Question: How do fossils form ?

Lauren Burt answered on 8 Nov 2016:

Hey!

I love to study fossils. I was interested in becoming a palaeontologist when I was really little because I found a fossil on a beach!

If we go back in time, and imagine all of the animals that used to live on the planet and in the sea, these animals all died at some point. If they died in the sea, then their bones fell to the bottom of the sea. Then lots of layers of sand and silty mud would fall on top of the bones, over thousands of years. The bones become buried. More and more layers pile up and squash the bones in between the mud so that they form rocks. If it happens on the land, then the best place to find fossils is at the beach- where there are big eroding cliffs. When the cliff falls down, the layers of sand and mud show where all the fossils are!

So fossils form under layers of sand and mud and the layers build up so much that they squash together and make it hard.

Lauren 😀