Fossilization

Fossilization is the set of processes by which organism remains or traces become preserved in geological materials. It can preserve original material, mineral replacements, or impressions and traces.

Permineralization: A fossilization process in which minerals fill pores within buried remains. Minerals entering bone or wood pores can preserve internal structure.
Sediment burial: The covering of remains by deposited particles that accumulate into sediment. Rapid burial can shield remains from scavengers, weathering, and physical disruption.
Biostratigraphy: The dating and correlation of rock layers using their fossil content. Changes in fossil assemblages help identify and compare rock strata.
Amber: Fossilized tree resin that can entomb and preserve small organisms. Resin entombment preserves bodies by a pathway distinct from burial in sediment.
Replacement (fossilization): A fossilization process in which original material dissolves and is replaced by minerals. It can preserve fine structural detail after the original substance is lost.
Decomposition: The breakdown of organic matter through biological and chemical processes. Decay removes soft tissues unless conditions slow its progress.
Paleoecology: The study of past organisms and their relationships with ancient environments. Preserved organisms and traces provide evidence of former habitats and ecosystems.
Freezing: Preservation at low temperatures that slows decay without requiring mineralization. Frozen remains can retain tissues without becoming fossils in the geological sense.
Carbonization: A preservation process that leaves a thin carbon-rich film after volatile substances escape from buried organic matter. Compression and chemical change can preserve outlines of delicate organisms.
Diagenesis: The physical and chemical changes sediments undergo after deposition and during lithification. Post-burial changes can alter, mineralize, or destroy preserved remains.

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