Paleontology

Question 1

Scientific study of fossils.

Answer 1

Paleontology

Question 2

How do fossils form?

Answer 2

1. possession of hard parts like exoskeleton, bones, nails
   and tooth etc.
2. Rapid Burial.
3. availability of finer rather than coarser sediments and
   undisturbed conditions of sedimentation for a longer
   period.
4. presence of highly mineralized ground water.
5. calm waters, little oxygen. (Anoxic Environment)

Question 3

the remains or traces of prehistoric organisms preserved in rocks, most common in sedimentary rocks, but they may also be found in volcanic ash and volcanic mudflows.

Answer 3

Fossils

Question 4

What should be the age of the specimen to be considered a fossil?

Answer 4

10,000 years old

Question 5

Three uses of fossils.

Answer 5

1. determine the relative ages of strata
2. for determining environments of
   deposition
3. constitute some of the evidence for the theory of evolution

Question 6

2 types of fossils.

Answer 6

Body Fossils and Trace Fossils

Question 7

Body fossils include?

Answer 7

Skeletal parts, shells, bones and teeth

Question 8

Trace fossils include?

Answer 8

Any indication of organic activity; Tracks, Trails, Burrows, and Nests, Feces (Coprolite)

Question 9

Type of fossil preservation where;

Original composition and structure preserved.

Answer 9

Body Fossils-Unaltered Remains

Question 10

Four methods where fossils can be preserved unaltered.

Answer 10

Freezing, Mummification, Preservation in Amber, and Preservation in Tar

Question 11

Type of fossil preservation where:

Change in composition and/or structure of original material.

Answer 11

Body Fossils-Altered Remains

Question 12

Four methods in which fossils are preseved by alterations to its remains.

Answer 12

Permineralization, Recrystallization, Replacement, Carbonization

Question 13

Large Ice Age mammals frozen in sediment.

Answer 13

Freezing

Question 14

Air drying and shriveling of soft tissues.

Answer 14

Mummification

Question 15

Leaves, insects, and small reptiles trapped and preserved in hardened tree resin.

Answer 15

Preservation in Amber

Question 16

Bones, insects, preserved in asphalt-like substance at oil seeps.

Answer 16

Preservation in Tar

Question 17

Addition of minerals to pores and cavities in shells and bones.

Answer 17

Permineralization

Question 18

One chemical compound replaces another—for example, pyrite (FeS2) replaces calcium carbonate (CaCO3) of shells.

Answer 18

Replacement

Question 19

Volatile elements lost from organic matter leaving a carbon film; most common on leaves and insects.

Answer 19

Carbonization

Question 20

A cavity with the shape of a bone or shell.

Answer 20

Mold

Question 21

A mold filled by minerals or sediment.

Answer 21

Cast

Question 22

Name of the 40,000 year old frozen Wooly Mammoth (30-35 days old), and was found on Yamal Peninsula in Russia.

Also regarded as the best preserved mammoth fossil in the world.

Answer 22

Lyuba

Question 23

Name of the 40,000 year old frozen mammoth (7-8 months old), that was found in Northeastern Siberia

Answer 23

Dima

Question 24

If an animal dies in a dry, protected location, like an arid cave, its remains can dry out, or desiccate.

Answer 24

Mummification (Drying or Dessication)

Question 25

Name of the species of the tiny dinosaur nestled inside a 99 million-year-old amber, that was discovered in 2016.

Answer 25

Coelorosaurs

Question 26

_____ _____ or more accurately an asphalt pit or asphalt lake, is the result of a type of Petroleum seep where subterranean bitumen leaks to the surface, creating a large area of natural asphalt. This happens because, after the material reaches the surface, its lighter components vaporize, leaving only the thick asphalt.

Answer 26

Tar Pit

Question 27

A tar pit provides what kind of condition that favors fossilization?

Answer 27

Anoxic Conditions

Question 28

is the process of turning living organic material into stone. This process takes place when the molecules in an organism are replaced with the molecules of a mineral.

Answer 28

Petrification

Question 29

Happens when the pores of the plant materials, bones, and shells are impregnated by mineral matter from the ground, lakes, or ocean. In some cases, the wood fibers and cellulose dissolve and some minerals replace them. Sometimes the mineral substance of the fossils will completely dissolve and some other minerals replace them. The common minerals that form this kind of fossils are calcite, iron, and silica.

Answer 29

Permineralization

Question 30

A process when water dissolves the original hard parts and replaces them with mineral matter. Calcite, silica, pyrite and hematite.

Answer 30

Replacement

Question 31

A process by which the more volatile substances of plants and animals decay, but leave behind the carbon. Crumbly woods of lignite deposits are one example of ____________. At its extreme, ____________ reduces plants and animals to shiny black or brown film.

Answer 31

Carbonization

Question 32

An organism will lie in sediment until the surrounding sediment becomes firm. Later the organism dissolves away.

Answer 32

Mold and Cast

Question 33

The inside surface of the mold is referred to as the ________ ______.

Answer 33

Internal Mold

Question 34

The _______ ________ forms when sand or clay fills such things as empty shells of snails and clams, which are common.

Answer 34

Internal Cast

Question 35

If the cavity is filled with grains of sand or clay, duplicating the original inner surface of the organism, this is referred to as a ______.

Answer 35

Cast

Question 36

These are not actual remains but an indication of organic activity such as tracks, trails, burrows, and nests.

Answer 36

Trace Fossils or Ichnofossil

Question 37

Type of trace fossil formed in soft sediment.

Answer 37

Burrows

Question 38

Type of trace fossils made by organisms into hard substrate.

Answer 38

Borings

Question 39

Resting traces

Answer 39

Cubichnia

Question 40

Dwelling, Structures, and Burrows

Answer 40

Domichnia

Question 41

Crawling tracks and trails.

Answer 41

Repichnia

Question 42

Grazing traces.

Answer 42

Passichnia

Question 43

Feeding traces.

Answer 43

Fodinichnia

Question 44

A well-known Tar Pit

Answer 44

La Brea Tar Pits, LA California

Question 45

Stomach Stones

Answer 45

Gastroliths

Question 46

Term for Land Reptiles

Answer 46

Dinosaurs

Question 47

Term for Flying Reptiles

Answer 47

Terrosaurs

Question 48

Change in the crystal structure-for example, aragonite in shells recrystallizes as calcite.

Answer 48

Recrystallization

Question 49

Other term for Trace Fossils.

Answer 49

Ichnofossils

Question 50

The trace fossil known as a _______ is fossilized feces that may provide information about the diet and size of Trace Fossils or Ichnofossils the animal that produced it.

Answer 50

Coprolite