| A | B |
|---|
| paleontologists | a scientist who studies fossils |
| fossils | remains, imprints, or traces of prehistoric organisms |
| hard parts | these are more likely to form fossils |
| sediment | organisms can be quickly buried in this |
| permineralized remains | fossils whose spaces are filled with minerals from groundwater |
| carbon film | a thin film of carbon that looks like the original organism |
| mold | a cavity or space in the rock left when the hard parts of a creature decays |
| cast | fossil formed when sediments or minerals fill a mold |
| trace fossils | evidence of an organism's life |
| trace fossils | can be footprints or trails |
| index fossils | organisms that existed for a short period of time and were plentiful, useful for dating other fossils |
| fossils | can reveal information about past land forms and climate |
| sedimentary rock | type of rock that fossils are found in |
| amber | insects are sometimes found preserved in this |
