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Fossil: any preserved trace left by an organism - E.g. footprints, burrows, faeces, bones shells, teeth, impressions of an organism Artefacts: objects deliberately made by humans - E.g stone tools, beads, carvings, charcoal from cooking, cave paintings
Fossil Formation
Generally organisms are decayed by other micro organisms Organisms may be fossilized if its buried rapidly by drifting sand, mud deposited by rivers, volcanic ash, and intentional burial. Wet, acidic soil minerals in bone are dissolved No O2, (peat) preservation of soft tissue and bones may occur. Alkaline soils are ideal petrification occurs: new minerals (lime/iron oxide) are deposited in pores of bone, replacing organic matter becoming a rock.
Fossil Discovery
sometimes found by chance (due to erosion) but generally result of excavation surface discoveries often lead to excavations Steps: - Area surveyed and sectioned - Small hand tools to gently remove soil - Removed soil is sieved - Photographs taken at every stage - Items retrieved are labeled and catalogued - In lab, fossils are scraped clean and repaired - Plaster casts/latex moulds are made
Fossil Dating
Absolute dating: actual age of specimen in years Relative dating: age relative to other fossils (older or younger) BP: Before Present
Chapter 17
Absolute Dating
Potassium-Argon Dating
Dating of a rock sample (assuming there is a fossil in/near the rock of the same age) Decay of K Ca + Ar Isotopes of Potassium are K-39, k-40, K-41. (diff number of neutrons, same protons) K-40 is radioactive and decays into Ar-40 + Ca-40. Decay is slow but constant Comparing K-40 to Ar-40 can provide an age for a rock. Used to date rocks 100,000 years and above Dates before 100,000 produce to little Ar-40 (0.0053%) Half life: time taken for any given quantity of a radioactive substance to half K Ar Half life = 1.25 x 109 years. (1,250,000,000)
Chapter 17
Correlation of marker rings in dead pines date them back as early as 8600 years Used up to 9000 years.
Relative Dating
Stratigraphy
Study of layers (strata) Principle of superposition: layers at the top are younger than those at the bottom Distortions of Earths crust may occur turn layers upside down Specimens may have been deliberately buried (younger than surrounding Earth) Correlation of rock strata: matching layers from different areas Index fossils: fossils which were widely distributed and only existed for a brief period of time
Fluorine Dating
When bone is left in soil, F- from water, diffuse into bone. (depends on original F- level in soil) Older fossils will contain more Fluorine ions Fossils from same specimen should have similar Fluorine levels.
Mesozonic
Palaeozoic
Chapter 17
Fossil Evidence for Evolution Ordovician Cambrian Ediacaran 488 542 620 2500 3800 4550