Fossils
Sci. 3.1
Fossil:
• Preserved remains or traces of living things
• Only in sedimentary rock
• Can tell how, when, and where a thing lived
Question 1
1a. What kind of rocks are fossils
found in? igneous, metamorphic,
sedimentary, all of the above
1b. Fossils can tell what about a
living thing? Where it lived, how it
lived, when it lived, all of the above
Conditions must be just right
• Usually a quick burial in sediments
• Protected from scavengers, microorganisms, etc…
Question 2
2a. It is not very likely that an
individual organism will become a
fossil. T/F
2b. If an organism is not quickly
buried in sediments: scavengers can
tear it up, waves can destroy it,
microorganisms can cause it to
decay, all of the above
Hard parts
• More likely to be fossilized
Question 3
3a. Which part of an octopus would
most likely become a fossil?
Tentacles, beak, head, all of the
above
3b. Which type of animal would
you be more likely to find fossils
of? Snails with shells, slugs without
shells, worms, leeches
Permineralized remains
• Minerals replace original (partially or completely)
Question 4
4a. In some permineralized fossils,
none of the original material that
made the organism is left. T/F
4b. In some permineralized fossils,
some of the original material that
made the organism is encased. T/F
Carbon films
• Left over C forms a silhouette
Question 5
5a. A carbon film fossil is a three
dimensional version of the original
organism. T/F
5b. Carbon film fossils often show
details of the soft parts of an
organism. T/F
Coal
• C from prehistoric plants
Question 6
6a. Coal is mainly what’s left over
from prehistoric plants. T/F
6b. Coal formation takes a great
deal of: time, pressure, heat, all of
the above
Mold
• Cavity left after organism has decayed
Cast
• A copy of original made of sediments or minerals
Question 7
7a. A cup cake pan is a: mold, cast
7b. A cup cake is a: mold, cast
Original remains
• Extremely rare
• Ex: amber, ice, tar
Question 8
8a. The most common type of
fossils are original remains. T/F
8b. In which situation could
original remains be preserved for
thousands to millions of years? An
organism is: encased in tree sap,
frozen in ice, tar, all of the above
Trace fossils
• Footprints, trails, burrows
Question 9
9a. Trace fossils can include actual
remains. T/F
9b. Which kind of fossil is the
preserved evidence of past activity?
Permineralized, carbon film,
mold/cast, trace
Index fossils
• Common species that existed for a short time
Question 10
10a. A good index fossil is of an
organism that was:
common/abundant, rare, not widely
distributed
10b. A good index fossil is of an
organism that: existed for a long
time, existed briefly, lived in only
specific places
Fossils describe ancient environments
Question 11
11a. What type of terrain was here
310 million years ago (when we
were below the equator)? Swamps,
deserts, deep seas, shallow seas
11b. Was this area above or below
the equator 310Ma (Mega-annum)?
Above, below