What conditions favor the preservation of an organism as a fossil?
What will be an ideal response?
Two special conditions appear to be necessary: rapid burial and the possession of hard parts. When an organism perishes, its soft parts are usually quickly eaten by scavengers or decomposed by bacteria. Occasionally, however, the remains are buried by sediment. When this occurs, the remains are protected from the environment where destructive processes operate. Rapid burial, therefore, is an important condition favoring preservation. In addition, animals and plants have a much better chance of being preserved as part of the fossil record if they have hard parts. Although traces and imprints of soft-bodied animals, such as jellyfish, worms, and insects exist, they are not common. Flesh usually decays so rapidly that preservation is exceedingly unlikely. Hard parts, such as shells, bones, and teeth, dominate in the record of past life.
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Thick layers of wind-blown silt are
A) loess. B) alluvium. C) rills. D) fluvium.
Changes in daylength and the Sun's altitude above the horizon over the course of the year
A) produce Earth's rotation. B) are phenomena that occur only at the equator. C) are responsible for the seasons. D) are factors that follow an irregular, random cycle.
What are five levels at which people can participate in working toward a sustainable future?
What will be an ideal response?
Which characteristics are used to determine the processes that created a rock?
A) Heat and pressure B) Texture and composition C) Size and shape D) Color and texture