1. Fossils
Chapter 9 Section 1
Pgs

2. Fossil Formations
Fossils – remains, imprints, or traces of prehistoric organisms.
Show when, where, and how lived
Most remains disappear because of scavengers and bacteria.
Conditions for fossils to form:
Quick burial
Have hard parts such as bones

3. Preservation of Fossils
Tiny spaces within most hard parts (bones)
Permineralized remains – fossils in which the spaces inside are filled with minerals from groundwater.
If preserved fossil can have:
DNA
Can contain other fossils

4. Carbon film – carbon residue left to form shape of organism after liquid and gases are forced out.
Coal – created after plant matter completely carbonized, creates a fuel source
Mold – hard part decays or dissolves leaving behind a space
Cast – mineral water or other sediments enter the cavity and form a new rock or copy

5. Index Fossils
Remains of species that existed on Earth for short periods of time, a lot of them, and in many places.
Helps determine age of rock layers

6. Ancient Environments
Fossils can determine what past environments were like in an area long ago.
Determine whether an area was land or covered with water.
Determine past climates

7. Questions What is a fossil?
What do the conditions need to be to form a fossil?
If a fossil is preserved, what can it still contain?
What are index fossils?