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Vocab 2/8
Question | Answer |
---|---|
mummification | a method of preservation through dehydration; bacteria that cause decay cannot survive arid (dry) environments |
freezing | a method of preservation through very cold temperature; bacteria that cause decay cannot survive in very cold environments |
petrification | a method of preservation that occurs when minerals in groundwater replace the organic material in a dead organism |
carbon films | a type of fossil in which a carbon imprint of a leaf, stem, flower, or fish is left in sedimentary rock made of soft clay or mud |
mold | an empty space left in a sedimentary rock when a shell or other hard object dissolves |
cast | a replica of the original organism; created when mud or sand fills a mold |
coprolite | fossilized dung or waste material |
gastrolith | fossilized digestive stone from a dinosaur |
trace fossil | a fossilized mark that formed in sedimentary rock by the movement of an animal on or within soft sediment. Examples include: tracks, footprints, borings, and burrows |
index fossil | a fossil that is used to establish the age of rock layers because it is distinct, abundant, and widespread and existed for only a short span of geologic time |