Dinosaur Fossil Excavation and Study

These flashcards cover key vocabulary related to dinosaur fossil excavation, preservation, and paleontology.

Excavation

The process of digging out and removing fossils from the earth.

Fossilization

The process by which organic material is preserved as fossils, often through burial and mineralization.

Edmontosaurus

A large duck-billed dinosaur known from bone beds, particularly located in Edmonton.

Bone bed

A localized accumulation of skeletal remains of multiple individuals, often indicating a mass death event.

Taphonomy

The study of the processes that affect the preservation of organisms after death.

Overburden

The layer of soil and rock that lies above a fossil or resource that must be removed to access it.

Sedimentary environments

Geological settings where sediment accumulates, which are favorable for fossil preservation.

Specimen card

A record-keeping tool used to document details of a fossil specimen, including ID and location.

Geological hammer

A tool used by paleontologists to break rock and extract fossils.

Alberta

A province in Canada known for rich dinosaur fossil deposits, including Dinosaur Provincial Park.