Subject: Geology

Institute: Science
Class: B.Sc. Semester IV
Paper: GLB401: PALEONTOLOGY AND STRATIGRAPHY
Topic: Fossils, definition, characters, kinds

Dr. Dinesh Kumar Naik

Assistant Professor
Department of Geology
Institute of Science
Banaras Hindu University
Varanasi 221 005
Email: dnaik.geo@bhu.ac.in
 Fossil
• Derived from the Latin word ‘fossilis,’ means anything dug out from the
earth.
• For many years, rocks, minerals and other organic matters were considered as
fossils.
• In late 18th century, this term was reserved for the objects indicating the
presence of prehistoric organisms.

Definition:
These are remains or traces of organisms of geological past buried by
natural agencies, found preserved below the upper part of the crust.

Hence, in the language of Palaeontology, any type of traces or remains

of organisms of the geological past or almost anything that gives the
evidence of presence of life or organisms which once lived on this
earth.
 Occurrence of Fossil

• All kinds of fossils are mainly found in almost all type of

sedimentary rocks (limestones, sandstones,
shale/silt/clay/mudstones) deposited in seas, lakes,
deltas or flood-plains.

• They are most abundant in rocks deposited in relatively

shallow marine environment where organisms are
abundant and rate of sedimentation is usually rapid.

• Fossils are rare in the continental rocks.

 Occurrence of Fossil
Limestones: often highly fossiliferous and sometimes consisting almost
entirely of shells also known as Coquina bed.
Examples: Coral Reefs, calcareous algae often contain well preserved
fossils.

Shale/clay/marl/mudstones: Such type of sedimentary rocks may also

be highly fossiliferous showing fine details. Clay and shales often
frequently contain nodules with well preserved body fossils as
nucleus.
Examples: highly fossiliferous Spiti Formation (‘Spiti shale Formation’)
of the Tehyan Himalayan belt.

Sandstones and coarser grained rocks: Very coarse grained sandstones

are usually unfossiliferous. However, medium to fine grained marine
sandstones are often found rich in fossils.
Examples: Highly fossiliferous sandstone beds of Katrol Formation in
Kachchh, Gujarat (India)
Coquina from Florida
Kinds of Fossils
 Kinds of fossils

Body fossil
Direct evidences of past life -
Body fossil actual remains, well preserved
entire organisms, altered and
unaltered hard part, naturally
formed moulds and casts.

Fossils

Trace fossil
Indirect evidences of past life -
Trace fossil footprints, tracks, trails,
burrows, tubes, coprolites and
fossilised eggs.
 Body fossil

Trace fossil
DINOSAUR NEST: MEGALOOLITHID
(M. rahioliensis) EGGS OF A TITANOSAUR.
KHEDA, GUJARAT
 OTHER TYPES/KINDS OF FOSSILS
Chemical fossils: These are chemicals or “biological markers”
(paleoproteins and amino acids and structures resulting from
recrystallisation and carbonisation) that provide an organic
signature of ancient life.

These are organically derived compounds that are preserved in

the rocks. Generally, these compounds contain no traces of the
actual organisms and are, therefore, considered as an indirect
evidence of past life. It has been observed that large organic
molecules do not survive long after the death of an organism,
but these molecules may break down to smaller stable organic
molecules which can survive over long geological time. The
ancient DNA preserved in rocks is a common example of
chemical fossils.
Derived or Reworked fossils: which are originally from
some older horizons. Whose worn and rounded surface,
perhaps different means of preservation or content of matrix
differentiates them from ‘insitu’ fossil with which they are
mixed.

Remaine fossils: organic materials which have been rolled

and abraded, accumulating over a considerable period before
their deposition.
 Living fossils: Fossils which range from ancient time up to the
present day without any change in their primitive characters.
Organism (such as a horseshoe crab) that has remained
essentially unchanged from earlier geologic times and whose
close relatives are usually extinct.

Living Ginkgo Tree Leaf

Ginkgo Leaf Fossil

Horseshoe crab Fossil Living Horseshoe crab

Facies fossil: restricted to certain sedimentary environment.
Some fossils can be found only in certain environments, and they
allow us to learn about the environmental conditions in the
period when the covering layer was deposited. These fossils are
called facies fossils.

Pseudofossils: Certain structures of sedimentary or tectonic

origin which resemble fossilized organic remains are termed as
pseudo-fossils.
The elegant plant like dendritic manganese hydroxide markings
are the best known examples of pseudofossils (Dendrites)
 INDEX FOSSIL
• Short vertical range: for maximum precision
• Wide geographical distribution: for long distance correlation
• Abundance: because they are of little use if you can not find them
• Easily identifiable: to reduce taxonomic errors
• Facies independent: to reduce the risk of correlating environment
rather than time

Examples: Graptolites (Cambrian to Carboniferous))

Trilobites (Paleozoic)
Ammonoids (Mesozoic)