Let’s Learn: How Fossils Are Formed
How were fossils made?
Goal:
Goal:
We know fossils are hardened remains or traces of an organism that lived long ago. But how were fossils made?
Click through the steps below to learn how a tyrannosaurus rex fossil was formed.
A tyrannosaurus rex dies.
Dirt covers the tyrannosaurus rex. The body begins to decay, or rot.
The soil and sand begin to harden. The bones become rock. This takes thousands or even millions of years.
The land moves away because of erosion. Now, someone can find the fossil! This can take millions of years.
Question
How do footprints become fossils?
An animal leaves a footprint in mud. Dirt covers the footprint and hardens around it. The dirt becomes rock with the shape of a footprint inside it.