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Fossils
This category is for questions about the bones, fragments, imprints, and other remainders from a different time. The questions and answer you will find here are history set in stone -- our past, immortalized in solid rock. You will also be able to find questions pertaining to the locations of these fossils, how you might identify them, and how they were formed.
3,454 Questions
What dinosaur was found in Indonesia?
One dinosaur found in Indonesia is the Titanosaur, which lived during the Late Cretaceous period. This dinosaur is known for its large size and likely had a herbivorous diet. Fossils of the Titanosaur have been found on the islands of Java and Sumatra in Indonesia.
How do scientists date fossils and artifacts?
Scientists date fossils and artifacts using various methods such as radiocarbon dating, potassium-argon dating, and thermoluminescence dating. These methods analyze the amount of specific isotopes present in the sample to determine its age. By comparing the ratio of isotopes to known decay rates, scientists can estimate the age of the fossil or artifact.
What is a fossil what is an artifact how can you tell?
Artifacts and fissils are more different than the same. Fossils are the result of parts of dead plants or animals being replaced by minerals over the course of millions of years. Artifacts are things people have made and lost or discarded a hundred years ago or as long ago as tens of thousands of years ago. The primary similarity between the two kinds of objects is that we usually dig them out of the ground and clean them up to study or to display in museums.
When did modern humans appear on earth according to fossil records?
According to the fossil records, the modern humans did appear on earth more than 130,000 years ago.
A paleontologist specializes in the study of ancient life forms, including dinosaurs, by excavating and analyzing fossils. They aim to understand the history of life on Earth and provide insights into prehistoric times.
How do you breed fossil dragon in dragoncity?
To breed the Fossil Dragon in Dragon City, you need to use a combination of dragons that contain the Terra and Sea elements. You can try breeding dragons like the Terra Dragon with the Mud Dragon, or the Earth Dragon with the Waterfall Dragon. Keep trying different combinations until you successfully breed the Fossil Dragon.
What 3 requirements do index fossils have?
To be an index fossil, it must be widespread, commonly found (sometimes in groups) and have a short life span for which it lived. If a fossil meets all three of these requirements, it is considered an index fossil.
What forms when a fossil mold is filled?
When a fossil mold is filled, it forms a fossil cast. The cast is a replica of the original organism or object that created the mold, made of the same material as the original organism or object. Fossil casts are valuable in paleontology for studying the morphology of ancient organisms.
Why does petrified wood smell?
Petrified wood can have a distinctive smell due to the minerals and compounds that have replaced the organic material during the fossilization process. This can release odors when the petrified wood is broken or exposed to air.
Original remains are the actual body parts of an organism, such as bones or teeth, while other fossils are impressions or molds of the organism. Original remains can provide information about soft tissues, behavior, and physiology that other fossils cannot. However, original remains are rare and may be subject to decay or damage, limiting their availability for study. Additionally, original remains may not always be well-preserved or complete, which can limit the amount of information that can be obtained from them.
Why is it important for paleontologists be experts in both anatomy and geology?
Paleontologists need to have a working knowledge of geology to recognise not only which rock is best to search for fossils but also to recognise fossils from the surrounding rock.
They need to have a working knowledge of anatomy (biology) to recognise what part of the animal or plant they are looking at.
Four square miles of rock layers in California contain only this kind of fish fossil?
The fish fossils found in the four square miles of rock layers in California are likely marine fish fossils, indicating that the area was once covered by a sea or ocean where these fish lived and were buried over time. These fossils can provide valuable insights into the ancient marine ecosystems and the environmental conditions that existed in California millions of years ago.
There are two types of age determinations. Geologists in the late 18th and early 19th century studied rock layers and the fossils in them to determine relative age. William Smith was one of the most important scientists from this time who helped to develop knowledge of the succession of different fossils by studying their distribution through the sequence of sedimentary rocks in southern England. It wasn't until well into the 20th century that enough information had accumulated about the rate of radioactive decay that the age of rocks and fossils in number of years could be determined through radiometric age dating.
Principle of superposition: Younger sedimentary rocks are deposited on top of older sedimentary rocks.
Principle of cross-cutting relations: Any geologic feature is younger than anything else that it cuts across.
The dating of fossils was originally done by their placement in a geologic column of rock strata. Because of the Law of Superposition, the deeper the stratum, the older it is (in an undisturbed body of rock or sediment). Fossils which were evident in a particular stratum, but missing from other strata were noted as "index" fossils. The presence of these fossils indicated the age of the stratum relative to other layers. The layers of stratum were placed in a geologic column, subdivided, and assigned names based on the presence of different types of fossil organisms.This is the basis of "relative dating" of rock layers and fossils, a dating technique that was in effect until the advent of radiometric techniques in the twentieth century.
The presence of fins on a fossil suggests that the organism likely lived in water at some point in its life. This could indicate that the area where the dig took place was once covered by water or that the organism had adapted to an aquatic environment.
How reliable is fossil evidence?
The answer depends on how the word 'reliable' is interpreted in the question:
(1) Is the fossil evidence 'reliable' in interpreting the history of life on Earth?
