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science vocab 1
fossils and stuff
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Paleontologist | a scientist who studies fossils |
Relative Age | the age of something compared with the age of something else |
Principle of Superposition | that in undisturbed layers of rock the oldest are on the bottom and getting younger toward the top |
Mold | cavity in rock left when the hard parts of an organism decay |
Cast | a type of fossil that forms when sediments fill the mold and harden into rock |
Index Fossil | remains of a species that existed for a relatively short period of time,were abundant,& widespread geographically can be used to assign ages of rock layers |
Trace Fossil | fossilized tracks/ other evidence of activity of organisms |
Unconformity | gap in the rock layer that is due to erosion or period w/o any deposition |
Original Remains | when conditions allow original soft parts of organisms to be preserved for thousands or millions of years |
Fossil | remains,imprints, or traces of prehistoric organisms |
Permineralized Remains | fossils where spaces inside are filled w/minerals from ground water |
Carbon Films | when a thin film or carbon residue forms when a silhouette of the original organism;carbonized plant becomes coal |