Page 20 - Atlas of Creation Volume 1

WHAT IS A FOSSIL?

n the broadest definition, a fossil is the remains of a living thing that lived long ago and that has
survived down to the present day by being preserved under natural conditions. The fossils that
I come down to us are parts of an organism, or remains left behind when the living thing concerned
was still alive (the latter are known as trace fossils.) They are formed when dead animals or plants are

preserved before they completely decay and eventually become part
of the earth's sedimentary rock. In order for fossilization to
take place, the animal or plant concerned must be
buried in a fairly rapid manner—generally by being

covered in a layer of silt. This is generally followed Generally following the
by a chemical process, during which preservation death of a living
organism, first the soft
is ensured by means of mineral changes that
tissues become deformed
take place in the original tissues. and decay. Then later,

Fossils are the most important evidence hard parts such as bones
and teeth are preserved.
of the details of prehistoric life. From
Burial should occur fairly
various regions of the world, hundreds of rapidly to prevent
millions of fossils have been obtained, and deformation of the bones.

After long periods of

This birch fossil time, bones become
from the Paleocene buried under the lower
period (65.5 to 55 layers of sediment and
million years ago) there, the remains of
found in Montana is the living being
three-dimensional. become fossilized.

As the land above
A 50-MILLION-YEAR-
OLD FROG FOSSIL is slowly eroded
There exists no away, the rock
difference between layer in which the
this frog, alive 50 fossil formed starts
million years ago, to proceed towards
and those of today. the surface.

The fossil approaching
the surface either
appears by itself or is
found by paleontologists
during their
investigation.

18 Atlas of Creation