| Fossils are actually the remains of plants or animals | | | | minerals in the water, the fossil can form in two |
| that lived millions of years ago. While that is what they | | | | separate ways. Some minerals completely dissolve, |
| are, fossils still to this day serve a very important | | | | and leave an empty space as a fossil. Kind of like |
| purpose. They are able to provide some very | | | | carving a shape into a rock by removing portions of |
| important information about what life was like millions | | | | the rock. Some minerals actually harden though, and |
| of years ago. A YouTube video blog from the past, | | | | take over the space left by the dissolved remains of |
| you might say. Only not so annoying. | | | | the creature. |
| A fossil is a long time in the making. Millions of years | | | | You may wonder how it is that you find so many |
| actually. A very gradual process. It all begins when a | | | | fossils on land when the majority of them were |
| creature dies, or a plant drops into some sediment. | | | | formed under the water. Well, as the earth continues |
| Usually, this sediment is at the bottom of a lake, river or | | | | to reshape itself, lots of things get pushed around. |
| stream. Sediment is made of mud and sand. Over | | | | Plates withing the earth shift, volcanoes explode, and |
| time, with the pressure of the water, the sediment | | | | typhoons and tsunamis move massive amounts of |
| eventually turns into rock. | | | | water and land. Over time many things that were |
| The water provides not only pressure, but minerals | | | | buried under water, are move by the natural forces of |
| also. Those minerals seep their way into the remains | | | | the planet to somewhere else. Like your own |
| of the creature or plant and begin to dissolve. As they | | | | backyard for example. So, keep your eyes open, you |
| dissolve, the crystallize, and begin the transformation | | | | never know what you may find. |
| from skeleton to fossil. Depending on the types of | | | | |