Fossil evidence IS our understanding of the history of life. Fossils on which this understanding is based include skeletons, roots, leaves, bark, chemical signatures, imprints, carbon residues, burrowing and trail marks, petrified wood, footprints, eggs, gastric stones, fecal matter, and many others, found preserved mainly in stone, but sometimes in ice. There are many ways that fossils can be formed. They include freezing, carbonization, petrification, mineral replacement, unaltered preservation,
recrystallization, andauthigenicpreservation.
The fossil record of life recorded in rock is full of periods of intense diversification, appearances of new lifeforms, and extinction events that affected large percentages of the biota on a worldwide scale.
(2) Are the modern methods used to determine the age of the fossil 'reliable'?Radiometric dating of rock involves the measurement of the amount of decay in radioactive elements which are present in the rock. Radioactive elements decay at unique rates, depending on the isotope. This rate of decay is known as half-lives; it is the time necessary for ½ of the atoms to decay in a particular element. The decay follows a geometric scale, in that in the first half-life of an element, ½ of the atoms decay, yet in the second half-life, ½ of those remaining decay and so forth. By measuring this decay, and knowing the half life of an element, scientists can date a sample. Radiometric dating is particularly useful in dating igneous and metamorphic rock, but not so much for sedimentary rocks and fossils.
Because of geologic events such as plate tectonics and volcanism, suitable material for radiometric dating, such as volcanic tuff, solidified lava, and igneous intrusions have been found as layers on, in, and cut through layers of sedimentary rock and fossils. Intrusions are always younger than the rock body they penetrate, meaning that the sedimentary rock in which intrusions are found will be older than a radiometrically dated sample of the intrusion. Lava flows and volcanic ash which form layers in rock will be younger than the rock below and older than the rock above. The solidified intrusions and lava flows can be dated with radiometric techniques.
The radiometric dating of suitable rocks (i.e. igneous or metamorphic) in proximity to their sedimentary counterparts, therefore allows the sedimentary rock to be dated as well. Radiometric dating techniques are constantly being refined and improved with a resulting increase in accuracy and date range.
Scientific inquiry and the scientific method have contributed greatly to our lives in the fields of electronics, physics, engineering, chemistry, manufacturing, and medicine. This same scientific method is being used in genetics and Earth sciences to broaden our knowledge and understanding of Earth's history, including the origin and evolution of life.
What are up-folded sedimentary rocks?
Up-folded sedimentary rocks are rocks that have experienced folding due to tectonic forces in the Earth's crust, resulting in the formation of anticlines where the layers of rock are pushed upwards. These rocks often exhibit a series of bends and folds, which can be seen in the landscape as hills or ridges. Up-folded sedimentary rocks provide geologists with insights into the deformation and stresses that have affected the Earth's crust over time.
Has goliath's head been found?
No, very few skeletal remains from Old Testament times survive - and even if the bones of Goliath were found, there is no way of identifying any ancient skull or skeleton by name. All that archaeologists would say is that the bones of a tall man were discovered.
What is a common Devonian fossil?
A common Devonian fossil is the trilobite, which was an ancient marine arthropod with a hard exoskeleton. Trilobites were diverse and abundant during the Devonian period, with many different species found in rocks from this time period. Their distinctive appearance and widespread distribution make them one of the most well-known fossils from the Devonian period.
Fossil beds are geological formations where a concentration of fossils is preserved. These beds often result from the deposition of sediments over a long period of time, which helps protect and preserve the fossils within them. Scientists study fossil beds to understand past ecosystems and the evolution of organisms over time.
Mummified animals found in dry caves can be examples of fossils with?
i'm not sure but i think it's original preservation.
Which is used as an index of precision?
The Coefficient of Variation (CV) is commonly used as an index of precision. It is a measure of relative variability that expresses the standard deviation as a percentage of the mean. A lower CV indicates higher precision and vice versa.
Which dinosaur has the least amount of fossils found?
There are many dinosaur species with very few fossils found, making it difficult to determine which has the absolute least. Some examples include the Spinosaurus and Irritator, which are known from limited fossil discoveries.
Is a mammoth in frozen ice a trace fossil?
No. A mammoth trapped in ice is a body fossil.
Trace fossils are evidence of life but not part of the animal itself. Examples of trace fossils are footprints, nests, worm burrows, teeth marks etc. Coprolites (fossilized Dung) in the strictest sense are also trace fossils.
Eggs, teeth, bones, skin, hair, feathers etc are all body fossils.
Sedimentary rock is commonly found enclosing fossils, as it is formed by the accumulation of sediment over time which can preserve the remains of organisms. Fossils are also occasionally found in igneous and metamorphic rocks, though these are less common as those types of rocks are formed through processes that usually destroy any fossil evidence.
What are the buried remains of non-living objects called?
The buried remains of non-living objects are called artifacts. These artifacts may include items such as tools, pottery, weapons, or other objects made by humans in the past. Archaeologists study artifacts to learn more about ancient civilizations and cultures.
