FOSSILS Our clues to the past!

Fossils Fossils are the remains of ancient organisms, or the traces or impressions of living things from the past. Fossils have been found on every continent on Earth.

Fossils The word fossil comes from the Latin word fossilis, which means "dug up." Most fossils are excavated from sedimentary rock.

How do fossils form? Fossils of hard mineral parts (like bones and teeth) were formed as follows: Some animals were quickly buried after their death (by sinking in mud, being buried in a sand storm, etc.). Over time, more and more sediment covered the remains. The parts of the animals that didn't decay (usually the harder parts likes bones and teeth) were encased in the newly-formed sediment.

Then what happens? After a long time, the chemicals in the buried animals' bodies underwent a series of changes. As the bone slowly decayed, water infused with minerals seeped into the bone and replaced the chemicals in the bone with rock-like minerals. So, the fossil of a bone doesn't have any bone in it! A fossilized object has the same shape as the original object, but is chemically more like a rock.

Why are fossils rock-colored? Because they ARE rocks! A fossilized object is just a rocky model of an ancient object.

Types of Fossils Mold: an image of the organism (it sinks into the rock) Cast: formed when a mold is filled in Imprint: an impression made by an organism

Petrified Fossils These are plants that have turned into rock. HOW a tree dies and falls mud and sand cover the tree minerals go into the tree wood rots and minerals take its places you now have a petrified fossil

Other “fossils” Organisms can also be preserved in amber, mud, or ice. Petrified Wood: Minerals in the soil and water replace decaying wood and the log turns to rock!

Finding Fossils Since fossils are buried during their formation, finding them can be difficult. Paleontologists do a lot of research to decide where to dig for fossils.

Fossils in Georgia Megalodon was an ancient shark that may have been 40 feet long or even more. This is at least two or three times as long as the Great White Shark, but this is only an estimate made from many fossilized teeth and a few fossilized vertebrae that have been found. No other parts of this ancient shark have been found, so we can only guess what it looked like. Since Megalodon's teeth are very similar to the teeth of the Great White Shark (but bigger and thicker), it is thought that Megalodon may have looked like a huge, streamlined version of the Great White Shark.

Megalodon Tooth A Megalodon’s tooth was as large as a person’s hand!

Careers in Science Perhaps you will decide to become a paleontologist and study fossils!