How Do You Identify A Fossil And Its Age?
According to the Merriam Webster’s dictionary, a fossil is “a remnant, impression, or trace of an organism of past geological age that has been preserved in the earth’s crust.” Those who identify and date fossils are called paleontologists. Paleontologists study fossils to identify and learn about life in past geological time. Geologists also use fossils to determine the age of rock formations in which the fossil was found. A fossil can either be fauna, meaning animal, and/or flora, meaning plant. A fossil may have to be excavated from the earth or rock formation. In order to retrieve the fossil, you must first remove it from its location. You may need a shovel or a trawl to remove the fossil. Flora can be identified by its pattern. They can be ribbed and scaly or have a distinct leaf pattern. Fauna fossil remains usually resemble the original organism. For instance, if the fossil is the remains of a shell-dwelling animal, it will have a distinctive curl pattern that is moderately or p
