TECHNICAL SHEET

Fossils
OF POPULAR
SCIENCE

T E C H N I C A L S H E E T N ° 5 J A N U A R Y - J U N E , 2 0 1 4
PO INTS OF

INTEREST:
1. Introduction.
Introduction
Life on Earth began about take of oxygen, between millions of years, have
3600 million years, be- other adaptations, and then been preserved to us re-
What are fos- cause the primitive atmos- came eukaryotic cell. i mains of extinct or presents
sils? phere and climate facili- Unicellular living creatures species, if the daily experi-
tated prebiotic evolution became to colonial and ence teaches us that living
(refers to the formation of multicellular organisms material is very ephemeral?
Factors life from inorganic sub- giving origin to more com- This is possible through the
stances).ii plex organisms such as process of fossilization. iii
which affect The first organisms were mushrooms, plants and
the fossiliza- anaerobic bacteria, its animals. However, this
means, that they lived in an diversity of species has
tion environment without oxy- been interrupted by peri-
gen. Later, they were ac- odic mass extinctions, dis-
quiring different metabolic appearing countless organ-
Fossilization
capabilities such as solar isms, so, how is it possible
Process. energy absorption or up- that after thousands, even

2. What are fossils?

Kinds of fos-
silizations

Importance Fossils are the remains, for example, in vertebrates,

footprints or other evidence bones and teeth have min-
of fossils.
of organisms that lived in erals such as calcium phos-
other geological eras. For phate, which is resis-
example, bones of dino- tant to decomposi-
saurs as his footprints on tion, so it becomes
the wet sand, both are fos- fossilized easily. In-
sil. However, fossils don't stead, in invertebrates
just do reference to organ- the structures resis-
isms who lived in other tant to decomposition
geological eras, but there is are shells and exo-
also fossil species that are skeletons of chitin.
still living today. iv In the case of plants, Dinosaur fossil (www.planetacurioso.com)
The conservation of organ- cellulose and lignin
isms depends on the nature are what help to fossiliza-
of the hard parts of these, tioniv
 3. Factors which affect the
P AGE 2

fossilization
Fossilization isn't an iso- The biological de- ing on the composi-
lated event, it's part of a struction. Before and tion of the water
natural cycle in after burial, the re- passing through cur-
which the sedimen- mains may have been rents or by filtration.
tary rocks are formed subjected to biologi- Most likely pre-
and depends greatly cal destruction by served organisms
on other factors such bacteria, fungi or living in a sedimen-
as the physicochemi- carrion organisms. tary environment
cal conditions of the The mechanical de- (sea or lake) and
sedimentary environ- struction. The trans- those living buried or
ment.v portation of remains fixed to the bottom
The factors listed causes mechanical of these places.
below contribute to destruction, like the
the quality of the disarticulation of
fossil record, making skeletal elements to
it restricted. .v break or abrasion by
The environ- water or air currents.
ment. Not all envi- The chemical de-
Decomposers organisms. ronments, even being struction. Even after
(letsoor.wordpress.com ) sedimentary, are fa- fossilized remains
vorable for fossiliza- may be destroyed by
tion. dissolution, depend-

4. Fossilization Process.
Fossilization as Schopf start the decomposition parts and causes fluids
(1975) is the group of of their non resistant and gases during the
chemical and physical parts by scavengers like process. Although this is
changes that result in the vultures, foxes, hyenas, true even when the body
preservation of remains insects parties start, and is buried, if this is cov-
which belonged to a liv- mainly by the influence er ed by sediments
ing organism. v of bacteria, fungi and quickly is more likely to
Immediately after the oxidation . This causes fossilize. iv
death of an organism, the destruction of such

FOSSILS
T ECHNICA L SHEET N°5 P AGE 3

As the remains of the body and the sediment containing ment after deposit.viii Finally,
are being buried, their holes it, if this combination is fa- soil is eroded and exposing the
are filled up by sediment. vorable, the replacement will fossil .
Then a series of chemical be molecule by molecule for
transformations that are a long, long time, until the
slowly replacing organic body is completely mineral-
compounds of these remains ized, it means, become
to minerals. This transforma- stone. vii Diagenesis refers to
tion depends on the chemical the physical and chemical
composition of bone or shell, processes that affect sedi-

Fossilization process (expedicionaula.blogspot.com )

