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paleontologist
a scientist who studies fossils
fossil
remains, imprints, or traces of prehistoric organisms that can tell when and where organisms once lived and how they lived
permineralized remains
fossils in which the spaces inside are filled with minerals from ground water
carbon film
thin film of carbon residue preserved as a fossil
mold
a type of body fossil that forms when an organism with hard parts is buried, decays or dissolves and leaves a cavity in the rock
cast
a type of body fossil that forms when crystals fill a mold or sediments wash into a mold and harden into a rock
index fossil
remains of species that existed on Earth for a relatively short period of time, were abundant, and were widespread geographically, and can be used by geologists to assign the ages of rock layers
original remains
Amber surrounds and protects the original material of the insect's exoskeleton from destruction
trace fossils
fossilized tracks and other evidence of the activity of organisms
trails & burrows
can tell something about how animals lived
sedimentary rock
rock formed when sediments are cemented and compacted or when minerals are precipitated from solution
principle of superposition
States that in undisturbed rock layers, the oldest rocks are on the bottom and the rocks become progressively younger toward the top
relative age
the age of something compared with other things
unconformity
gap in the rock layer that is due to erosion or periods without any disposition
Sedimentary Rock - Rocks that formed when layers of sediment such as clay, mud, silt, or                                                                  sand hardened over millions of years. These types of sediments are laid down in lakes, swamps and oceans

Imprint - A fossil created by a print or impression Amber Hardened tree sap, yellow to brown in color, often a source of insect fossils

Petrified - A description of plants or animals that have been preserved by being “turned to stone”

Extinct -No longer in existence Extinction the death of every member of a species

Subtle -  Not immediately obvious; difficult to detect

Drastic - Extreme or forceful; severe

Erosion - the process by which soil and rock are removed from the Earth's surface by natural
processes such as wind or water flow, and then transported and deposited in other locations
 
Weathering- The process of breaking down rocks into smaller pieces that create sediment

Deposition -The buildup of matter by a natural process, for example the laying down of sediments in a river

Landslide - The rapid downward sliding of earth and rock often caused by events such as oversteepening of slopes by erosion, heavy snowmelt, and earthquakes

Volcanic eruption -The sudden ejection of hot ash, molten rock, and various gases from an opening on the crust of a planet Earthquake Movement or vibration in the rocks that make up Earth’s crust

Delta - A triangular section of sediment deposited at the mouth of a river (where it flows into another body of water)

CORE The center portion of the earth. It is thought to be composed of two regions: 1) the inner core which is solid and has a radius of 750 miles; and 2) the outer core which is molten and about 1400 miles thick
 
DECAY The decomposition of organic matter.

ERUPTION Magma (molten rock) is forced to the surface due to pressure of gas and water vapor building up below the earth’s crust.

EXTINCT Plants or animals found only as fossils or not at all; not found alive today.
 
FOSSIL Remains of past plants or animals found in the earth’s crust.

GEOLOGIST A scientist who studies rocks and minerals.

 GEOLOGY The study of the earth through rocks.

HABITAT The environment in which the life needs of a plant or animal are supplied.

IMPRESSION A mark left behind by the surface of an organism in layers of fine-grained sediments, though the actual organism decays.

PALEONTOLOGIST A scientist that studies ancient life through fossils.
PALEONTOLOGY The study of fossils to show how living things evolved on the earth.

PETRIFIED WOOD Wood that has been replaced by minerals.


PETRIFY A process that replaces living material with minerals. Minerals dissolved in groundwater replace the cells of a dead tree or bones of a dead animal.

PRESERVED A plant or animal kept at least partly in its original form after death.
 
TRACE FOSSIL Evidence of an activity of a living thing preserved as footprints, burrows, coprolites, etc.

VOLCANO Volcanoes are vents or fissures in the earth’s crust through which magma is force onto the surface as lava by a buildup of gas and water vapor. Level 2
 
ASH Volcanic dust or tiny lava particles that accompany pyroclastic explosions.

