science 5.4

. Polystrate fossils-

- fossils that extend through multiple layers of strata.

what are the specific conditions a fossil form

when an organism is rapidly buried in sediment soon after death which helps preserve it before decomposition or scavenging occurs

whats the site where numerous fossils are found together, often with bones from different organisms jumbled together

graveyards

unconformity

when continuous strata are missing one or more layers as required by the geologic column a gap

living fossils

are animals or plants that disappeared abruptly from the fossil record, yet are still alive today

coelacanth

a lobbed-finned fish found in Devonian rock layers. in 1938, alive Coelacanth was caught and found to match the fossil version in every detail thought to be the ancestor of the first amphibians

wollemi pines

supposedly extinct, later discovered in a remote canyon

stasis

organisms show no change between it appearance in the fossil record and the present day

examples of stasis

tuataras, coelacanths and cockroaches