Fossils and Fossilization

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts related to fossils, fossilization, dating methods, and the history of life on Earth.

Fossilization

The process by which organic material is preserved in sedimentary rock.

Taphonomy

The study of how organisms decay and become fossils.

Relative Dating

A method of determining the age of fossils by comparing their position in sedimentary rock layers.

Radiometric Dating

A technique to determine the age of materials using the decay rate of radioactive isotopes.

Superposition Principle

In sedimentary rock layers, the oldest layer is at the bottom and the newest at the top.

Faunal Succession

The principle that fossil organisms succeed one another in a definite and recognizable order.

Isotope

Variants of a chemical element with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.

Mass Extinction

Event during which a large number of species become extinct in a relatively short period.

Cambrian Explosion

A rapid diversification of life that occurred approximately 540 million years ago.

Anthropogenic Extinction

Species that have gone extinct due to human activity.

Transitional Fossils

Fossils that show intermediate states between ancestral forms and derived descendant forms.

Homologous Traits

Traits inherited from a common ancestor, showing similarities in structure.