1. Fossil Types and Conditions
Historical Geology
Fossil Types and Conditions

2. Paleontology Study of fossils
Almost all fossils are found in sedimentary rocks
Usually only hard parts of organism are saved but occasionally whole organisms remain

3. Preservation of Organisms
Mummification: drying an organism so bacteria will not destroy it.

4. Preservation of Organisms
Amber: hardened tree sap that captures and preserves insects.

5. Preservation of Organisms
Tar Beds: thick petroleum
Freezing: Low temperatures protect and preserve organisms

6. Conditions to Form Fossils
Sedimentary Rock
Buried quickly so that scavengers and micro-organisms don’t disturb the remains
Hard body parts

7. 6 Types of Fossils
Mold
A cavity in a rock that has the shape of remains that were trapped there; water dissolved the remains away, leaving its imprint

8. 6 Types of Fossils
Cast
A type of fossil formed when an earlier fossil in the rock is dissolved away leaving the impression (mold) and NEW sediments or mineral crystals fill the mold

9. 6 Types of Fossils Carbonaceous film:
A fossil impression in a rock, consisting only of a thin carbon residue that forms an outline of the original organism

10. 6 Types of Fossils Petrified Remains
Plant or animal remains that have been petrified or “turned to rock”; this happens when minerals carried in groundwater replace the original remains.

11. 6 Types of Fossils
Original Remains
Bones, shells, teeth
Trace Fossil – Evidence of an animal’s existence but not a part of the animal
Footprints --Burrows
Tracks -- Borings