Description

My Fossil Collection

Packed full of fossils from around the world. My Fossil Collection makes a great gift for fossil collectors and enthusiasts!

Fossils inside the Box may include: Dinosaur Bone, Crinoids, Bryozoan Branch, Gonianites, Ammonites, Sharks Teeth, Bi Valves, Brachiopods, Gastropods, Orthoceras, Sea Urchins.

Clear clamshell pack containes a range of fossils with fossil information and a magnifying Lens.

Aprox Weight: 220g
Aprox size: 140mm x 60mm x 60mm

What is a Fossil?

So a fossil is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved in amber, hair, petrified wood, oil, coal, and DNA remnants. The totality of fossils is known as the fossil record.

Paleontology is the study of fossils: their age, method of formation, and evolutionary significance. Specimens are usually considered to be fossils if they are over 10,000 years old. The oldest fossils are around 3.48 billion years old to 4.1 billion years old. In the 19th century it was discovered that certain fossils were associated with certain rock strata led to the recognition of a geological timescale and the relative ages of different fossils.

How is a fossil formed?

Fossils are formed in a number of different ways, but most are formed when a plant or animal dies in a watery environment and is buried in mud and silt. Soft tissues quickly decompose leaving the hard or shells behind. Over time sediment builds over the top and hardens into rock. There are many processes that lead to fossilization.