GETTING TO KNOW

THE CONCEPT OF LIFE

SCIENCE
 Introduction to
life science
• Life Science (Biology) - Is a branch of
science that focuses on the study of living
organisms and their interactions with each other
and their environments.
HOW FOSSILS
ARE FORMED?
Fossilization
• A fossil is the preserved remains or traces of a dead organism. The process by
which a fossil is formed is called fossilization.

It is very rare for living things to become fossilized. Usually after most animals die,
their bodies just rot away and nothing is left behind. However, under certain special
conditions, a fossil can form.

• After an animal dies, the soft parts of its body decompose leaving the hard parts
(skeleton) behind. This becomes buried by small particles of rock called sediment.
Fossilization

• As more layers of sediment build up on top, the sediment

around the skeleton begins to compact and turn to rock.
• The bones then start to be dissolved by water seeping
through the rock. Minerals in the water replace
the bone, leaving a rock replica of the original bone called
fossil.
How do fossils form?
• Not many plants and animals are lucky enough be turned to fossils.
• When an animal or plant dies its remains usually rot away to nothing. Sometimes
though, when the conditions are just right and its remains can be buried quickly, it may be
fossilized. There are several different ways fossils are formed.

Here, we go through five steps of fossilization to make a typical 'mould' and 'cast' fossil.
An animal dies,
its skeleton settles
on the sea floor
and is buried by
sediment.
• The skeleton is buried by sediment (like mud or
sand) falling from the ocean above. The sea floor
is an ideal place for fossilization, which explains
why many fossils are marine (from animals that
lived in the sea). Land animals die and get swept
out to the sea to be buried in the same way.
 • The skeleton continues to be buried as sediment is
added to the surface of the sea floor. As the sea floor
sinks, pressure increases in the lower layers of
sediment and turns it into hard rock.

The sediment surrounding the skeleton

thickens and begins to turn to stone.
The skeleton dissolves and a
mould is formed.
• Now buried at the depth and surrounded by
stone, the skeleton is dissolved by ground water.
This leaves a cavity (or hole) preserving the
shape of the original skeleton. This cavity is
known as a natural mould.
• Water rich in minerals enters the
mould, and fills the cavity. The
minerals deposited in the mould
form a cast of the mould. This cast
has the same shape as the original
skeleton, but none of its internal Minerals
features.
Crystalize inside
the mould and a
cast is formed.
The fossil is exposed on the earth's surface.

• Millions of years later, the rock surrounding the

skeleton rises to the earth's surface (this happens
during mountain building, earthquakes, and
other earth processes). The rock is worn away
by wind and rain, and the fossil is now exposed,
waiting to be found.