Ali_lab8_Fossils

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Georgia State University *

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1122

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Geology

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Apr 3, 2024

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docx

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Name: Ali Butt TA: Carley Wilshire Lab 8: Fossils GEOL 1122 This lab covers fossils, both the processes that make them, what the tell us, and making observations and identifications about them. Please watch the videos on iCollege and use the hand out to complete this lab. You are also welcome to use your textbook. Part One: Fossil Specimens 1) A deer died 500 years ago. Are the remains considered a fossil? Why or why not? (3 pts) Since a specimen of a fossil would need to be at least 10,000 years old, the deer would not qualify as a fossil. This is due to the lengthy nature of the fossilization process. 2) Describe the preservation potential for each specimen. Explain your reasoning. (3 pts each) a. Sea turtle: Because of their strong shells, sea turtles have a high potential for preservation. Because they are composed of bone, these shells have a good chance of fossilizing. b. Dolphin: Dolphins have a strong chance of being preserved as well. They have a strong skeleton that is good for fossilization. They inhabit marine habitats, just like sea turtles, where fossilization conditions are frequently favorable. c. Jellyfish: The potential for jellyfish preservation is low. They don't have any hard pieces, which are the portions of an organism most likely to fossilize—like bones or shells. Their fragile, gelatinous bodies swiftly disintegrate after death, leaving little to no material for fossilization. d. Centipede: The possibility for preservation of centipedes is medium. Although they do possess hard exoskeletons, their terrestrial habitats do not provide the same conditions for fossilization that marine ecosystems offer. 3) Fossils are common in all three types of rocks. True or false? Explain your reasoning. (3 pts) The three primary types of rock are sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous. Fossils are typically found in sedimentary rocks. So, the statement is false.
4) How does the rate of burial affect the potential for fossilization? (2 pts) The possibility for fossil preservation is closely correlated with the rate of burial, i.e. The greater the rate of burial, the greater the likelihood of preservation. The fossilization process depends on the remains being quickly buried beneath a layer of silt, which shields the remains from physical and biological processes that would otherwise destroy them. 5) You find a site filled with fossilized insects, leaves, and hard parts from fish, but you find no worm fossils. Your partner concludes that no worms lived at the site at that time. Explain why the conclusion might be flawed and list other forms of evidence that might indicate that worms did in fact live among these other organisms. (2 pts) The results could be malfunctioned or faulty, since it would be difficult to determine whether worms were actually there because they do not have a high preservation potential. However, traces or imprints of a worm's movement can be used to determine whether or not it lived there. 6) Environments play a crucial role in an organisms chance of fossilization. Think about the environment each of the below lived in. Then, explain which organisms had a higher or lower chance of fossilization based on the particular habitat. (3 pts each) a. A salamander in a creek vs. woody plants in a swamp b. A shark in the Pacific Ocean vs. a deer on top of a cliff When an organism is promptly buried after dying, it stops decaying and allows its remnants to be preserved. This process is known as fossilization. a) A salamander. If a salamander were in a creek, the water's current might bring silt that would swiftly cover its body and raise the likelihood that it would fossilize. However, woody plants in a swamp might not bury themselves as quickly, which would lessen the chance that they would become fossilized. b) A shark. Because of the sedimentary conditions and low oxygen levels at the ocean floor, a shark in the Pacific Ocean is more likely to fossilize and remain preserved. A deer perched atop a cliff, on the other hand, has less of a chance because terrestrial habitats typically don't provide the right circumstances for fossilization. 7) What is the difference between a fossil and artifact? (2 pts) The primary distinction between fossils and artifacts is that the former are the preserved remains of living things, while the latter are the remains of objects made by humans. Unlike artifacts, which are significant in terms of history and anthropology, fossils are also valuable from a scientific standpoint. Fossils include things like seashells, animal bones, leaf impressions, footprints that have been preserved in rock. Artifacts include things like vases, pyramids, arrowheads, etc.
