What are fossils?
What are fossils?
Fossils may be one of the windows that allow us to glimpse our past on Earth. SoHuman studied those fossils for a long time, and recorded his attempts to describe life before the beginning of history. In conclusion, the fossils implicitly contain a long chronological record, a record that includes various time periods, where many strange and diverse types oforganisms.
were found.
Hence, many important questions lie, such as: How were we able to access this time record, and obtain the information contained in it? How were we able to imagine entire ecosystems that existed millions of years ago? Or how were we able to determine the age of the planet? The answer to these questions will certainly be through exploring ancient fossils that existed in distant times. However, before this we must answer two questions: What is the meaning of fossils, and what are their types?
Definition of fossils and their types
Fossils or fossils are the remains and traces of a living organism – whether plant or animal – that lived in a distant era, thousands or millions of years ago, and then these traces and remains were deposited in thelayers of the Earth naturally. Based on this, the science that studies these remains is known as paleontology, and the features of this science began to take shape since the seventeenth century, when people began to study the fossils that were discovered to determinethe age of the Earth, and to explain the causes of the extinction of organisms that lived in the past. This proposal calls us to know the types of fossils, and to be fully aware of their shapes.
Types of fossils
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Skeleton excavations:
It is the complete original remains of a living organism, such as skeletons, teeth, pollen grains, etc.
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Archaeological excavations:
They are the remains resulting from the activities of living organisms in the past, when they were living, such as worm fossils, footprints, traces left on the rocks of the earth, and other traces of living organisms.
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Stamp fossils:
There are two types: internal and external, the first of which occurs when the entire organism decomposes in sedimentary rocks, and the other type occurs when the internal cavity of the structure is filled with sediments or minerals, such as shells and skulls.
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Mold excavations:
They are fossils that arise when an animal’s cavity is filled with a mineral substance. Which leads to the formation of a structure similar to that of an animal.
Since we are now aware of the types of fossils and their definition, we should look at the most important Egyptian site that contains fossils dating back to distant eras.
The most famous Egyptian fossil reserves
Wadi Al-Hitan is located within the Wadi Al-Rayyan Reserve, which is a large area covering a wide area inFayoum Governorate in Egypt, 150 kilometers from Cairo. In Wadi Al-Hitan, 10 complete skeletons of whales that lived in this region were found, as they formed part of a wide ocean that includedNorth Africa. In 2005, Wadi El-Hitan was classified as a World Heritage Site for whale skeletons.
Moreover, the Wadi al-Hitan area is famous for the presence of fossils dating back to whales that lived in this area 40 million years ago, when the valley was under the huge ocean called (Tethys Sea), in addition to the presence of many marine fossils that can be seen in the open museum, which gives visitors the opportunity to seeWhales, and to see them without touching them; Out of a desire to protect her.
We come back to say: Fossils provide us with a deep understanding of the Earth’s changes over time, and shed light onclimate shifts, the extinction of species, and the emergence of new forms of life. It is also a powerful reminder that we are just a small part of the universe’s history, and it urges us to respect biodiversity.
In conclusion of this interesting topic,Earth Guards believes that fossils are an open window to the past, and a valuable source for understanding the history of life on our planet, as they reflect the extent ofbiological and geological developmentand its various forms throughout the ages, and they also tell the story of the evolution of organisms and their interaction with their environments. In addition, studying fossils enhances our scientific curiosity, deepens our understanding of the path of life on Earth, and confirms that we are connected to an ancient history rooted in nature.
Hence, Earth Guards magazine decided to define and round up the term “fossils” within the series(What…?), in a way that allows readers to learn about the basic concepts that contribute to preserving the environment and its resources. So that awareness of it increases, and we achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) locally and regionally, and this is within the framework of “Egypt Vision 2030”.
