Exam 2- Paleontology and Fossils Flashcards
the study of ancient life using fossils
paleontology
remains or traces of ancient life; clues to living things from long ago
fossils
Fossils are related to the (geosphere/hydrosphere/biosphere/atmosphere)
biosphere
T or F: Paleontology and archaeology are the same thing.
False
the study of ancient cultures and human artifacts
archaeology
remains (animals, plants, microbes); all or part of the body; show the shape/structure of living thing’s body (ex: sharp teeth)
body fossil
marks left by a living thing on its environment (footprints, burrows, tooth marks)
trace fossils
T or F: It is hard to connect trace fossils with body fossils
True
What do trace fossils show?
Show behavior (what the living thing did while it was alive)
how a fossil forms
fossilization
What are the four steps of fossilization?
- Death
- Burial
- Petrifaction
- Erosion and Discovery
What is the single most important step in fossilization for something to become a fossil?
Burial
physical or chemical changes to fossils; how remains change after they are buried
petrifaction
T or F: Fossils go through physical and chemical changes when they become fossilized
True
What happens to the remains of living things between death and burial? How does this effect whether or not they become fossils?
If burial happens too slowly, remains are damaged or destroyed, decreasing the chances of the remains becoming fossils
The (faster/slower) sediment deposits on top of the fossil, the more likely it is to become a fossil.
faster
Where are you most likely to find fossils?
Where sediment is deposited quickly
Why are some living things more likely to be fossilized than others? (two reasons)
- Because hard parts (bones, teeth, shells, wood) last longer than soft parts (flesh, hair, feathers, leaves), so they are more likely to become fossilized
- Because of depositional environments: places where sediment builds up and stops moving is better for the remains to become fossilized rather than places of weathering and erosion because sediment is moving away from these areas
Most fossils are found underneath _______ rocks.
sedimentary
T or F: The more change a fossil goes through, the more shape and chemical information of what it was originally made out of is lost.
True
replacement of fossils original material (physical or chemical changes; altered remains)
petrified remains
remains that have unaltered from special environments (such as permafrost (frozen sediment) and amber (tree sap))
unaltered remains
T or F: Freezing things DOES preserve the DNA in them; this isn’t easy though.
True
People go to places where weathering and erosion happens to try and FIND fossils. Why?
Because erosion exposes the layer of strata containing bones and footprints
