Fossil Evidence of Evolution Flashcards

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What is a fossil?

A fossil is the preserved remains or trace of a living thing from the past, such as bones, shells, footprints or leaf prints in rock.

How can fossils form by mineral replacement?

After death, the organism is buried in sediment. Water brings in minerals that replace the hard parts, turning them into rock over time.

What are moulds and casts in fossils?

A mould is a hollow imprint left in rock after an organism decays. A cast forms when minerals fill the mould and harden.

How can organisms be preserved without decay?

If trapped in amber, ice, tar, or peat with little oxygen and low temperature, decay microbes cannot work, so soft parts can be preserved.

How does the fossil record support evolution?

It shows that life has changed over time. Older rocks hold different forms, and you can see gradual changes that link groups.

What is a transitional fossil?

A fossil with features of two groups, showing a step between an older form and a newer one.

Why is the fossil record incomplete?

Many early organisms were soft-bodied and did not fossilise. Some fossils were destroyed by heat, pressure or erosion, and many have not yet been found.

How can rock layers be used to work out a fossil’s age?

In undisturbed sedimentary rocks, deeper layers are older than those above. A fossil lower down is older than one higher up.

What is carbon dating used for?

It measures the carbon-14 in once-living material to find its age. It works for recent fossils up to about 50,000 years old.

How are very old fossils dated if carbon dating cannot be used?

Scientists date igneous rock layers above and below using radioactive elements. This gives an age range for the fossil.

Why are fossils usually found in sedimentary rock?

Sedimentary rock forms from layers of mud or sand at low temperatures. Heat and pressure in igneous or metamorphic rocks would destroy remains.