Fossil Formation Practice

Where are most fossils formed?

• near volcanoes, because the high heat of the lava helps to form fossils

• in glaciers, because fossils are created when an organism is frozen quickly

• in sedimentary rock, because being buried in sediment helps to form fossils

• near earthquakes, because the shaking ground traps organisms to create fossils

Which of the following is true about where fossils are found?

• Fossils are found only in parts of the world where there is water.

• Fossils are found only in parts of the world with volcanoes.

• Fossils are found all over the world, mostly in water.

• Fossils are found all over the world, mostly in rock.

Which property of the leaf can be learned from the fossil?

• the size of the leaf

• the color of the leaf

• how fast the leaf grew

• which animals ate the leaf

What is the best explanation for the location of the fossil?

• This kind of fish was often eaten by land animals.

• This kind of fish had once lived on land.

• The area used to be filled with water.

• The area used to be very cold.

When a paleontologist, a scientist who studies fossils, creates a model from dinosaur bones, what are they NOT able to learn about the dinosaur?

• how the dinosaur behaved

• what species of dinosaur it was

• the approximate size of the dinosaur

• whether the dinosaur was a carnivore or a herbivore

What is a fossil?

• a rock that is millions of years old

• the model created by a scientist to study dinosaurs

• the remains of an organism studied by scientists

• an organism that has become extinct

Which type of scientist studies life that existed long ago, mostly by studying fossils?

• biologist

• zoologist

• botanist

• paleontologist

How did scientists first learn about dinosaurs?

• by studying their fossils

• by reading about them

• by watching movies

• by looking at pictures

Fossils of sharks can be found all over Georgia. Which part of the shark is most likely to become a fossil?

• the skin

• the teeth

• the eyes

• the fins

What are the preserved remains of an organism called?

• a model

• a rock

• a fossil

• a skeleton