Paleontology—The Study of Past Life

• The history of the Earth would be incomplete

without knowledge of the organisms that have
inhabited our planet and the conditions under
which they lived.

• The science involved with the study of past life

is called paleontology.

• Paleontologists study fossils, which are the

remains of organisms preserved by geologic
processes.
 Fossil
 Preserved remains of a past organism
 FORMATION OF
FOSSILS
 Fossilized- the process of becoming a fossil.
 Fossils are evidence of past life, preserved in
rock.
 Most fossils form when living things die and
are buried by sediments.
 The sediments slowly harden into rock and
preserve the shapes of the organisms.
 The Fossil Record and
life
 The fossil record is the complete body of
fossils that shows how species and ecosystems
change over time.
 What do fossils tell
us?
 Fossils provide evidence of how
life has changed over time.
 Fossils help scientists infer how
Earth’s surface has changed.
 Fossils are clues to what past
environments were like.
 Types of fossils
 Petrified fossils
 Molds and casts
 Carbon films
 Trace fossils
 Index fossils
 Preserved remains
Petrified Fossils
 Fossils in which minerals
replace all or part of an
organism.
 How does this happen?
 Water rich in dissolved minerals
seeped into spaces, then
evaporated, leaving the hardened
minerals behind.
 Example – petrified wood
olds and casts
 Most common type of fossil.
 Both copy the shape of the organism.
 A mold is a hollow area of sediment in the shape of
the organism.
 A cast is a copy of the shape of an organism.
Consider
Mold Cast this: Mold
fossil fossil and cast
fossils
can be
compared
to a cake
pan. The
Carbonization-Carbon Films
 Leaves extremely thin coating of carbon film outline on
rock.
 How does this happen?
All organisms are made of carbon.
When they are buried,
the materials that make up
the organism evaporates.
These gases escape
leaving carbon behind.
 Trace
Fossils

 Trace fossils are a fossilized mark that is formed in soft

sediment by the movement or actions of an animal.
 Examples

 A footprint provides clues about the size and

behavior, the speed, how many legs it walked on,

lived alone or with others.
 A trail or burrow can give clues about the size and

shape of the organism, where it lived, and how it

obtained food.
 Index Fossils
 An index fossil is a fossil found in a narrow
time range but widely distributed around the
earth; used to date rock layers.
 Example
 Trilobite: a marine organism that has become a fossil.
 Ammonite
 Preserved remains
 Preservation of
remains with
little or no
change.

Bog
Mummies
 Preserved remains
 Tar
 The sticky oil that

seeps from
Earth’s surface.
Tar soaks into the
organisms bones,
preserving the
bones from
decay.
Preserved remains
 Amber
 The hardened

resin, or sap, of
trees. The
amber seals the
organism from
the air
protecting it
from decay.
eserved remains
Ice
 Ice Fossils are actual flesh remains of
the organism. They become
trapped in ice and
remain frozen until
they thaw. A good example
of an ice fossil is a
Woolly Mammoth,
which are often
found in the Arctic.
 NOW- Answer the following
questions in the margins below
the notes.
Observe the fossil at the
left.
A. What does it look like?
B. what type of fossil is it?

These fossils are believed to be

found in the Sahara Desert;
C. What might you infer about how
they got there?
Begin working on your Fossil stations.