OBJECTIVES:

To identify types of fossils and ways of

fossilization
 What is a fossil?

• A fossil is the preserved remains of a

once-living organism.
How are fossils formed?
• Fossils are formed when animals or
plants are buried in sedimentary rock.
Based on what you already know about how
sedimentary is formed, you should be able to
tell which fossils in this picture are older or
younger.
The youngest fossils would be found in the

a. top layers of
rock
b. the middle
rock
layers
Natural Resources Canada
c. the bottom
layers of rock
There are four types of fossils:
Molds

Casts

Trace fossils

Whole or part of an organism that

has been preserved
Molds and Casts
 1. A mold forms

Present day scallop Mold of a scallop in clay Mold of scallop in rock

2. A cast

Picture of present day snail Picture of fossilized snail

Bob Hermann//Cochise College.

R.Weller/Cochise College.
 Ammonite
mold Ammonite
cast

Molds and casts are often found together.

gastropod mold gastropod casts
Which is
the cast
of the
clam and
which is
the mold?
Clam mold

Clam cast
Dinosaur bones are not
really bones. They are
the fossilized cast of a
dinosaur bone that has
changed to a rock.
3. Trace Fossils
Trace fossils include leaf prints,
burrows, coprolites (feces or poop),
trails, footprints.
Trace fossils are not an imprint of the
hard part of an animal’s body.
 Leaf
imprints

R.Weller/Cochise College
 Dinosaur tracks

Wikipedia Creative Commons

Coprolite (dinosaur poop)
dmr.nd.gov
Worm
tubes
made by
ancient
worms
as they
moved
through
soil.
4. Whole or a part of a body is
preserved

In rare instances an entire organism or

its skeleton is preserved because the
organism gets trapped in a substance
that protects its body from decaying.
Examples are:
 A spider trapped in tree sap. The tree sap
hardened into amber, preserving the whole
spider.

Wikimedia Commons
A sabretooth cat skeleton found in La
Brea Tar Pits in California. The tiger fell
into the tar and got “stuck”. His skeleton
was preserved by the tar.

Wikimedia Commons
 Sometimes, a whole organism can be
preserved if it is frozen very quickly.

Photo: Francis Latreille/National Geographic

40,000 year old frozen baby mammoth found in Siberia

What do fossils tell us?
Gastropod
Oyster
Clam
Ammonite
One arm of an ammonite
Fossils give us information about

a. organisms that lived long ago

b. the climate and environments of
the past
c. how the earth has changed over
time
d. all of the above
Fossils are usually
found in
a.soil
b.sedimentary
rock
c.igneous rock
from volcanoes
d.the interior of
the Earth
 The fossils in layer C
are the
A
B a. the youngest
C b. the oldest
c. the same age
as the fossils in
layer A
 What conditions promote
fossilization?
•Hard body parts
such as skeletal
bones or
exoskeletons

Dept of P.G studies & Research in

09/06/17 Geology 4
 What conditions promote
fossilization?
•Rapid burial
and/or lack of
oxygen

Dept of P.G studies & Research in

09/06/17 Geology 5
 What are the modes of fossil
preservation for body fossils?
Unaltered
Original Material - original,
unaltered material from the
living organism
unaltered bone or shell

Encrustations or
entombments –
material is trapped inside
coating such as amber

Dept of P.G studies & Research in

09/06/17 Geology 4
1
 What are the modes of fossil
preservation for body
fossils?
Unaltered
Mummification - quickly dried material

Refrigeration –
material is trapped inside ice and tissue is
preserved

Dept of P.G studies & Research in

09/06/17 Geology 42
 What are the modes of fossil
preservation?
•Altered
Permineralization –
pores in tissue are
filled by minerals

Replacement –
replacement of
tissue with
minerals

Dept of P.G ststuuddiieess&&RReeseseaarchrch

09/06/17 inn 11
GGeeooo l oggyy
 What are the modes of fossil
preservation for body
fossils?
•Altered Carbonization – tissue
material is decomposed or reduced to a
film of carbon

Dept of P.G studies & Research in

09/06/17 Geology 12
MAKE YOUR OWN FOSSIL ACTIVITY
The following materials
are needed for this
activity.
1. A small natural object
(shell, bone, leaf)
2. Any small toy
3. Clay
4. Petroleum jelly
5. Plaster of Paris
6. Disposable dish
PROCEDURES:
I. Choose the object you want to make a fossil
of. Any natural object (shells, leaves, animal
bone) will do as long as it fits in the container. If
you choose leaves, be sure it is not dry.
II. Combine the plaster of Paris with water. Use
1 part plaster of Paris to 2 parts water and mix
well in a paper cup with a plastic spoon. Let it sit
while you work with the clay.
III. Choose an object as the template of your
fossil. Generally, leaves, shells, branches, or
bones work best. Just make sure you have
enough clay and plaster to cover it.
IV. Knead the modeling clay until it is soft
and pliable. This will be what your object
rests and forms an impression in. It needs to
be kneaded until it can cover the area of your
object.
V. Coat the object with petroleum jelly. Firmly
yet slowly press it into the modeling clay to
make an impression. The petroleum jelly
prevents it from sticking to the clay, so be
generous. Remove the object carefully to
create a mold in the shape of the item you
used.
VI. Fill the impression left by your object
with plaster of Paris. Smooth the plaster
to the level of the clay to form a flat
surface. Place your clay and plaster mold
on a newspaper, paper towel, or other
disposable surface and allow it to harden..
VII. Peel the clay off the hardened plaster
to free the fossil. The shape of your object
should be recreated in the plaster, details
intact.
 GUIDE QUESTIONS:

1.Why do we study fossils?

 RUBRICS
Meets minimal Acceptably meets all Exceeds criteria
criteria, fair criteria, clear superb presentation
presentation. presentation. and creativity
1 2 3

Clay technique

Paint technique

Time bound

Quality of final project