8) Use the following 3D model to answer the questions: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/heliophyllum-halli-pri-70755- 9ddbca9ef7384ea7b748a7f219cc9156 a. Is this a body or trace fossil? (1 pt) Body fossil. b. Are solitary or colonial corals represented? (1 pt) Solitary corals. c. To which phylum does it belong? (1 pt) It belongs to phylum Cnidaria, which also includes modern-day corals, jellyfish, and sea anemones. 9) Use the following 3D model to answer the questions: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/petrified-wood-2-94d1b3f178af47cd92aca365c634da41 a. Is this a fossil or artifact? Why? What is it? (3 pts) It's a fossil, this. It is wood that has been petrified as a result of the fossilization process, which takes millions of years and replaces the organic substance in wood with minerals, usually silica. The original wood's structure and details are preserved through this technique. b. What is the primary mode of preservation? How do you know? (2 pts) Permineralization is the main preservation method. The intricate texture and structure of the wood, which demonstrate the replacement of the original organic substance by minerals, make this clear. 10) Open the 3D models of these two fossils and compare this for this question: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/brachiopod-platystrophia-cypha-pri-76923- 1e28ac9ff111488ea54f581cc286b87e https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/bivalve-mercenaria-mercenaria-pri-76728- 6f5f534f002b4402b2043fa09ed6441a a. Are these body or trace fossils? (1 pt) Body fossil. b. Explain the major differences you see between these fossils. (2 pts) Primarily the fossil's form. One features grooves, while the other is more rounded. c. To which two phyla do these specimens belong? (2 pts) The Brachiopoda contains the first, whereas Mollusca contains the others. 11) Use this 3D model to answer these questions: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/pal617525-giant-ground-sloth-dung-vcu-3d-4092- fa1a828c79e54f41829b63ff32915530 a. Is this a trace or body fossil? What does it represent? (2 pts) Trace fossil. It represents the feces or stools from the animal.
b. What sort of information could be obtained from this particular fossil? (2 pts) Researchers can learn more about the kinds of plants and other materials that the fossil eats by examining the makeup of its excrement. They may also be able to identify any parasites or other organisms that may be living in its digestive system. The habitat and ecology in which the sloth lived may also be inferred indirectly from this fossil. 12) Use this 3D model to answer these questions: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/cephalopod-baculites-sp-pri-70605- c1a09417fbe546819938e36f5c541c7b a. Describe what you see in this model. (2 pts) The model depicts a long, conical-shaped, straight, and slender fossil. Its length is covered in a succession of transverse lines or ridges. b. Is this a nautiloid or ammonoid? (1 pt) An ammonoid. c. What is a key characteristic that can be used for identifying this type of cephalopod? (1 pt) Unlike the majority of ammonoids, which have coiled shells, this species of cephalopod has an elongated, straight shell with transverse ridges. d. Is this type of cephalopod extant (currently living) or extinct? (1 pt) Extinct. There are no more of this kind. 13) Use this 3D model to answer the questions: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/vertebrate- fish-pri-53568-e62fbf61257c462c842ac31354de49a9 a. What type of preservation is this? How can you tell? (2 pts) It might be mold. From the appearance, it appears that the rock contains a mold that, when plaster is poured into, will recreate the fish on the rock. 14) Use this 3D model to answer the questions: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/bivalve- ostrea-coxi-pri-40844-e6938b1c171d48ef8113bfcd9e7e3d9b a. Why do you think the bivalve has a hole in its shell? (1 pt) According to the image caption, a predatory snail produced it. b. What type of mollusk might have made the hole? (1 pt) The bivalve shells in the photograph have a hole on them that is not a natural hole. This has to have been created by a cannibal or predatory snail that ate the snail to create the hole in its shell. 15) Use this 3D model to answer the questions: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/theropod- footprint-3e4541927c444a2e820c9cde01858ace a. Is this a body or trace fossil? (1 pt)
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