Paleontology

Paleontology

a science dealing with prehistoric life through the study of fossils

-what can fossils tell us?

Taphonomy

This is the study of how bones and other materials come to be buried in the earth and preserved as fossils.

-eg crushing, heating

fossil

The preserved remains or traces of an organism that lived in the past

Body fossil

actual remains of an organism such as bones, teeth, shells, etc.

trace fossil

A type of fossil that provides evidence of the activities of ancient organisms

impression fossils

this forms when hard body parts leave their impressions in softer sediment, which eventually hardens

Permineralization

The process by which mineral crystals replace the original living tissue of a fossil

Lagerstätten

term for sites with an abundant supply of unusually well-preserved fossils - often including soft tissues - from the same period of time

How are fossils prepared for study?

fossils are ___ by using cellulose acetate peel technique and by making thin slides with a saw

microfossil

a fossil or fossil fragment that can be seen only with a microscope.

Ediacaran Biotas

565-544 Mya

-this consists of sponges, cnidarians, ctenophores, and extinct phyla

-most impression fossils

-some morphologically complex