, but unlikely on land. Geological processes, and human activity, are constantly moving and destroying the sedimentary rocks which contain fossils.

Answer 2

When most organisms die their bodies are scavenged by something looking for a meal or broken down by a fungus or bacteria.

Most fossils are found in sedimentary rocks laid down in oceans, seas or lakes, and most of those are quickly covered by sediment or fall into a deep area lacking in oxygen so their remains are not broken down by bacteria.

It takes a special set of circumstances to be a fossil.

Answer 3

Well, the process of fossilization is a rare process indeed. It usually only occurs when variables are at an ideal state and when there are large amounts of a species. That mixed along with the fact that the most recent fossil of a dinosaur is going to still be 65 million years old should point to the conclusion that even if a bone or an entire skeleton was fossilized, it probably wouldn't survive Geological events such as Earthquakes, the shifting of the continents, the rising and falling of the seas, and natural disasters.

Answer 4

It is the exception rather than the rule for an organism to be fossilised.

Look at most fossils, what do they have in common?

They either lived in the seas or lakes or fell into them and died. That removes most land animals from the fossil record.

Even species living in the seas and oceans have to die and be quickly buried before their bodies are scavenged.

A lot of fish fossils would not be available to us if their lake or lagoon had not become anoxic killing the fish and allowing sediment to cover them as it starting to dry up.

Even after burial it is not certain that something will fossilise, if there was uplift of the land surface, erosion could remove all traces of sediment and potential fossils.

Answer 5

Few organisms become fossilized, because the circumstances that an organism has to be in is very specific.

Fossilization (actually, "mineralization"; "fossil" refers to the digging up rather than the laying down) is a very closely-conditioned process. First the object has to be buried rather quickly so it doesn't decay or get consumed by insects and microbes. Then it has to remain undisturbed for a long time in an environment that's wet enough to dissolve and transport minerals, but not so wet as to wash the remains away. Finally, it has to be found. Most fossils are found as they "weather out" of the matrix and someone who can recognize a fossil has to be at hand when that happens. Too soon, and there's nothing to see; too late, and the fossil itself is weathered away. For small fossils, this could be a matter of days; for massive bones and casts, perhaps a season.

Answer 6

Few organisms become fossilized, because the circumstances that an organism has to be in is very specific.

Fossilization (actually, "mineralization"; "fossil" refers to the digging up rather than the laying down) is a very closely-conditioned process. First the object has to be buried rather quickly so it doesn't decay or get consumed by insects and microbes. Then it has to remain undisturbed for a long time in an environment that's wet enough to dissolve and transport minerals, but not so wet as to wash the remains away. Finally, it has to be found. Most fossils are found as they "weather out" of the matrix and someone who can recognize a fossil has to be at hand when that happens. Too soon, and there's nothing to see; too late, and the fossil itself is weathered away. For small fossils, this could be a matter of days; for massive bones and casts, perhaps a season.

Answer 7

They are rare because fossils are rocks and animal bones mixed together.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

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