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Fossils are the mineralized remains of animals or plants or other traces such as footprints. The totality of fossils and their placement in rock formations and sedimentary layers (strata) is known as the fossil record. The study of fossils is called paleontology. ammonite File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
ammonite File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
This article is about the marine animal. ...
This article is about minerals in the geologic sense; for nutrient minerals see dietary mineral; for the band see Mineral (band). ...
Sedimentary, volcanic, plutonic, metamorphic rock types of North America. ...
Interstate road cut through limestone and shale strata in eastern Tennessee In geology and related fields, a stratum (plural: strata) is a layer of rock or soil with internally consistent characteristics that distinguishes it from contiguous layers. ...
Ever since recorded history began, and probably before, people have found pieces of rock and other hard material with indentations from the remains of dead organisms. ...
A paleontologist carefully chips rock from a column of dinosaur vertebrae. ...
The word fossil is derived from the Latin word fossilis, which means "to be dug up". Latin is the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ...
Fossilization is actually a rare occurrence because natural materials tend to be recycled. In order for an organism to be fossilized, the remains normally need to be covered by sediment as soon as possible. However there are exceptions to this, such as if an organism becomes petrified or comes to rest in an anoxic environment such as at the bottom of a lake. There are several different types of fossils and fossilization processes. Download high resolution version (1024x768, 152 KB)Fossil of Knightia Image courtesy of David C. Ward - see http://www. ...
Download high resolution version (1024x768, 152 KB)Fossil of Knightia Image courtesy of David C. Ward - see http://www. ...
For the plant genus Knightia, see Knightia (plant) Knightia is an extinct genus of fish well-known from abundant fossils found in the Green River Formation of Wyoming. ...
Sediment is any particulate matter that can be transported by fluid flow and which eventually is deposited as a layer of solid particles on the bed or bottom of a body of water or other liquid. ...
In geology, petrifaction or petrification is the process by which organic material is converted into stone or a similar substance. ...
Fossils usually consist of traces left by the remains of the organism itself. However, fossils may also consist of the marks left behind by the organism while it was alive, such as the footprint of a dinosaur or reptile. These types of fossil are called trace fossils. Orders Saurischia Sauropodomorpha Theropoda Ornithischia Dinosaurs are animals that dominated the terrestrial ecosystem for over 100 million years. ...
Orders Crocodilia - Crocodilians Rhynchocephalia - Tuataras Squamata Suborder Sauria - Lizards Suborder Serpentes - Snakes Testudines - Turtles Superorder Dinosauria Saurischia Ornithischia The reptiles are a group of vertebrate animals. ...
A fossilized dinosaur footprint at Clayton Lake State Park, New Mexico. ...
 Tentaculites found in a State Park in Albany, New York, believed to have existed over 360 million years ago. The oldest known structured fossils are most likely stromatolites. Believed to be formed by the entrapment of minerals by mucous-like sheets of cyanobacteria, the oldest of these formations dates from 3.5 billion years ago. Fossilized deposits of heavy carbon (acritarchs) that are also indicative of earlier life (3.8 billion years ago) are currently proposed as the remains of the earliest life on Earth. Tentaculites File links The following pages link to this file: Fossil Tentaculite ...
Tentaculites File links The following pages link to this file: Fossil Tentaculite ...
Pre-Cambrian stromatolites in the Siyeh Formation, Glacier National Park. ...
Orders The taxonomy of the Cyanobacteria is currently under revision. ...
General Name, Symbol, Number carbon, C, 6 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 14, 2, p Appearance black (graphite) colorless (diamond) Atomic mass 12. ...
Acritarchs are small organic structures found as fossils. ...
Earth, also known as the Earth, Terra, and (mostly in the 19th century) Tellus, is the third-closest planet to the Sun. ...
Permineralization
Permineralization consists of organic remains turning into stone. The organism gets covered by sediment soon after death or after the initial decaying process. The degree to which the remains are decayed when covered determines the later details of the fossil. Some fossils only consist of skeletal remains or teeth; other fossils contain traces of skin, feathers or even soft tissues. Once covered with sediment, these layers slowly compact to rock, after which the chemicals in the remains are slowly replaced with hard minerals. Trilobite picture taken by myself (DanielCD). ...
Trilobite picture taken by myself (DanielCD). ...
Orders Agnostida Redlichiida Corynexochida Lichida Phacopida Proetida Asaphida Harpetida Ptychopariida Proposed order Nektaspida Trilobites are extinct arthropods in the class Trilobita. ...
Binomial name Asaphus kowalewskii Lawrow, 1856 Asaphus kowalewskii is one of the 35 species of the genus Asaphus (sometimes called Neoasaphus). ...
Model of the layers of human skin In zootomy and dermatology, skin is an organ of the integumentary system; which is composed of a layer of tissues that protect underlying muscles and organs. ...
Closeup on a single white feather A feather is one of the epidermal growths that forms the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on a bird. ...
Although the original chemical composition of the organism has entirely vanished, the mineralization process proceeds differently for different kinds of tissues, and microscopic details of internal bone structure may be preserved.
