Define:

1. Define: • Fossil • Carbon film (carbonization) • Petrified fossil (mineralization) • Solid Cast • Mold • Trace Fossil

2. The Fossil Record - Made up of all the fossils ever discovered on Earth • Provides evidence about the history of life and past environments on Earth • Also shows that species have changed over time

3. Where do fossils form? • Fossils usually form in layers of sedimentary rock • Sedimentary rock forms when small pieces of rock and other materials settle into layers that eventually harden. • The soft parts of the organisms quickly decay, but sometimes the hard parts, like shells and bones, leave fossils. • Other types of rock (igneous and metamorphic) form due to high heat and/or pressure, which destroys fossils.

4. Carbon films (Carbonization) • Form when a dead organism is compressed over time (due to layers of sediment forming on top of them). Eventually, only a carbon outline remains

5. Petrified Fossils (Mineralization) • Mineralization occurs when rock forming minerals in water replace all or part of an organism, basically turning it to stone • The minerals harden after the water dissolves, preserving the organism

6. Molds and Casts • Molds occur when an organisms shell or bone makes an impression in mud or sand that then hardens, preserving it • The mold can be later filled in by sediments to form a cast (3-D fossil copy)

7. Trace Fossils • Show evidence of an organism’s movement or behavior • Usually footprints

8. Original Material • When an entire organism is preserved • Can occur due to being trapped in amber (tree sap), freezing in ice, tar pits, etc.