FOSSILIZATION PROCESS

STEP 1

• An animal dies and is buried before the

remains are completely destroyed.
STEP 2

• Over time, layers of sediment build up and

press down on the buried remains.
STEP 3

• Dissolved minerals, transported by ground-

waters in the sediment, fill tiny spaces in the
bones. The combination of pressure, chemical
reactions and time eventually turns the
sediments into rock and the bones into
mineralised fossils.
STEP 4

• The fossils remain within the rock until

uncovered through erosion or excavation.
FOSSIL EVIDENCE

• HOW DOES A FOSSIL BRINGS

MESSAGE FROM THE PAST?
 FOSSIL EVIDENCE
• The fossil record provides
snapshots of the past that,
when assembled, illustrate a
panorama of evolutionary
change over the past four
billion years. The picture may
be smudged in places and may
have bits missing, but fossil
evidence clearly shows that life
is old and has changed over
time.