ANT E101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: Obstetrics, Paleomagnetism, Lithostratigraphy
Document Summary
The study of extinct organisms based on their fossilized remains. Fossilization is a rare event - several conditions must be met before remains can be preserved. The material in which the remains are buried must be suitable for fossilization. Cognition behavior cranial size and shape. The fossil record is not a complete record of the history of organisms ever to exist on earth; it is only a sample of the plants and animals that once lived. Some skeletal parts preserve better than others. Individual walked across a volcanic ash layer. Soft rain cemented the footprints, and they were covered by another ash deposit. More common when individuals incorporate inorganic components into their diets (like hyenas eat bones) Skeletons become fossils by absorbing minerals from their surroundings. The matrix composition is informative for analyzing fossils, and it is critical for the dating of fossils.
