Invertebrate Paleontology Fall 2000 Exam 1, Key 1. Geologic Time Scale - see your book or handout 2. Remains or traces of ancient life that are generally agreed to be older than 10,000 ybp.
Body fossils preserve some part of the organism either unaltered or altered by preservation.
Examples of body fossils include shells, bones, petrified wood, teeth, insects in amber, etc. Trace fossils preserve some evidence of ancient life but preserve no actual body parts, and often indicate something about the behavior of the organism. Examples include molds, casts, impressions, footprints, tracks, trails, burrows, coprolites, knawings, etc. Taphonomy is the study of all processes that produce fossil deposits. Biostratinomy - mostly mechanical processes of transport abrasion, deposition, erosion, some chemical dissolution and biological breakage.