Fossil

:For other uses of the term, see Fossil (disambiguation)

Permineralization

Permineralization consists of organic remains turning into stone. The organism gets covered by sediment soon after death or after the initial decaying process. The degree to which the remains are decayed when covered determines the later details of the fossil. Some fossils only consist of skeletal remains or teeth; other fossils contain traces of skin, feathers or even soft tissues. Once covered with sediment, these layers slowly compact to rock, after which the chemicals in the remains are slowly replaced with hard minerals.

Related Topics:
Skin - Feather

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Although the original chemical composition of the organism has entirely vanished, the mineralization process proceeds differently for different kinds of tissues, and microscopic details of internal bone structure may be preserved.

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Not all dead plants or animals turn into fossils. The youngest fossils, except for certain special cases like freezing or preservation in tar pits, are believed to be at least 10,000 years old. http://clearlyexplained.com/nature/earth/minerals/fossils.html

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