Evidence of

the Past
Describe how the Earth’s history can be
interpreted from the geologic time scale
Review/
Recap
PRE-TEST
PRETEST ANSWERS
1.D
2.A
3.B
4.D
5.B
4. Biostratigraphic correlation – It uses index fossils to determine strata ages. Index fossils represent a group
of fossils. This group of organisms was uniquely present during specific intervals.

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FOSSILS

Another method used to determine the age of rock and to determine some
geologic phenomena is the discovery of fossils. Fossils are the remains of plants or
animals from the past, it could be a part, print, or trace. The word fossil comes
from the Latin word fossus, which means “having been dug up”. The information
that we get from the fossils will help us to understand the evolution and life in
general. Geologists use the information descends from the fossil to determine and
classify the subdivisions of geologic time scale.

Every living organism decomposed when it dies and will not likely be
preserved in the geologic record except under unusual conditions. The fossil record
is incomplete and records only a small percentage of life exists because of some
environmental factors and conditions. The ocean is one of the best environments
for preservation, yet marine processes can dissolve the hard parts that can reduce
or eliminate the remains. In terrestrial, the remains are buried, and the
preservation is even more limited.

Fossils can be categorized into two; Fossilized body parts and Fossilized trace.

1. Fossilized body parts – the fossils are from bones, claws, teeth, skin,
embryos, and other parts of living organisms.
2. Fossilized traces – Also known as ichnofossils which are footprints, nest,
feces, or toothmarks of living organisms.
Four types of fossils.

1. True form fossil – The entire animals or plants are trapped or preserved
in ice, tar, and other materials.
2. Molds fossil – It is a hallow impression of the living organism remain in
the rock. It reflects and the surface marking of the organism.
3. Cast Fossil – his fossil is created when molds fossils get filled with
minerals. This mineral hardens and forms a replica of the original fossil.
4. Trace fossil or ichnofossil – this is the impression of rocks that
shows various activities. This type of fossils can be footprints, eggs,
or nest of animals.
PRINCIPLE
  OF FOSSIL SUCCESSION
The remain of prehistoric life intruded in sedimentary rocks are important time
indicators and play an important role in correlating rocks of similar ages. Paleontologists
use the principle of fossil succession which states that the oldest rocks are found
in the bottom layer of the Earth, the oldest fossil also followed the same
chronologically as they appear in the same set of layers or strata.  

By the late 1700s, an English surveyor and engineer William Smith was credited
with discovering the principle of fossil succession. Fossil alone is not the basis of
his rock succession rather he defined and named the rock units according to their
Lithology. Lithology refers to the physical characteristics of rock, such as color,
mineralogy, and grain size. This was becoming his basis for collecting and studying
fossils
  within.

Some of the fossils are mostly useful in telling time, these are called Index
fossils. Once the fossils are recognized as a time indicator, they are also used in
correlating rock strata in a similar age in different regions. The span of geologic time is
also associated with index fossils.
GEOLOGIC TIME SCALE
The first basis of mapping and
determining the history of the
Earth was by looking at the rock
layers using relative dating. With
the help of absolute dating,
scientists began to give the
numerical dates of the rock.