Fossil Record Vocab

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chronological order

Back

the arrangement of things in the order that they occurred

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diversity

Back

the quality or state of having many different forms, types, ideas, etc.

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extinction

Back

the permanent disappearance of a species from Earth

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fossil record

Back

the mineralized remains of organisms and the rock layers in which they are found

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fossils

Back

the mineralized remains of organisms, showing how long-dead organisms lived and how their bodies were structured

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law of superposition

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scientific law that states fossils located in deeper sediment layers are older than ones deposited in layers closer to the surface

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petrification

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the formation of fossils as stone replaces decaying tissues.