1. The remains or evidence of a
Fossils
The remains or evidence of a
living thing

2. Fossils: Remains, Imprints, Traces, or Evidence of Once Living Organisms.
Tells us what , where, when, how organisms lived.
Tells us the history of life on earth.
Tells us about climates and environments of the past.

3. Conditions Necessary to Create Fossils.
Organism quickly buried to avoid decay.
Hard parts which are less likely to decay.
Usually occur in Sedimentary rock.

4. Types of Fossils Carbonaceous Films Mold & Cast Trace Fossils
Petrified Remains
Original Remains

5. Carbonaceous Films Like a picture of the organism.
Thin layer of carbon often left behind forming image.

6. Mold and Cast
Buried hard parts in rock dissolve or decay leaving a MOLD (empty space in rock).
Mold later fills with sediments that harden forming a CAST (filled in mold).

7. Trace Fossil Evidence of animal activity. Examples: Footprints
Worm holes
Burrows

8. Trace Fossils
Marks or evidence of animals but show no part of the animal
Ex: footprints, droppings, burrows

9. Petrified Remains Hard and rock like
Original material replaced by minerals
Water flows through removing material and carrying minerals that crystallize in their place
Most bones found are petrified.

10. Original Remains Actual parts of organism found Examples:
Insect in amber
Animal frozen
Animal trapped in
tar

11. Preservation Freezing
Amber: when sap fossilizes with trapped organisms
Tar Pits: trap animals and preserve them

12. Fossil Interpretation
Fossils are arranged according to age, so they show a progression of development
Fossils indicate past surface conditions
Fossils give evidence of past climates
Fossils tell appearance and activity of plants and animals

13. Index Fossils From species that
Existed for a short period of time
Were abundant
Were wide spread
Used to determine the age of rock layers that contain them.
Rock layers that contain the same index fossil are thought to be about the same age.

14. Fossils – Dun, Dun, Dun!