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Investigation #1 Lab
Body/Trace Fossils
Investigation #1
Investigation #2
Definitions
100
What objects were observed to see if they can be fossilized?
Lemon, chicken wing, tomato, leaf
100
Give two examples of a body fossil.
Bone and shell
100
Fossils are found mainly in what kinds of rocks? A. Volcanic B. Sedimentary C. Big D. Small
Sedimentary
100
What are organic compounds made of?
Carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen
100
What is a fossil?
Any evidence of past life.
200
Which item observed would decompose the quickest and why?
The tomato because it is soft and has no hard parts.
200
What is a trace fossil?
Evidence of activity from animals that lived in the past.
200
What are organic compounds made of?
carbon, hydrogen, oxygen
200
Most animals become fossilized by being buried in what?
Sediment
200
What is sediment?
Particles of materials and loose pieces of rocks caused from weathering and erosion.
300
What part of the lemon would leave a good imprint and why?
The peel because it is the hardest and would decay last.
300
Give examples of trace fossils. At least three are needed.
1. Footprints 2. Tracks 3. Tunnels 4. Holes 5. Feeding marks 6. Resting marks
300
What are the most common fossils?
Shells of marine animals.
300
Rank the fine sand, coarse sand, and clay in order from the smallest particles to the largest particles and explain which sediment is most likely to leave the most detailed impression.
Clay, fine sand, coarse sand. the finer sand-clay, particles are closer together; therefore less chance for water or oxygen to get through and ruin the imprint.
300
What does preserve mean? Use it in a sentence.
To keep in good shape or maintain in its original or existing state.
400
How do you think decompostion affects fossilization?
Decomposition decreases the chances of fossilization because material that decomposes goes away.
400
Why is it hard to find out what a trace fossil is?
It can disappear or it can be hard to identify what the specific animal who created the trace fossil was.
400
When does the decomposition process slow down?
When buried in fine mud and sealed from receiving water and oxygen.
400
Fossils are most common in what type of stone?
Limestone because it consists of shells of organisms.
400
What is a mold?
When an original item was once in sediment which caused an imprint but dissolved.
500
Describe each of the four objects from the lab. Which parts of each would fossilize the best?
Chicken wing-bones Leaf-midrib (stem) Lemon-peel Tomato-outer skin (exocarp)
500
How are trace fossils useful to those who study fossils?
1. They tell something about the environment. 2. Where the animal lived. 3. The animal's behavior.
500
What are some ways that animals become fossilized?
When shells or bones are buried and not dissolved before the rock becomes solid or When an insect is trapped in resin (sitcky material that comes out from a tree, turning into amber).
500
Do you think a sandy beach is a good place for fossils to be preserved? Why or why not?
No it is not a good place because footprints are more likely to be erased. It is also out in the open for scavengers, water, oxygen, and the weather to destroy the fossils.
500
What is a cast?
When an imprint is filled with other materials once the original organism has been dissolved.