Paleontology Travel Guide — Things to Do, Food & Hotels
scientific study of the past of life on Earth through fossils
About Paleontology
—Theodosius Dobzhansky Fossils are most often formed when some creature is buried in mud or silt which later turns into sedimentary rock, typically shale or limestone. Most fossil beds are on the sites of ancient bodies of water—rivers, lakes, marshes or seas. Creatures may also be preserved in other ways, caught in amber or tar, or frozen like some mammoths found in Siberia. There are both animal and plant fossils. Animals' bones and other durable parts like scales or feathers are often turned to rock, but generally something a bit different from the surrounding rock so the fossil can be recognized. Sometimes the bones can be separated from the surrounding rock; this is how the museums get skeletons. Some plants become petrified wood, and coal may preserve traces of the plants it is forme
Paleontology Travel Guide Sections
Our comprehensive guide covers 5 sections including: