Why are fossils found only during certain periods in the geologic record?
Many fossils are found only during certain periods in the geologic record. Scientists use these fossils to determine the relative ages of rock layers. The diagram shows relative ages of four fossils.
Why is the fossil record described as an incomplete record?
It is formed when exposure to rain, heat, wind and cold breaks down existing rock into small particles of sand, silt, and clay. Why is the fossil record described as an incomplete record of life's history? Because the formation of any fossil depends upon the precise combination of conditions.
Which layer contains the most recently formed rocks and fossils?
Layer A contains the most recently formed rocks and fossils. Layer B contains the second-oldest rocks and fossils. The rocks and fossils in layer D are the most recently formed.
What information do fossils provide scientists who study fossils?
Terms in this set (43) paleontologists scientists who study fossils fossil record information about past life, including the structure of organisms, what they ate, what ate them, in what environment they lived, and the order in which they lived extinct no longer existing or living relative dating
Dating Fossils
Ages of fossils may be determined by relative age or radiometric dating of absolute age.
Mass Extinctions
Five great mass extinctions dramatically changed the evolution of life on Earth.
Mass Extinctions
The five great mass extinctions—Ordovician, Devonian, Permian, Triassic, and Cretaceous—resulted from different causes, but the results were the same: the loss of the majority of existing living species.
What is the fossil record?
the fossil record provides evidence about the history of life on earth.it also shows how different groups of organisms,including species, have changed
Where are fossils formed?
Most fossils are formed in sedimentary rocks. And the particles are carried by streams and rivers into lakes or seaswhere they eventually settle to the bottoms.
What do scientists look for in fossils?
Sometimes they reconstruct an extinct species from a few fossil bits, the look for anatomical differences and similarities between the fossil and the living organism.
What is distinctive fossil?
distinctive fossil used to compare the relative ages of fossils
What is the latest of the four eras into which geologic time is subdivided?
the latest of the four eras into which geologic time is subdivided ; 65 million years ago to the present: sometimes called the age of the mammels.
How old are microscopic fossils?
microscopic fossils of unicellular prokaryotic organisms that resemble modern bacteria have been found in rocks more than 3.5 billion of years old.
When did the vertebrates and invertebrates live?
Began 544 million years ago and is the period in which many vertebrates and invertebrates lived.
What is a fossil record?
This fossil is a record of the activity of an organism. It may be in the form of footprints, a burrow, scratches or dung.
Which layer contains the most recently formed rocks and fossils?
Layer A contains the most recently formed rocks and fossils.
What percentage of all living things are fossilized?
answer choices. The fossil record represents less than one percent of all of the species that ever lived. Land organisms are more likely to fossilize than aquatic organisms. It is rare for the remains of a soft-bodied organism to become a fossil. Most fossils are found in sedimentary rock.
What is Zeno studying?
Zeno is studying fossils. His teacher wrote the following statements on the board and asked the students to put them in the correct order to describe how fossils are formed. 1. Layers of sediment bury the entire skeleton. 2.
What begins to cover the organism's skeleton?
4. Sediment begins to cover the organism’s skeleton.
What is the impression of an organism's body shape called?
After an organism's tissues decompose, an impression of its body shape can be left in sediment. This impression is called a carbonized fossil.
Where are fossils found?
Most fossils are found in sedimentary rock.
Lesson Objectives
Lesson Summary
- A fossil is any remains of ancient life. Fossils can be body fossils, which are remains of the organism itself or trace fossils, such as burrows, tracks, or other evidence of activity.
- Preservation as a fossil is a relatively rare process. The chances of becoming a fossil are enhanced by quick burial and the presence of preservable hard parts, such as bones or shells.
- Fossils form in five ways: preservation of original remains, permineralization, molds and cast…
- A fossil is any remains of ancient life. Fossils can be body fossils, which are remains of the organism itself or trace fossils, such as burrows, tracks, or other evidence of activity.
- Preservation as a fossil is a relatively rare process. The chances of becoming a fossil are enhanced by quick burial and the presence of preservable hard parts, such as bones or shells.
- Fossils form in five ways: preservation of original remains, permineralization, molds and casts, replacement, and compression.
- Rock formations with exceptional fossils are called very important for scientists to study. They allow us to see information about organisms that we may not otherwise ever know.
Review Questions
- What factors make it more likely that an animal will be preserved as a fossil?
- What are the five main processes of fossilization?
- A scientist wants to determine the age of a rock. The rock contains an index fossil and an ancient relative of a living fossil. Which fossil will be more useful for dating the rock, and why?
- The island of Spitzbergen is in the Arctic Ocean north of Norway, near the North Pole. Fossil…
- What factors make it more likely that an animal will be preserved as a fossil?
- What are the five main processes of fossilization?
- A scientist wants to determine the age of a rock. The rock contains an index fossil and an ancient relative of a living fossil. Which fossil will be more useful for dating the rock, and why?
- The island of Spitzbergen is in the Arctic Ocean north of Norway, near the North Pole. Fossils of tropical fruits have been found in coal deposits in Spitzbergen. What does this indicate?
Vocabulary
- amber
1. Fossilized tree sap. - body fossil
1. The remains of an ancient organism. Examples include shells, bones, teeth, and leaves.
Points to Consider
- What are some other examples of mythical creatures that may be based on fossils?
- Why is it so rare for an animal to be preserved as a fossil?
- Some organisms are more easily preserved than others. Why is this a problem for scientists who are studying ancient ecosystems?
- Why are examples of amazing fossil preservation so valuable for scientists?
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