1.While this is a simple question, the answer may be simple or difficult.
The short and interesting answer to that question is "The fossils are the fossils or evidence of any creature or plant that lived on earth in the geologic past."
2.But there are so many types of fossils. The most important question for the curious reader is "What kind of fossils are there?" The answer to that question will take further examination. You will have to dig a little deeper… the intended pun!
Long answer
There are too many fossil systems in use today, but my favorite is the one used by Peter Larson and Kristin Donnan in their book, Bones Rock! They group the fossils into two categories:
Type The remains of a dead animal or plant or mark left on the remains.
Type I includes:
* Bones
* Teeth
* Skin appearance
* Hair
* The hard shell of an ancient invertebrate (invertebrate) such as trilobite or ammonite
* An image of an animal or a plant, even if the original parts are missing.
So now you have one short and one answer to the question: "What is a fossil?" Let's build on that.
* Type II- Something that an animal did while it was alive became solid. These are called trace fossils.
Type II includes:
* Footprints
* holes
* coprolite or animal poop
* Remnants of type I can be a real thing that has always existed, such as a piece of bone or hair or a feather. Often bone material is replaced by a different mineral contained in the soil fluid it covers. What was once a bone is now a form of crystal or mineral.
This process also takes place in shells, exoskeletons, and wood. If the gaps in the bone are full of liquid minerals that later solidify it is called permineralization.
Sometimes living things will be dissolved in minerals. This process takes place so slowly that each cell is dissolved and some minerals are added to the liquid before solidification. This is called petrification. In conclusion, all the details down to the cellular level are repeated in minerals.
Type I and I can be the first mold or animal lump or part of the plant. When the first creature decomposes, it leaves an imprint and an empty space called an outer mold or mildew. If the space in a building is full of minerals as the first animal or part of the plant melts, it is called a cast.
So now you have a short answer and a long answer to the question “What is a fossil?”
Was that information too much for you? I do not trust! And a long answer to the question “What is a fossil?”
Was that information too much for you? I do not trust! The fossils are images in the pages of rock history. I think the more you know, the more you will want to find out more about these fascinating aspects of life that we call fossils.
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