Fossils- Clues to the Past

What is a fossil?

• The remains or traces of past living things.

*Fossils are normally thousands of

years old.

* Fossils are normally found in

sedimentary rocks.

* Only a small percentage of organisms

actually get fossilized.

• Fossils can tell what the environment of an area was like or even what the climate may have been.

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• Fossils are assumed to be around the same age as the rock layers (strata) they are found in.
• They are found in sedimentary rock layers.

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What are the fossil types?

• Original Remains/Body Fossil– actual parts of an organism: bones, shells, teeth, hair

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* Trace fossils – evidence of an organism but not part of it’s body: tracks, burrows, casts, coprolites (fossilized poop)

Body Fossil or Trace Fossil?

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Example 1- Mosquito in Amber

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Example 2- Footprint in Rock

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Example 3- Skull

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Example 4- Tooth

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Example 5- Trail

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Falling in Tar Pit

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Fossils are More Likely To Be Preserved If:

• They have hard body

parts.

What conditions promote fossilization?

2. They get buried

quickly.