Not all dead plants or animals turn into fossils. The youngest fossils, except for certain special cases like freezing or preservation in tar pits, are believed to be at least 10,000 years old. [1] TAR can mean: An abbreviation for Tar (file format) The Amazing Race, a reality television program An abbreviation for Tibet Autonomous Region The Third Assessment Report of the IPCC Thrombocytopenia Absent Radius syndrome An abbreviation for Teenage Republican, a member of the orgainization Teenage Republicans. ...
Mould, cast and trace fossils If percolating water dissolves the remains of an organism, and thereby leaves a hole in the matrix rock, the result is called a mould fossilor typolite. If this hole is filled with more minerals, it is called a cast fossil. If the burial of the organism was rapid, then chances are that even impressions of soft tissues remain. Trace fossils are the remains of trackways, burrows, footprints, eggs and egg-shells, nests and droppings. The latter, called coprolites, can give insight in the feeding behavior of animals and can therefore be of great importance. A fossilized dinosaur footprint at Clayton Lake State Park, New Mexico. ...
An average Whooping Crane egg is 102 mm long, and weighs 208 grams A baby tortoise emerges from a reptile egg. ...
Coprolites are fossilized feces, or animal dung. ...
Resin fossils Smaller animals, insects, spiders and small lizards can be trapped in resin (amber), which is secreted from trees. These fossils can be found in sandstones or mudstones or washed up on beaches like those around the Baltic Sea. Classes & Orders Subclass: Apterygota Orders Archaeognatha (Bristletails) Thysanura (Silverfish) Monura - extinct Subclass: Pterygota Orders Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Diaphanopteroidea - extinct Palaeodictyoptera - extinct Megasecoptera - extinct Archodonata - extinct Infraclass: Neoptera Orders Blattodea (cockroaches) Isoptera (termites) Mantodea (mantids) Dermaptera (earwigs) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Orthoptera (grasshoppers, etc) Phasmatodea (walking sticks) Embioptera (webspinners) Zoraptera...
Suborders Araneomorphae Mesothelae Mygalomorphae See the taxonomy section for families Spiders are invertebrate animals that produce silk, have eight legs and no wings. ...
Families Many, see text. ...
Amber pendants. ...
The Baltic Sea is located in Northern Europe, bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainlands of Northern Europe, Eastern Europe, Central Europe, and the Danish islands. ...
Pseudofossils
 Example of a pseudofossil: this dendrite looks much like a plant Pseudofossils are regular patterns in rocks that are produced by naturally occurring processes. They can easily be mistaken for real fossils. Some pseudofossils, such as dendrites, are formed by naturally occurring fissures in the rock that get filled up by percolating minerals. Other types of pseudofossils are kidney ore (round shapes in iron ore) and moss agates, which look like moss or plant leaves. Concretions, round or oval-shaped nodules found in some sedimentary strata, were once thought to be dinosaur eggs, and are often mistaken for fossils as well. Download high resolution version (1758x2043, 1010 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...
Download high resolution version (1758x2043, 1010 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...
A pseudofossil is a fake fossil, or a false fossil. ...
A pseudofossil is a fake fossil, or a false fossil. ...
A crystal dendrite is a crystal that develops with a typical multi-branching tree-like form. ...
Agate is a term applied not to a distinct mineral species, but to an aggregate of various forms of silica, chiefly Chalcedony. ...
A concretion is a solid mineral inclusion within a rock strata that is oval or spherical in shape. ...
Orders Saurischia Sauropodomorpha Theropoda Ornithischia Dinosaurs are animals that dominated the terrestrial ecosystem for over 100 million years. ...
Living fossils Living fossil is a term used for any living species which closely resembles a species known from fossils, i.e., as if the fossil had "come to life". This can be a species known only from fossils until living representatives were discovered, such as the Coelacanth, or a single living species with no close relatives, such as the Horseshoe crab, that is the sole survivor of a once large and widespread group in the fossil record. Species Latimeria chalumnae Latimeria menadoensis Coelacanth (meaning hollow spine in Greek; IPA: ) is a species of fish and represents the oldest lineage of living fish known to date. ...
Species Latimeria chalumnae Latimeria menadoensis Coelacanth (meaning hollow spine in Greek; IPA: in American English, in British English) is a species of fish and represents the oldest lineage of living fish known to date. ...
Binomial name Limulus polyphemus Linnaeus, 1758 The horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus), also known as king crab, is an arthropod that is more closely related to spiders than crabs. ...
See also Acritarchs are small organic structures found as fossils. ...
Collecting fossils can be a very relaxing and often rewarding hobby. ...
Precambrian (3. ...
Coal rail cars in Ashtabula, Ohio Fossil fuels, also known as mineral fuels, are hydrocarbon-containing natural resources such as coal, petroleum and natural gas. ...
Prehistoric life is a term used to refer to diverse organisms that inhabited Earth from the origin of life about 3. ...
A transitional fossil is the fossil remains of a creature that exhibits primitive traits in comparison with the more derived life-forms it is related to. ...
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