Fossils are a heavily studied subject.
Taphonomists can make some kinds of fossils in the lab in a few hours. The processes involved are well understood. London Ekder and Smith, Fish Taphonomy and Environmental Inference in Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology vol. Dinosaur Tracks and Traces , Cambridge University Press, 454pp. Cambridge University Press, 1994.