BIOSTRATIGRAPHIC UNIT A group of rock strata that is identified by its fossil content.

BRECCIA A sedimentary rock composed of angular rock fragments fixed in a matrix.

CALDERA  A basin-shaped volcanic depression, more than a mile wide, typically resulting from an eruption and/or collapse of a volcano.

CARBON An abundant element that is a basic building block in the cells of all living beings.

CARBONIZATION The reduction of plant or animal remains to a film of carbon.

CLIMATE The sum total of the weather patterns that characterize the average and extreme conditions of the atmosphere over a long period of time for a specific region of the earth’s surface.

CONGLOMERATE A rock made up of rounded pebbles and cobbles in a matrix.
CONTINENTAL DRIFT The theory that continents have moved in relation to one another.

COPROLITE Fossil dung.

ECOSYSTEM: Ecological system; an organic community and its physical environment.
ELEMENT A substance made up of only one kind of atom. Elements can not be broken down by chemical means into simpler substances.

ENVIRONMENT The sum total of all the external conditions that may act upon an organism or community to influence its development or existence.

 EXTANT Plants or animals that still exist; the opposite of extinct.
 
GENUS A group of similar organisms that can be further subdivided into species.

GEOLOGIC TIMELINE The “planetary calendar” that spans the entire length of the earth’s history. The major subdivisions of geologic time are eras, periods, and epochs.

GEOPHYSICIST Scientists who study the physics of our changing earth or geology.

GRANITE A type of igneous rock formed from magma that cools inside the earth before reaching the surface.

IGNEOUS A rock that is formed from solidified magma or lava.
 
INFERENCE The process of deriving the strict logical consequences of assumed (observed) premises.

LATITUDE The distance north or south of the equator, measured in degrees.

LONGITUDE Angular distance east or west on the earth’s surface, measured in degrees from the Prime Meridian, which passes through Greenwich, England.
MANTLE The zone of the earth’s interior between the crust and the core. The mantle is about 1800 miles thick and is make up of three regions. The outermost is solid and lies below the crust.

MATRIX A natural material that cements rocks and pebbles together

METAMORPHIC ROCK A rock that is formed from previously existing rocks that have been subject to intense heat and/or pressure to the extent that their chemical composition has been altered
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MINERAL A homogeneous crystalline solid with a unique chemical composition and physical properties. For example, table salt is the common name for the mineral halite, whose chemical formula is NaCl (sodium chloride).

OBSERVATION To notice or perceive something and to note it.

PERMINERALIZATION A type of fossilization that occurs to the hard parts of an organism when minerals are deposited between the cell walls. This is the type of fossilization that has preserved the trees at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument.

PLATE TECTONICS The theory that the Earth’s outermost layer consists of several semi-rigid plates that move relative to each other.

PYROCLASTS Lava fragments or rocks formed from debris of an explosive volcanic eruption.

SEDIMENT Any substance that settles out of water.

 SEDIMENTARY ROCK Rock formed from sediments that are compacted under pressure. Sediments are particles of solid rocks eroded by glaciers, freeze-thaw action, rivers, wind, etc. Wind or water can redeposit these eroded particles.
 
SEISMOLOGY The study of earthquakes
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SILICA A mineral found in sand, quartz and volcanic ash. Silica is an important part of glass.

SPECIES A group of similar organisms that are capable of breeding, have similar morphology and physiological compatibility, have an ecological association as well as geographic distribution, and finally, continuity in time.
 
SOLUTION A substance dissolved in another substance, such as salt in water.

 STRATA Layers or beds of sedimentary rock.

STRATIGRAPHY The branch of geology that deals with the formation, composition, sequence, and correlation of layered rocks as parts of the earth's crust.

TAXONOMY The science of classification of organisms.

TUFF This rock is formed by the accumulation of pyroclastic material ejected by explosive volcanic eruptions.