Dinos & fossils Flashcards
What’s a fossil and what does it provide
A fossil is the prehistoric remains of a plant or animal. Fossils are preserved when they are buried under many layers of sand and mud. Under great pressure the sand and mud become sedimentary rock; and they provide clues about life in the past,
What information do rocks give us
What did humans eat
How has the earths climate changed
What caused the extinction of dinosaurs
Sedimentary rocks are…
Formed by the different layers of sediments which cemented over time
Scientist who study fossils are
Palaeontologist
What can palaeontologist find out when they compare different fossils and rocks to each other
Relative age
How do fossils form?
The remains of mostly animals and plants decay, which become buried into sediments
Are hard parts or softer parts easier to be preserved
Hard parts
How could animals with whole bodies be kept in there exact shape and form
If insects were trapped in tree sap they could still be in a whole form. Also if animals are trapped in the ice, which includes skin, hair and internal organs.(wooly mammoth)
Can fossils leave traces in sediments if so what?
The remains of animals or plants can sometimes leave imprints in sediments or rock. They can also be brocken down by minerals in water
What is a trace fossil
Shows sign of presence, things like footprints and droppings
What information do foot prints provide?
Size, weight, two legged or four and how it’s weight was spread
How long ago did the dinosaurs die?
63 million years ago
How many theory’s and what are they?
4 theory’s: Asteroid theory
Volcano theory
Cooling climate theory
Emerging plants theory
Cooling climate theory did what?
Gradually cooling the climate due to causes in the Suns activity which would have caused larger animals to die first
Emerging plants theory did what?
The plants lacked sunlight and died which meant plant eaters died then the meat eaters had nothing to eat off then they died
