BIO153H5 Chapter Notes - Chapter 27: Mesozoic, Hadean, Adaptive Radiation

36 views3 pages
School
Department
Course

Document Summary

Only the fossil record provides direct evidence about what organisms that lived in the past looked like, where they lived, and when they existed. Most of the processes that form fossils begin when part or all of an organism is buried in ash, sand, mud, or some other type of sediment. If decomposition does not occur, the organic remains can be preserved intact like the fossil pollen. If sediments accumulate on top of the material and become cemented into rocks such as mudstone or shale, the sediments" weight can compress the organic material below into a thin, carbaneous film. If the remains decompose after they are buried the hole that remains can fill with dissolved minerals and faithfully create a cast of the remains. If the remains rot extremely slowly, dissolved minerals can gradually infiltrate the interior of the cells and harden into stone, forming a permineralized fossil, such as petrified wood.

Get access

Grade+20% off
$8 USD/m$10 USD/m
Billed $96 USD annually
Grade+
Homework Help
Study Guides
Textbook Solutions
Class Notes
Textbook Notes
Booster Class
40 Verified Answers
Class+
$8 USD/m
Billed $96 USD annually
Class+
Homework Help
Study Guides
Textbook Solutions
Class Notes
Textbook Notes
Booster Class
30 Verified Answers

Related textbook solutions

Related Documents