What conditions increase the chances of fossil formation?
Rapid burial in a marine environment where there is a lot of calcium carbonate to act as cement and other minerals.
Fossils are the remains of once living things. Organic matter is decomposed rapidly when exposed to air and bacteria.
Rapid burial under large amounts of sediments prevents the decay of the organic material. A cast or mold of the " footprints" shell or other evidence like impressions of even leafs can be preserved if buried rapidly enough.
Once the evidence of the living organism has been buried it must be preserved. Hard parts like bones are the most likely to be preserved. It is much harder to preserve soft parts or the organism. The presence of Calcium carbonate which can come from broken and dissolved sea shells acts as a preservative. Calcium Carbonate is cement. The calcium carbonate can rapidly turn into hard rock preserving the fossil remains. Other minerals can replace the organic material atom by atom as in fossilized wood, preserving the details of the once living matter.
Fossilized spark plugs are somewhat common on the Oregon coast where mud slides heavily laded with minerals cover the evidence of living things. The rapid burial and presence of minerals preserve the hard parts. To be later revealed by erosion and wave action.
The conditions for the best preservation of fossils is rapid burial in sediments that contain high levels of minerals.
By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
Conditions that increase the chances of fossil formation include: rapid burial of the organism, presence of hard parts such as bones or shells, lack of oxygen to slow decomposition, and presence of minerals in the surrounding sediment that can replace the organic material over time.
By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.
When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.
When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.
When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.
- What does it mean when a large piece of rock contains a thick-shelled clam fossil?
- What forces can disturb relative dating?
- What is the age of inclusions found in a rock relative to the rock in which they are found?
- Has carbon 14 been found in fossils?
- How do extinctions help geologists establish the age of something?
- 98% accuracy study help
- Covers math, physics, chemistry, biology, and more
- Step-by-step, in-depth guides
- Readily available 24/7