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E103 Introduction to
Fossils
This poster begins by explaining what fossils are and how a few
pioneering scientists eventually realized that they were the remains
or traces of once-living organisms. Many people think fossils are
petrified bones but bone-type fossils are actually rocks. They are
the result of a process called mineralization in which minerals
replace decaying tissue. This process is shown and explained. All of
the other fossil types are also explored.
The rarity of fossils is dramatically presented (see below) and
strange things sometimes mistaken for fossils are identified.
There’s a great section on fossil expeditions and one that discusses
what fossils tell us. All of this is accompanied by detailed
illustrations showing the processes and excellent photographs of
representative specimens.
There is an especially helpful section on the
relationship of fossils to geology. It covers the principal of
original horizontality, the law of superimposition, the principle of
faunal succession, geological time charts, index fossils, and both
relative and absolute dating. This poster is a great aid to museum
interpretive programs and extremely beneficial in the study of both
life and earth sciences. |
