What's in a tomb?
Approximately how many species of plants and animals have gone extinct in the last 400 years: a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, or a hundred thousand?
(12)
Approximately, a thousand species have gone extinct over the last 400 years. This is in stark contrast to the 10,000 species which some "environmentalists" claim go extinct each year!
Name the fossil discovered in Siberia in 1977 that was encased in a tomb of frozen mud.
A baby mammoth was found inside a tomb of frozen mud. It was so well preserved, that its skin, hair, and many soft body parts were still intact!
When a plant or animal dies, what is the most likely thing that will happen to its remains?
(2)
The most likely thing that will happen to the remains of a dead plant or animal is that they will decompose. Fossilization is a rare exception to this general rule.
Define: Resin
(1c)
Resin is a thick, slowly flowing liquid produced by plants that can harden into a solid.
What kinds of creatures make up the vast majority of the fossil record?
(11)
Clams and other hard-shelled animals make up most of the fossil record.
Can you learn much about the thickness of an organism from carbonized remains? Explain your answer.
(7)
No, you cannot. Carbonized remains come as a result of the organism being squished. So they give you a nice two-dimensional view of the organism, but you learn little about its thickness.
What is required in order for petrifaction to occur?
(5)
Petrifaction requires water that has a lot of minerals in it.
What type of organism is most likely to leave carbonized remains?
(8)
Plants have tissue that is ideally suited for the carbonization process, so they are the mostly likely organisms to be fossilized in that way.
Define: Fossil
(1a)
A fossil is the preserved remains of a once-living organism.
What is the catastrophist explanation for why different fossil are found in different strata?
(18)
According to catastrophists, most of the sedimentary rock we see today is the result of the worldwide flood. Thus, the depth, speed, and direction of the flood waters determined where the fossils being preserved came from. As a result, the different fossils in different layers are the result of the fact that different kinds of organisms were trapped and preserved during different states of the flood.
Why does petrifaction usually produce fossils with more information than fossil casts?
(6)
Petrified fossils have more information than fossil casts because fossil casts retain only the shape and outer details of the fossil. When a fossil is petrified, its components are replaced with minerals. This means the entire fossil is preserved, which gives us more information than just the shape and outer details of the fossil.
Which forms first: a fossil mold or a fossil cast?
(3)
A fossil mold forms first. If a cast forms, it forms later when the mold is filled with sediment or magma.
What is a trilobite, and are trilobites extinct?
(13)
A trilobite is a creature that lived in the water and was covered in a hard outer-covering. Typically, trilobites lived at the bottom of the ocean. They are assumed to be extinct.
Define: Extinct
(1d)
Extinct is a term applied to a species that was once living but now is not.
What is the uniformitarian explanation for why different fossils are found in different strata?
(17)
According to uniformitarians, each layer of rock represent a period of earth's history. The different fossils found in different layers result from the fact that different plants and animals existed at different times in any given region.
What major speculation must catastrophists make when studying geology?
(20)
Catastrophists must speculate about the nature of the worldwide flood. The speculation is aided by the observation of local catastrophes.
What is the uniformitarian explanation for how most sedimentary rocks formed?
(15)
Sediments are laid down slowly over millions of years. Eventually, conditions change and the sediments harden to form rocks. The conditions during which the sediments were laid down determine the type of sediment, which in turn determines the kind of rock formed.
What major speculation must uniformitarians make when studying geology?
(19)
Uniformitarians must speculate about how millions of years of time affect the processes we see working today. At best, we have viewed how these processes work over a few thousand years. The effect that millions of years will have on the processes can only be speculated.
Define: Petrifaction
(1b)
Petrifaction is the conversion of organic material into rock.
What are the first two general features of the fossil record?
(10)
1. Fossils are usually found in sedimentary rock. Since most sedimentary rock is laid down by water, it follows that most fossils were laid down by water.
2. The vast majority of the fossil record is made up of hard-shelled creatures like clams. Most of the remaining fossils are of either water-dwelling creatures or insects. Only a tiny, tiny fraction of the fossils we find are of plants, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
Describe the process of a cast forming, indicating when the mold has formed and when the cast has formed.
(4)
The remains of a plant or animal are encased in sediment, and the sediment eventually hardens into rock. As the remains of the plant or animal disintegrate, a hole is left in the rock. in the shape of the original remains. That is the mold. The mold might fill up with sediment or magma later and, when the filling hardens, it forms a cast.
What is the catastrophist explanation for how most sedimentary rocks formed?
(16)
Most sedimentary rocks we see today were formed in the worldwide flood. The depth, speed, and direction of the flood waters determined what type of sediments were laid down which in turn determined the kind of rock formed.
What is so nice about fossils that have been encased in amber or ice?
(9)
Fossils encased in amber or ice do not decompose as quickly as other fossils. Thus, tissue and other soft parts tend to be preserved.
DAILY DOUBLE!!
Define: Carbonization
Carbonization is the process in which chemical reactions take place leaving a thin, filmy residue composed mostly of carbon.
What are the last two general features of the fossil record?
(10)
3. Many of the fossils we find are of organisms that are still alive today. Many of the fossils we find are of organisms that are now extinct.
4. The fossils found in one layer of stratified rock can be considerably different from the fossils found in another layer of stratified rock.