5. Kinds of fossilizations.
The following forms of con- buried occur a hardening of marks or traces of organic activ-
servation are presented by sediments surrounding it and ity which are called trace fossils
Schopf (1975). .v its cavities are also filled, in (footprints, brands rest, shelters
Permineralization. It refers this way morphology is pre- or rooms and metabolism as cop-
to the precipitation of miner- served by the formation of a rolites.
als in the porous structure of protective outer layer. If the Duripatric preservetion. Origi-
bones and shells. remains of the body are dis- nal hard parts are conserved by a
solved (such as a shell) burial that isolated from the oxi-
Authigenic preservation.
makes a natural mold, if dation and decomposition.
Precise very fine sediments
printing reveals the external
and precipitation of authi- Mummification. Thus preserved
morphology of the hard
genic minerals (minerals the remains were buried in very
parts, called external mold, if
formed by chemical precipi- arid environments subject to high
it retains the internal features
tation within the sedimentary temperatures, and prevents dehy-
is known as internal mold.
deposit). When the body is dration decomposition.
Another example are the
 P AGE 4

Conservation tar. De- Chemical fossils. Sub- naceous film that keeps
posits of tar have sub- stances that are residues the external shape of the
stances that make the of the soft parts of organ- remains.
antiseptic means avoid- isms which containing
ing spoilage. carbon compound.
Freezing. The drop in Insects in amber. Ac-
temperature prevents mi- cording to Schopf insects
croorganisms decompose in amber have a conser-
the remains of living vation carbonaceous
things. compression, because
External mold of a mollusk only is observed a carbo-
(oldearth.wordpress.com )

Permineralization (biblioweb.tic.unam.mx )
Internal mold gastropod (servicios.educarm.es )

Dinosaur footprints in Santisteban del Puerto

Coprolite (fanaticussaurus.blogspot.mx)
(www.juntadeandalucia.es)

Head, left arm and shoulder of

Ötzi, a man of the Bronze Age
(weblogs.clarin.com )

FOSSILS
T ECHNICA L SHEET N°5 P AGE 5

Fossil 'Lyuba' a baby mammoth found in Insect in amber found in the Amazon
Russia (www.elmundo.es ) (cienciados.com)

6. Importance of Fossils.
Fossils help us to know by the fossil record also ogy (science with the
what were the beings that helps to analyze the eco- study of the earth) as
existed in the past and logical factors that gov- these residues are impor-
which disappeared and ern the distribution of tant for identification of
still are today; we also living things and makes it rocks found in coal and
know what was his mor- possible to establish the oil, in addition to contrib-
phology, their lifestyle paleoenvironments in uting to set their relative
and their distribution, and which they were depos- ages.iv
thus help to form evolu- ited.v
tionary lineages. The study of fossils is
The information provided very important for geol-

7. Conclusions.
The fossils are consid- begins with the burial of important because they
ered as any evidence of a the remains and then help to reconstruct the
living being which was these are part of sedi- history of the earth,
preserved through thou- ment. moreover, are a signifi-
sands of years. We can find different cant source of fuel.
There are several factors types of fossil according
during fossilization that to the form of preserva-
influence product quality, tion that they suffered.
making it incomplete. In general we can say
The fossilization process that the fossils are very
8. References.
i. Audesirk, T., Audesirk, G., Byers, B. E. Biología . 2008. La vida en la Tierra. 8va/ed. Pear-
son Educación de México. México. P. 1024.
ii. elorigendelavidayelserhumano.blogspot.mx
iii. Alonso-Diago, M.A., Sesé-Benito, C. 1988. Historia de la Tierra y de la Vida. Museo Nacio-
nal de Ciencia Naturales. España
iv. Black, R.M. 1976. Elementos de paleontología. Fondo de Cultura Económica. México.
v. García, P., Sour, F., Montellano, M.. 1997. Paleontología. Coordinación de Servicios Editoria-
les. Facultad de Ciencias, UNAM. México.
vi. Patarroyo-Gama, P. 2005. Notas de clase. Principios de Paleontología. Facultad de Ciencias.
Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Bogotá, Colombia.

TECHNICAL SHEET OF POPU-

LAR SCIENCE
Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad
Juárez
Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas
Programa de Biología
Unidad de Exhibición Biológica
Calle Pronaf y Estocolmo Sin
Número
Teléfono 688-18-00 al 09
Extensión 1586