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Geology > Introductory Palaeontology (Fossils) > Flashcards

Introductory Palaeontology (Fossils) Flashcards

1
Q

What are three environments with a good chance of preservation?

A

Swamp on delta, Shallow marine, Deep marine

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2
Q

Define Actual Remains

A

The actual organism can be preserved

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3
Q

What are the three processes in which actual remains can be preserved?

A

Refrigeration, Dehydration (mummification), Peat bog

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4
Q

What are three examples of hard parts?

A

Hair, Teeth, Scales

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5
Q

For the hard part to be preserved, what neds to happen?

A

The minerals that make it up have to be changed into a more stable mineral

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6
Q

What are the two replacement methods for hard parts?

A

Petrification and Carbonisation

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7
Q

What are the three types of petrification?

A

Silicification, Calcification, Pyritisation

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8
Q

What is the first method of petrification?

A

The remains of the organism are dissolved away by percolating waters, then the space is filled in by minerals precipitated from solution by subsequent percolating waters

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9
Q

What is the second method of petrification?

A

Spaces within the organic structure are impregnated with minerals precipitated from solution by percolating waters, molecule by molecule

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10
Q

What happens during carbonisation

A

Common method of preserving plants as compaction squeezes out hydrogen etc. to leave carbon

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11
Q

Define Mould

A

The cavity left after the remains of an organism are dissolved

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12
Q

Define Cast

A

The result of the mould being filled with mineral matter or sediment. Can be internal or external

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13
Q

How does a mould and cast form?

A

Shell is dissolved by acidic water percolating through sediments to leave a mould. Infilling a mould by percolating waters with minerals in solution

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14
Q

Define Trace Fossil

A

Evidence of life

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15
Q

What are three types of trace fossils?

A

Tracks and trails, Burrows, Coprolites

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16
Q

Define Transported Fossil

A

Organisms may have been transported from the environment where they were living into a different environment for deposition

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17
Q

Define Derived Fossil

A

A fossil may have become weathered and eroded out of the rock that it was fossilised in and transported to a younger depositional area

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18
Q

Define Life Assemblage

A

Some organisms are preserved in their life positions

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19
Q

Define Death Assemblage

A

The remains have been moved after death but before deposition

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20
Q

What are three differences between life and death assemblage?

A

Death has fragmented shells but life has whole, Death has been moved but life hasn’t, Death has been sorted by size but life has a range of sizes

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21
Q

What are three purposes of fossils?

A

To determine the relative age of the rock, To determine the paleoenvironment conditions at the time of deposition, To study the process of evolution

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22
Q

What are six factors making the fossil record incomplete?

A

Rarity of organism, Predation of organism, Bacterial decay of organism, Scavenging of organism, Weathering and erosion of fossil, Metamorphism

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23
Q

What are four factors making the fossil record biased?

A

Organisms with hard parts, Rarity of organism, Energy level of depositional environment, Marine environment

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24
Q

Define Terrestrial

A

On land

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25
Q

Define Marine

A

In sea water

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26
Q

Define Non-Marine

A

In freshwater

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27
Q

Define Pelagic

A

Organism lives in water column in the surface layers

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28
Q

Define Benthonic

A

Organism lives freely on or in the sediment of the sea floor

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29
Q

Define Planktonic

A

Floats in water column to wherever the current takes it

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30
Q

Define Nektonic

A

Actively swims in the water column

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31
Q

Define Infaunal

A

Organism lives in the sediment, in a burrow

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32
Q

Define Epifaunal

A

Organism lives on the sediment substrate

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33
Q

Define Sessile

A

Organism does not move around on the sediment substrate

34
Q

Define Vagrant

A

Organism moves around on the sea floor

35
Q

Define Bivalve

A

A marine or freshwater mollusc with a shell consisting of two hinged valves connected by a ligament e.g. clam

36
Q

Define Adductor Muscle

A

The muscle allowing bivalves and brachiopods to open and close

37
Q

Define Gape

A

Where the two valves of a bivalve don’t meet

38
Q

Define Hinge Line

A

Where the two valves of a bivalve shell meet

39
Q

Define Muscle Scars

A

Marking on the interior of a bivalve shell showing where the adductor muscles were

40
Q

Define Pallial Line

A

Mark on the interior of a bivalve showing where the soft parts were

41
Q

Define Pallial Sinus

A

Indention on the pallial line showing the position of the siphons

42
Q

Define Teeth and Sockets

A

Hold the valves of a bivalve together

43
Q

Define Umbo

A

The most prominent part of a shell where the valves grow from

44
Q

Where is symmetry found in a bivalve?

