History of Life on Earth

FOSSILS are evidences of organisms that lived in the past. They

can be actual remains like bones, teeth, shells, leaves, seeds,
spores or traces of past activities such as animal burrows, nests
and dinosaur footprints or even the ripples created on a
prehistoric shore.
THE SIX WAYS OF FOSSILIZATION
1. Unaltered preservation - Small organism or part trapped in amber, hardened plant sap
2. Permineralization/ Petrification - The organic contents of bone and wood are replaced with silica,
calcite or pyrite, forming a rock-like fossil
3. Replacement - hard parts are dissolved and replaced by other minerals, like calcite, silica, pyrite, or
iron
4. Carbonization or Coalification - The other elements are removed and only the carbon remained
5. Recrystalization - Hard parts are converted to more stable minerals or small crystals turn into larger
crystals
6. Authigenic preservation - Molds and casts are formed after most of the organism have been
destroyed or dissolved