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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
Yes.
One form of fossil forms when an organism dies and its body is covered by layers of sediment. As time passes, the organism itself, particularly when composed primarily of softer materials, is eroded and carried away, leaving a negative imprint of its body. This type of fossil is called a mold. A cast fossil forms when a mold fossil is filled with some form of mineral, usually through the seepage of water depositing the minerals within the mold. In time, the mold is filled and the materials deposited harden, creating a replica of the original fossil. This is called a cast fossil.
What are the most common types of fossils found in Florida?
The most common four types of fossils are:
- mold fossils
- (a fossilized impression made in the substrate - a negative image of the organism)
- cast fossils
- (formed when a mold is filled in)
- trace fossils = ichnofossils
- (fossilized nests, gastroliths, burrows, footprints, etc.)
- true form fossils
- (fossils of the actual animal or animal part).
What was the preserved remains of ancient organisms called?
The preserved remains of animals of evidence of their existence are Fossils
Fosssils that provide evidence about the past are called trace fossils.
Why don't we find fossils in igneous and metamorphic rocks?
Fossils are remains or impressions of living organisms and they are found in the sediments in or near where they lived.
Living organisms cannot live in a molten magma which cools to become an igneous rock.
Metamorphic rocks used to be sedimentary and igneous rocks but they were buried very deep under mountains and any traces of fossils in the sedimentary layers have been removed by the heat and pressure which altered the rock.
Why are the relative and absolute ages so important to a scientist in geology?
It is quicker and can be done in the field for a quick age referencing of a rock sample.
No, it's an igneous rock, made from cooling and consequently solidification of a magma. Animals (or any other organism) capable of leaving behind a fossil can not survive and do not live in a magma.
Fossils can be found in sedimentary rocks or in metamorphic rocks (if the protolith, the original rock, was sedimentary). In metamorphic rocks, fossils are generally intensely deformed and hence difficult to recognise/identify.
Which fossil type could contain preserved parts of a organism?
It is called a mold fossil, which can become a cast fossil.
After the soft parts of the animal rot away, a cavity remains (the mold fossil) which becomes filled with hardened sand or mud (the cast fossil).
What part of an animal is most likely to form a fossil?
A2. The soft parts of an animal are least likely to survive, for these will be degraded by bacterial and insect action, if not by larger scavengers. If an animal dies on the land surface the chances of fossilization are minute.
Good preservation of a fossil depends greatly on the environment in which the animal dies. If it is a very fine-grained silt, the probability of preservation is good, particularly of fine detail. The environment is likely to be anaerobic, and even the body's internal bacterial flora may be unable to survive in an anoxic environment.
One of the remarkable preservations was the Archaeopteryx fossil, on which even the feather detail may be seen. Discovered quite soon after Darwin had launched his Origin of Species.
Unusual preservation localities include swamps, and the remarkable La Brea tar pits. Another unusual fossil preserve is that of insects and spiders preserved in amber originally a gum exudate from trees.
What do rock layers that break but do not move form?
To which large group of animals do trilobites belong?
none. only god, chuck Norris, and braylon Edwards know the truth
What do scientists use index fossils for?
Geologists use index fossils to define and identify geologic periods.
What do you call someone who researches fossils?
A person who studies dinosaurs and fossils is called a palaeontologist.
What are the four characteristics of an index fossil?
Universal ( indicating a global flood)
Uniform (sea-life tends to be on the bottom, followed by amphibians, reptiles, mammals & few men, indicating a global flood)
Distinct species (no gradual evolution)
Preservation of soft structures, no intermediate earth layer and trans-strata trees- showing rapid deposition
Are new fossils still being discovered?
Fossil fuels were formed in the Carboniferous period. This was a time when the first trees had evolved but not fungus to dispose of the trees once they died. Trees did decay with the help of bacteria, but only very slowly. This meant that there were lots of dead trees around creating the ideal starting conditions for fossil fuels to be formed. For the most part Fossil fuels are not able to be formed today because fungi eat the dead trees and plants before they get a chance to be buried in the ground and crushed for millions of years to form fossil fuels. This may not however be correct for all situations. For example a volcanic eruption may buy a forest in ash. Fungi wouldn't be able to get to the dead trees then....
How do fossils help support the theory of plate tectonics?
Marine life which was once living on a continental shelf and was eventually turned into sedimentary rock was uplifted by the forces of colliding continents into mountain ranges. Orogeny is the term used for mountain building.
What fossils did Alfred wegener find and where?
The fossils of animals were found the three different continents, but no animal could've swam that far across the salt water, so there had to be another way. Also, the plant fossil glossopteris was discovered in Antarctica, where no plants could live.
Is fossilized tree sap used as fuel?
I believe you're referring to amber, though this is a common misconception. Amber is not actually made from tree sap, but from tree resin, a substance that acts to seal wounds in trees. When it's still in liquid form, it's used for things like varnish and adhesives. Over the course of thousands, perhaps millions, of years, it fossilizes. The most common use is in jewelry. In general, it's also admired by collectors, geologists, prehistoric archeologists, etc. Because it was once liquid, it often occurs that insects or other small creatures become trapped, freezing them in time and preserving them perfectly. Remember Jurassic Park, where the scientists are extracting DNA from a mosquito? Amber is the stone they're drilling into. Unfortunately, I don't think we'll be cloning any dinosaurs anytime soon, even if we could recover a viable sample of dinosaur DNA.
No, fossils are actually very difficult to find. The majority of fossils found are marine invertebrates. They are usually found in sedimentary rock. However, there is plenty of sedimentary rock that contains no fossils at all.
Why do archaeologists compare human bones and fossils from different time periods?
To learn about the past.
Carbondating is the method often used to date fossils, and that involves both the elements Carbon-12 and Carbon-14.
What does the fossil record reveal about new species of organisms?
They evolved over time from older species.
What can fossils tell us about the earth?
it's so important.Fossil teach us what kind of animal was it,what kind of food,how did they grew and we can know the past of the climate.and it's helpful of the energy.fossils are very important
Fossils are among the most valuable sources of information about the Earth's history. They tell us about the organisms that lived on Earth from the time of the oldest fossils, about 3.8 billion years ago, to the present. By studying fossils we can learn not only about the creatures and plants of the distant past, but how they grew, what they ate, how they interacted, and many aspects of their behavior.
Fossils reveal many fascinating facts about the past, but they do a lot more. Do you own anything made out of plastic? Plastic comes from oil, which also provides gasoline, gas heat, and many other necessities of modern life. Fossils are one of the most useful aids to finding oil, because oil tends to accumulate in the pores of particular rock layers. Rocks of different ages contain different fossils. Study of microscopic fossils brought up in chips of rock during drilling of wells has led to many major oil and gas discoveries. Also, the oil itself is derived from fossil remains of ancient organisms.
Study of fossils has led to important new understanding about how life evolved on earth and about diseases.so you know that fossil is very important and useful thanks.
