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Fossil
Fossil
Fossil
Video-Petrified Forest
Molds and casts
■ Most common type of fossil.
■ Both copy the shape of the organism.
■ A mold is a hollow area of sediment in the shape of
the organism.
■ A cast is a copy of the shape of an organism.
Consider this:
Mold fossil Cast fossil Mold and cast
fossils can be
compared to a
cake pan. The
pan is the
mold, and the
cake is the
cast.
Carbonization-Carbon Films
■ Leaves extremely thin coating of carbon film outline on
rock.
■ How does this happen?
All organisms are made of carbon.
When they are buried,
the materials that make up
the organism evaporates.
These gases escape
leaving carbon behind.
Trace Fossils
Bog
Mummies
Preserved remains
■ Tar
■ The sticky oil that
seeps from
Earth’s surface.
Tar soaks into the
organisms bones,
preserving the
bones from decay.
Preserved remains
■ Amber
■ The hardened
resin, or sap, of
trees. The
amber seals the
organism from
the air
protecting it
from decay.
Preserved remains
Ice
■ Ice Fossils are actual flesh remains of
the organism. They become
trapped in ice and
remain frozen until
they thaw. A good example
of an ice fossil is a
Woolly Mammoth,
which are often
found in the Arctic.
NOW- Answer the following questions in
the margins below the notes.