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Questions and Answers
What is a fossil?
What do fossils tell us?
How is a fossil formed?
What protects an animal's bones from rotting after it dies?
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What slowly replaces the calcium phosphate in the bones of an animal?
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What did scientists like Stephen J. Gould challenge regarding Earth's history?
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What is the science involved with the study of past life called?
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How are fossils defined?
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What process can result in the formation of petrified fossils?
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What kind of fossil is created when an organism is trapped in tree resin and becomes hardened?
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How are dinosaur footprints preserved as fossils?
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What do paleontologists use fossils for?
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What do fossils provide evidence of?
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What is the primary cause of most geologic change according to scientists?
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What do petrified fossils result from?
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Study Notes
- A fossil is the preserved remains of a once-living organism.
- Fossils provide insights into organisms that lived in the past, showing evidence of evolution and Earth's changing surface.
- Fossils are formed when an organism is buried by sediment, such as volcanic ash or silt, which later hardens and protects the remains.
- Movement of tectonic plates and erosion from natural processes eventually bring fossils closer to the surface for discovery.
- Sedimentary processes like petrification, mold and cast formation, and carbon film preservation also contribute to fossil formation.
- Paleontology is the scientific discipline that studies past life based on fossils and other evidence.
- Fossils reveal information about ancient environments and Earth's climate history.
- Mold fossils are imprints of organisms, while cast fossils are their external molds; carbon films show the ancient appearance of organisms.
- Amber fossils result from organisms being trapped in tree resin.
- Ice preserves organisms, like mammoths, in their entirety in cold regions.
- Fossils help scientists understand Earth's past environments and changes in geology and climate.
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Description
Test your knowledge about fossil formation process and their significance. Learn how fossils provide clues about the past organisms and Earth's history.
