Unit 6 Day 3 Notes
Fossils
VA SOL
SOL 10 The student will investigate and understand that
many aspects of the history and
of
the Earth and life can be inferred by
and fossils. Key concepts include
a.
and
of ancient, often extinct, life are
by various
means in many sedimentary rocks; and
d. rocks and fossils from many different geologic
periods and epochs are found in Virginia
Objective
Virginia fossils are found mainly in the
,
, and
provinces
Most Virginia fossils are of
.
This indicates that large areas of the state have been
periodically covered with
Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic fossils are found in
Virginia
Types of Fossils
There are numerous ways in which fossils can be
.
1. Define what a fossil is, where they are found and how
they can be
(
,
,
and
or shell.)
2. Identify the
in which fossils
are found
3. Identify in
where most fossils are
found and what type of fossils are found
4. Identify that
,
,
and
fossils are found in Virginia.
Fossils
Through fossil remains left behind by past organisms we
can see evidence of ancient and
and study the history of Earth
Fossils
One of the most useful tools in discovering the past is
preserved in many
The most common are
, and
,
Original preservation are fossils that have
any kind of change since the organisms
death
These types of fossils are uncommon because their
preservation requires extraordinary circumstances such as
,
, or
but they have been found
Fossil is the
,
, or other
evidence preserved in rock of the former existence of life
The fossil record provides evidence that populations have
undergone change through time in response to
becoming more complex
over geologic time

is the change in populations as a
result of
Woody parts of plants have been found in permafrost in
Alaska
10
Soft parts of
and Saber-toothed cats are
preserved in the sticky ooze of the Le Brea Tar Pits

remains have been found
in dry caves or buried in desert sands

that landed in ancient tree
sap are found preserved in a
Altered Hard Parts are more common and occur when all
the organic material has been removed and the hard parts
(shells, bones, etc) have

is the process by which
pore spaces are filled in with mineral substances

are formed when the original shell parts of
an organism within a sedimentary rock are weathered and
eroded and a
is
left in their place
1) Organism dies, 2) it is
by
sediment, 3) while buried the shell is
by groundwater, 4) an
is
left behind

form inside of molds when the
with
minerals or sediment
Indirect Evidence
Often it is not the body parts of a past organism that is
found, but something left behind such as
,
, or
This evidence can provide information about how it
lived, moved, or obtained food.
Dinosaur
provide clues as to how
fast they moved as well as the size and walking
characteristics

are the fossilized remains of solid
waste materials and provide valuable information of the
eating habits of ancient animals
Index Fossils
Certain fossils are
and
,
.
They are essential to the
process especially when they have lived for only a
of time
VA SOL
SOL 10 The student will investigate and understand that
many aspects of the history and evolution of the Earth and
life can be inferred by studying rocks and fossils. Key
concepts include
a. traces and remains of ancient, often extinct, life
are preserved by various means in many sedimentary rocks;
and
d. rocks and fossils from many different geologic
periods and epochs are found in Virginia
Homework
Complete Ch
Study Guide
11