Modes of Fossilization

(Preservation)

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Fossil: Remains or traces of any
recognizable structure, preserved in rocks
to indicate extinct life, whether of plants or
animals.
Why will we study fossil?

Index Fossil: A fossil species which is

characterized by long geographic
distribution and short time span.
What are the characterizations of index
fossils?
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 FACTORS ENHANCING
PRESERVATION

• Rapid burial
• Deposition in an anoxic (oxygen poor)
environment
• Encasement in sediment which inhibits
dissolution (Fine Sediments)

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 FACTORS INHIBITING
PRESERVATION

• Mechanical processes of weathering and

transportation

• Chemical attack
– oxidation
– dissolution
• Microbial activity
• Scavenging animals

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Modes of Fossilization
1- Actual Remains of
the organism
A- Remains of the entire
organism
e.g. Insects in Amber
e.g. Mammoth

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B- Remains of the original hard parts
e.g. Pelecypod & Gastropod shells, corals

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 2- Altered Remains of the Organism

A- Carbonization
This is the removal of volatile
constituents such as oxygen, hydrogen
and nitrogen from the organic
compound leaving only carbon as a
thin black film .
Ex. Graptolites, fishes and plants

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e.g. Carbonization of plant remains, bee,
fish

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 B- Permineralization

• Filling of pores (tiny holes) in wood, shell,

or bone by the deposition of minerals from
solution. The added mineral matter makes
the permineralized fossil much heavier
than the original material.

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e.g. Permineralized bone fragments

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 C- Replacement

Is the molecule-by-molecule substitution of

another mineral of different composition
for the original material. The fine details of
shell structures are generally preserved.
Minerals which commonly replace hard
parts are silica and pyrite.

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e.g. Silicified (Petrified) wood

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e.g. Pyritized Shells

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 D- Recrystallization
• The original crystals forming the shell
undergo a change in form and size, but
the composition remains unchanged. For
example, transformation of metastable
aragonite into stable calcite in shells made
of calcium carbonate minerals.

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 3- Preservation of the Original Form

A- Molds (External & Internal Molds)

B- Casts
C- Imprints

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A- Mold: is a natural
cavity left by the
outside or interior
surface of a fossil
which has been
dissolved.

External mold:
impression of the
outside of the shell
showing only the
external detail of
the fossil. External
molds are negative
in relief.

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Internal mold (steinkerns):
a filling of the interior of
the shell. Forms by
sediment filling the
interior of the shell
followed by dissolution
of the shell. An internal
mold will show internal
features of the shell and
has positive relief.

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B- cast :may be
produced if a mold is
filled with sediment or
mineral matter. A cast
is a replica of the cast
original. Casts are
relatively uncommon.
(A rubber mold of a
fossil can be filled with
modeling clay to
produce a replica or
artificial cast of the
original object). mold

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C- Imprints

In fine-grained
sediments, where the
groundwater is alkaline
and oxygen is present,
plant material may be
dissolved, but an
impression of the
material may remain.
e.g. Fish & Leaf Imprints

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 4- Preservation of the Tracks of the
Organism
A-
C-Burrows
Imprints
are the excavations of an
animal made into soft
sediment. Burrows are
probably used as feeding
and/or dwelling structures.
Continued burrowing or
bioturbation of the
sediment will destroy
primary sedimentary
structures, and result in a
massive, homogeneous,
structureless rock.
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B- Borings
are holes made by an animal
into shells, rock, wood, or
hard sediment. Borings are
usually circular. Some snails
produce borings or drill holes
into other molluscs, such as
clams. Bivalves may bore into
wood, rock, or other hard
materials. Sponges also
produce borings, often riddling
shells with numerous tiny
holes.

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C- Foot Prints & Trackways

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 D- Trails
• Produced by crawling
organisms

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