Fossils

Fossil

preserved remains, impressions or traces of any once-living organism from a past geological age

Consitions that increase change of fossilisation

Remains are rapidly buried in sediments, continued sediment deposits bury it deeper and compress original sediment layer into rock

Faunal succession

the principle that fossilised fauna and flora in sedimentary rock strata are arranged in a specific order

Index fossils

fossils of geologically short-lived species that are widely distributed but are found in a restricted depth of rock strata, identifies rocks as having the same age

Transitional fossils

fossilised remains of a life form that exhibits traits common to both an ancestal group and its descendant group, act as links

Relative dating

provides a comparative age, identified as older or younger than another known object, includes stratigraphic method of using faunal succession

Absolute dating

provides a more precise numerical age

Radiometric dating technique

depends on the known rate of decay of a radioactive parent isotope to a stable daughter product