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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
When did Joseph Tyrrell find his first fossil?
Joseph Tyrrell found his first major fossil discovery, a partial skull of a dinosaur, in 1884 in Alberta, Canada. This discovery led to the excavation of the nearly complete dinosaur skeleton, now known as "Albertosaurus".
How old is the rock around a phacops fossil?
The rock around a phacops fossil is typically around 380 million years old, as these fossils are commonly found in rocks from the Devonian period.
Where did they find the Utahraptor fossils?
Utahraptor fossils were found in eastern Utah, USA, in the Dalton Wells Quarry near Arches National Park. These fossils were discovered in 1991 and have provided valuable insights into the behavior and anatomy of these large predatory dinosaurs.
Why is there more fossils of aquatic organisms than land dwelling organisms?
Fossils of aquatic organisms are more abundant because aquatic environments are more conducive to fossil preservation. Sediments in water help protect and bury organisms quickly, reducing the chance of decay or scavenging. Additionally, water can sometimes carry minerals that aid in the fossilization process.
Why are index fossils more useful then other fossils to paleontologist?
Index fossils are useful to paleontologists because they are easily recognizable, widespread, and existed for a relatively short period of time. This allows scientists to date the rock layers in which they are found, helping to establish the relative ages of different strata. Additionally, index fossils help correlate rock layers from different locations, aiding in the reconstruction of Earth's history.
What is the name for a copy of a fossil produced by filling a mold with sediment or crystals?
A replica of a fossil produced by filling a mold with sediment or crystals is called a cast fossil. It provides a detailed three-dimensional representation of the original fossil and is often used in scientific research and educational settings.
How do you get the fuel out the ground or the seabed?
Fuel is extracted from the ground or seabed through drilling wells into underground reservoirs where oil or natural gas is trapped. Specialized equipment is used to pump the fuel to the surface where it can then be processed and refined for use. Offshore drilling platforms are also used to extract fuel from beneath the seabed.
What is the ages oldest known fossil?
The oldest known fossil is a set of stromatolites found in Western Australia that date back about 3.5 billion years. Stromatolites are layered structures formed by microorganisms, providing evidence of some of the earliest life on Earth.
What does the fossil record provide for paleontologists?
The fossil record provides paleontologists with a window into the past, offering insights into the Earth's geological history, the evolution of species, and the diversity of ancient life forms. By studying fossils, paleontologists can reconstruct past environments, track evolutionary changes, and understand the processes that have shaped life on Earth.
What can fossils tell us about the movement of the plates in the past?
Fossils can provide information on the distribution of ancient species across different continents, which helps in reconstructing past continental positions. By comparing the similarities and differences in fossil species found on separate continents, scientists can infer the movement and interaction of tectonic plates in the past. Fossils can also reveal how environmental changes associated with plate movements influenced the evolution and distribution of species over time.
When are fossils trapped in rocks?
Fossils are typically trapped in sedimentary rocks when the remains of an organism are buried by layers of sediment over time. The soft tissues decompose, leaving behind hard parts like bones or shells, which can then become fossilized through processes like mineral replacement or compression. The age of the fossils can be determined by dating the rocks in which they are found.
What primary sources tell us why the Titanic sink?
Primary sources such as survivor testimonies and official inquiries like the British and American investigations into the sinking of the Titanic provide insights into why the ship sank. Factors contributing to the disaster included the ship hitting an iceberg, design flaws like the compartmentalization of the hull, lack of sufficient lifeboats, and mismanagement of the emergency response.
Index fossils include graptolites?
Graptolites are excellent index fossils because they have a short-lived existence in the geologic time scale and are widespread. They are useful for dating rocks and correlating layers in different locations, assisting in determining the age of rocks and reconstructing past environments.
One reason fossils are rarely found in Precambrian rocks is that?
Precambrian rocks contain relatively fewer fossils than rocks from different eras. This may be due to the fact that the rocks from this era were subject to a lot of heat and pressure, or were exposed to erosion.
