Fossils flashcards

Question	Answer
Fossils	preserved traces or remains of living things
What is the first step of fossil formation?	when living things die and are buried by sediments
What is the second step of fossil formation?	soft part decays & hard part stays
What is the third step of fossil formation?	sediment slowly hardens into rock & preserves shape of organism
What kind of rock are fossils found in? Why?	Sedimentary because 1) the layers pile up 2) it wouldn't be in igneous/metamorphic rock because that requires heat or pressure
Petrified fossils/perimineralized fossils	spaces inside organism are filled w/ minerals from groundwater
Mold fossil	formed when hard part decays and leaves a hollow cavity in shape of organism
Cast fossil	formed when minerals or sediment fill in space in shape of organism
Carbonaceous film fossil	thin layer of carbon on the rock; left when gases/liquids given off by body form an image
trace fossils	provides evidence of activity (animal size, speed, behavior)
original remains	actual remains of organism
Original remains occur if trapped in ______, ________, or ______.	amber, ice, or tar
index fossil	organisms that existed for a short period of time, lots of fossils from that time period
Some examples of index fossils with behavior are .....	Herd protecting the young Predator stalking and attacking

Resource summary

	Created by Lindsay McBride almost 8 years ago