GEOL 11042 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Lithification, Paleoclimatology, Coprolite
8 Nov 2020
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Document Summary
Fossils are any physical evidence of life before the time of the written record of mankind. Fossils may be actual remains of plants or animals (bones of a dinosaur or clam shells), replacements of actual remains by some other mineral, or they may be impressions of the remains. Fossils may even be trace fossils (tracks, trails, or footprints) or they may be coprolites (fossil dung). These clues to ancient life are among the most important lines of evidence for working out earth history because they can tell us many things about the past: The next lab will provide the basic information and procedures for identifying fossils, concentrating on the fossils that can be found in ohio. The diagram on the next page, modified from fossils of ohio, illustrates the various ways that living organisms may have some of their remains preserved as fossils. Lithification refers to the processes of compaction and cementation of sediment to form sedimentary rocks.
