BSC 2010 Lecture Notes - Lecture 37: Igneous Rock, Mineralized Tissues, Radionuclide
19 Apr 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Determine whether or not an organism is likely to become a fossil. Describe how geologists determine the ages of rocks and the fossils they contain. Identify some of the major geologic and atmospheric forces that shaped the history of life on earth. Diagram the relationships among the major domains of life. All history of life on earth is recorded in fossils: organism needs to be covered by water and sediment before it decomposes, sediment hardens into rock and preserves the fossil. Not all organisms are equally likely to fossilize: must be preserved before the remains decompose or are destroyed. Anoxic environments environments with limited oxygen that prevents decomposition: mineralized tissues are more likely to be preserved, not all fossils are found. Organisms that are best preserved are aquatic organisms with mineralized body parts: more of a recorded fossils are aquatic, rather than terrestrials.