You can sell fossils at online marketplaces, fossil shows or auctions, specialty fossil shops, or through private collectors or museums. Always ensure you are aware of any legal regulations surrounding selling fossils in your area.
How do trace fossils differ from index fossils?
Trace fossils are any evidences that an organism existed, including footprints, trails, burrows, chemical marker, and fossilized dung.
Index fossils are those that are only found in a specific range of geologic time, and are used to quickly determine the age of a sedimentary rock sample.
What would prevent an organism from becoming part of the fossil record when it dies?
Organisms that are quickly decomposed by bacteria, fungi, or scavengers before they are buried can prevent them from becoming part of the fossil record. Additionally, if an organism is not buried in sediment quickly enough, the chances of it being fossilized are reduced. Lastly, factors such as being in an environment with high oxygen levels or being exposed to acidic conditions can also hinder the fossilization process.
How do fossils show change over time?
Fossils show change over time through transition. The term "transitional fossil" is used at least two different ways, often leading to muddled and stalemated arguments. For reference purposes, this article will refer to these these two meanings the "general lineage" and the "species-to-species transition". ;
; "Species-to-species transition" :
: This is a set of numerous individual fossils that show a change between one species and another. It's a very fine-grained sequence documenting the actual speciation event, usually covering less than a million years. These species-to-species transitions are unmistakable when they are found. Throughout successive strata you see the population averages of teeth, feet, vertebrae, etc., changing from what is typical of the first species to what is typical of the next species. Sometimes, these sequences occur only in a limited geographic area (the place where the speciation actually occurred), with analysis from any other area showing an apparently "sudden" change. Other times, though, the transition can be seen over a very wide geological area. Many "species-to-species transitions" are known, mostly for marine invertebrates and recent mammals (both those groups tend to have good fossil records), though they are not as abundant as the general lineages (see below for why this is so).
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; Transitions to New Higher Taxa :
: Both types of transitions often result in a new "higher taxon" (a new genus, family, order, etc.) from a species belonging to a different, older taxon. There is nothing magical about this. The first members of the new group are not bizarre, chimeric animals; they are simply a new, slightly different species, barely different from the parent species. Eventually they give rise to a more different species, which in turn gives rise to a still more different species, and so on, until the descendants are radically different from the original parent stock. For example, the Order Perissodactyla (horses, etc.) and the Order Cetacea (whales) can both be traced back to early Eocene animals that looked only marginally different from each other, and didn't look at alllike horses or whales. (They looked rather like small, dumb foxes with raccoon-like feet and simple teeth.) But over the following tens of millions of years, the descendants of those animals became more and more different, and now we call them two different orders. There are now several known cases of species-to-species transitions that resulted in the first members of new higher taxa.
By comparing fossils in higher sedimentary layers with fossils in lower sedimentary layers, scientists can learn about the relative ages of the fossils. This helps in understanding the sequence of events in Earth's history and the evolutionary relationships between different species.
Fossilized non-seed vascular plants from the period have been identified?
Fossilized non-seed vascular plants from the period such as ferns, horsetails, and club mosses have been identified. These plants are known for their primitive reproductive structures and lack of seeds, reproducing via spores instead. Fossil evidence of these plants help scientists understand the evolution of plant life on Earth.
Well that is hard to say. My research on the fossil tells me that fossils can look like bones that turned into rocks, or rocks with molds of plants, animals, or insects.
Why are fossils found in only sedimentary rocks?
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
How can rocks on high mountains have fossils?
The material on the mountains was not always up there. Mountains are generally created by what is called uplift. And places that were under water and then had remains laid down and fossilized can be uplifted through long periods of time to create mountains. The fossils are then found up there in the mountains. The geologic process is fairly well understood and modeled by geologists.
In which type of rock would you mostly likely find fossil?
You would most likely find fossils in sedimentary rock. Sedimentary rocks are formed from layers of sediment that accumulate over time, which can help preserve fossils in the rock.
