Fossils are incredibly numerous, particularly for small marine organisms, and plant life. Larger animals are less numerous simply because of predation and because of depositional requirements for preservation.
The earliest fossils are few because the conditions for fossilization, such as rapid burial and preservation, were not common in the early Earth. Additionally, these ancient organisms were likely small and soft-bodied, making them less likely to be preserved as fossils. The search for early fossils is also challenging due to the rocks from that time period being heavily altered or destroyed over billions of years.
The youngest fossils are typically found in recent sedimentary rock formations or on the surface of the Earth. These fossils are often from organisms that lived within the past few thousand years, such as the bones of mammoths or ancient human remains.
Sedimentary rocks can contain fossils because, unlike most igneous and metamorphic rocks, they form at temperatures and pressures that do not destroy fossil remains. Dead organisms can become sediments which may, under the right conditions, become sedimentary rock. Igneous rock forms from magma; no chance for fossils to form there. Metamorphic rocks are other rock types that are changed by heat and pressure; their transformation and mineral reorganization causes very few fossils to be found there. Sedimentary rock can be formed from the accumulation of sediments and are often formed near ancient shores, basins, and lake beds. If an organism dies and is covered by sediments before being rotted or eaten by predatory organisms, it could eventually become part of the sedimentary layer that becomes rock.
* the organism must be common in rocks from most of the world *the organism must have lived for only a geologically short period of time( a few million years to a few hundred million years) *the organism must be easy to identify.(trilobites and ammonites are 2 kinds of organisms that are used as index fossils).
The vast majority of fossils are found in sedimentary rock. Igneous rock forms from magma; no chance for fossils to form there. Metamorphic rocks are other rock types that are changed by heat and pressure; their transformation and mineral reorganization causes very few fossils to be found there. Sedimentary rock can be formed from the accumulation of sediments and are often formed near ancient shores, basins, and lake beds. If an organism dies and is covered by sediments before being rotted or eaten by predatory organisms, it could eventually become part of the sedimentary layer that becomes rock.
The earliest fossils are few because the conditions for fossilization, such as rapid burial and preservation, were not common in the early Earth. Additionally, these ancient organisms were likely small and soft-bodied, making them less likely to be preserved as fossils. The search for early fossils is also challenging due to the rocks from that time period being heavily altered or destroyed over billions of years.
A few
They normally say a few millions years. But if you can come up with a better guess they will give you a Phd.
Because sedimentery rock is formed under the sea, sediment collects at the bottom of the ocean, and so does a few dead sea creatures, then t gets squashed by other sediment, igneous rock is formed by lava cooling, so there is no fossils in it.
There isn't, of course, a gap in time. There are, however, very few fossils intermediate between simple stromatolites (the first more or less multicellular organisms) and the first complex organisms found just before the Cambrian Explosion. This gap most likely exists because while predation already existed (organisms consuming other organisms), no organisms had yet developed an internal or external skeleton that could have been preserved at death. The very few organisms from that era that were preserved despite of this, were preserved in the form of molds and casts.
because they're old
no, there were a bunch of teeth
Some of the A few of the earliest cultures are: Anasazi, Mound Builders, Inca, Maya, Olmec, and the Aztec.
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.
Fossils have been found with ages from a few tens of thousands of years old to roughly three billion years old.
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.
The youngest fossils are typically found in recent sedimentary rock formations or on the surface of the Earth. These fossils are often from organisms that lived within the past few thousand years, such as the bones of mammoths or ancient human remains.