A

Between the two valves

45
Q

What do the adductor muscles do to close a bivalve shell?

A

Contract

46
Q

What do the adductor muscles do to open a bivalve shell?

A

Relax

47
Q

Define Brachiopod

A

A marine animal with one valve larger than the other

48
Q

Where is symmetry found in a brachiopod?

A

Within one valve

49
Q

Define Brachial Valve

A

The smaller valve of a brachiopod

50
Q

Define Pedicle Valve

A

The larger valve of a brachiopod

51
Q

Define Diductor Muscles

A

Muscles in a brachiopod which contract to open the shell and relax to close it

52
Q

Define Foramen

A

A rounded, slit-like opening in the pedicle valve of a brachiopod

53
Q

What happens to the muscles in a brachiopod to make it open?

A

Adductor muscles relax, Diductor muscles contract

54
Q

What happens to the muscles in a brachiopod to make it close?

A

Adductor muscles contract, Diductor muscles relax

55
Q

Define Cephalopod

A

Generally have a planispiral or flat coiled shell, though some have evolved and lost their shells

56
Q

Define Evolute

A

Can see inner whorls of a cephalopod

57
Q

Define Involute

A

Can’t see inner whorls of a cephalopod

58
Q

Define Keel

A

The outside edge of a shell of a cephalopod

59
Q

Define Suture Line

A

Rigid joint between two chambers shown by frilly line on the outside of a cephalopod

60
Q

What are the three types of cephalopod?

A

Ammonite, Ceriatite, Goniatite

61
Q

Which of the three types of cephalopod is the youngest?

A

Ammonite

62
Q

What happens to the shape of the suture line as the cephalopods get younger?

A

Becomes more frilly

63
Q

Define Trilobite

A

A pelagic and benthonic marine creature which was alive in the Palaeozoic

64
Q

Define Cephalon

A

The head of a trilobite containing the glabella and eyes

65
Q

What are trilobite eyes made of?

A

Calcite

66
Q

Define Genal Angle/Spine

A

An angle/spine from the cephalon of a trilobite

67
Q

Define Glabella

A

The middle portion of the cephalon of a trilobite

68
Q

Define Pygidium

A

The tail section of a trilobite where the thoracic segments are fused together

69
Q

Define Thoracic Segments

A

Segments of a trilobites thorax showing how many paris of legs it had

70
Q

Define Thorax

A

The middle section of a trilobite

71
Q

What are the three ways trilobites found their food?

A

Benthonic crawlers, Burrowers, Swimmers/floaters

72
Q

Define Graptolite

A

Extinct marine organisms that were pelagic and planktonic

73
Q

Define Stipe

A

The whole stalk or stem of a graptolite

74
Q

Define Theca(e)

A

Tubular or cup-like structure housing a zooid

75
Q

What are three ways graptolites have changed over time?

A

Thecae shape has become more complex, Earlier organisms had more stipes, Attitude of stipe gone from pendant to scandent

76
Q

What part of a coral is fossilised?

A

The hard parts

77
Q

Define Colonial Coral

A

Coral with more than one septum close together

78
Q

Define Septa

A

Radiating plates inside the corallite wall

79
Q

Define Solitary Organism

A

Coral with a single polyp

80
Q

Define Zone Fossil

A

Unique organisms that are used to characterise a particular horizon and therefore are able to date a sequence of rocks

81
Q

What are six criteria a good zone fossil fulfils?

A

Wide distribution, Abundant, Rapid evolution, Facies independent, Good preservation, Easy identification

Geology (16 decks)

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