Fossils

Clues from the Past

A fossil is what remains of a plant or animal that lived long ago. Some
fossils are thousands of years old. Others are millions of years old. Fossils
take many forms. Here are a few.

One type of fossil is an impression. It forms when a living thing dies in

mud. Over time, the mud is pushed down and rock forms. A flattened print of
the living thing is left in the rock. Many fossils of plants are formed this way.

Another type of fossil is a mold. Like impressions, this kind of fossil

starts when the living thing dies in mud. But this time, the mud does not get
pushed down and cause the remains to be flattened. Instead the remains
keep their shape when the mud turns to rock. Many years later, the rock is
washed away by water. A space that looks like the living thing is left behind.

Some fossils are simply the skeletons of animals that lived long ago. After
the animal dies, minerals are carried into the bones by water. Slowly, the
minerals take the place of the bone and what is left is basically stone. Plants
like trees can turn to stone too. Minerals take the place of wood. Large areas
of tree fossils formed in this way are called petrified forests. Fossils like
these last for millions of years.

Why are fossils like these

important? They give scientists
clues about the past. Fossils tell how
animals lived, where they lived, and
even what they ate. Fossils tell what
kinds of plants lived where and how
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climates changed over time. Fossils

are full of facts about life long ago.
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Name Date
Fossils: recalling details, vocabulary

Fossil Findings
Tell what you learned about fossils from reading “Clues from

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the Past.”

1 What is a fossil? 2 How is an impression formed?

3 How is a mold formed?

4 How do minerals make fossils of animals?

5 How do minerals make fossils of trees?

6 Why are fossils important?

Bonus: Use your answers above to write a letter to a paleontologist (a person who studies fossils) named
Dr. Rox. Tell her what you learned from the reading. Ask her a question you still have about fossils.

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