by cyberborgz

Created on: April 02, 2009   Last Updated: May 02, 2009

Fossilization is a process which is generally accomplished by filling up the dead remains of animals with minerals in vicinity. Dead remains of plants and animals that resided on the planet millions of year earlier are gradually fossilized and their remains are seen as a fossil. After the plant and animal dies, their flesh either rots or is consumed by scavengers and bacterial leaving only their bones and shells.

The bones are buried deep inside the earths crust preserving them in different weather conditions and with time the bone decays slowly leaving their trace on the rocks. Therefore fossils are actually rocks and mineral stones that have the trace of prehistoric creature that wandered the surface of the earth millions of years ago. These fossils give us a clue about the existence of life on the planet long before mankind stepped into this world.

It is not necessary for all dead creatures to get fossilized because some are eaten up by predators, some cannot survive the unfavorable weather condition and time. Some creature doesn't possess bones or shells to aid in the process of fossilization. Most of the fossils gradually disappear with time without leaving any traces. There are different types of fossils and they can vary in sizes and forms as they belong to different creatures or living organism.

There are different ways of fossilization as discussed below:

1. Refrigeration: It is the case in which the creatures living in cold place or during the ice age. After their death, their remains are frozen and preserved after their death inside the ice.

2. Mummification: It's a process where fossil remains by drying or because of dry condition. The flesh and tissues of dead animals living inside the caves are preserved. But the fossil doesn't remain for long since with time it will disintegrate and disappear.

3. Unaltered preservation: Small creatures and insects dwelling on the trees are sometimes trapped in the sap of the tree and dies. These dead remains get preserved in the form of amber.

4. Permineralization: The dead remains of creatures such as bones and shells are replaced by minerals leaving its shape on the rock once everything disintegrates. The rock will resemble the dead creature.

5. Carbonization: It is a process where the whole body of the dead creature is decomposed leaving only carbon elements giving trace of its existence.

6. Recrystalization: This is the way process of fossilization of sea creatures having shells, where crystal forms in the dead parts. This replacement with crystal preserves its shape for millions of years.

7. Tar: Even tar can preserve insects but for short time, maybe for few thousands of years.

8. Volcano: Due to process of volcano animals is trapped in the lava.

Therefore it's a natural way of preserving the history of the life on this planet.

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