Fossil Vocabulary

16 cards·by emluc

climate

a pattern of weather over a period of time

dinosaur

an extinct organism

environment

the surroundings and conditions in which an organism lives

extinct

no longer exists

extinction

loss of an entire type of organism

fossil

the remains or evidence of an ancient organism

impression

a mark or design made on a surface by pressure

infer

a process of reasoning from something known or assumed

mineral

a natural solid material that has a particular crystal structure

organism

a living thing that carries out basic life functions on its own

prehistoric

belonging to a period of time before recorded history

preserved

keep from harm or change

replacement

the process of an organism's hard parts being dissolved and replaced by other minerals

sedimentary

formed from mud, sand, small pieces of rock or other sediments that are pressed and naturally cemented to form a rock

trilobite

an extinct ocean shellfish

tropical

very hot and moist climate