Collection: Fossils

Fossils are the remains or traces of living organisms (animals, plants, bacteria, etc.) that lived in the past, usually millions of years ago. They are valuable witnesses to the history of life on Earth.

🌍 How are fossils formed?

Fossilization is a rare process that requires special conditions. Here are the main steps:

1. Rapid burial : An organism dies and is quickly covered with sediment (mud, sand, volcanic ash, etc.), which prevents its decomposition.

2. Mineralization : Over time, organic tissues are replaced by minerals dissolved in water, turning the body into stone.

3. Erosion and Discovery : Millions of years later, layers of rock can be eroded, revealing fossils.

🔍 Types of fossils

• Body fossils : Remains of organisms (bones, teeth, shells, leaves, etc.).

• Trace fossils : Footprints, tracks, burrows or droppings (coprolites) showing the activity of a living being.

• Cast fossils : Shapes imprinted in rock, sometimes after the original has disappeared.

• Trapped fossils : Organisms preserved in amber, ice, or peat.

🦖 Why are fossils important?

• Understanding evolution : They show how species have changed over time.

• Dating rocks : Certain fossils, called stratigraphic fossils , make it possible to date geological layers.

• Reconstructing past environments : They provide clues about ancient climates, landscapes and ecological interactions.

📜 Famous examples of fossils

• Lucy (Australopithecus afarensis): one of the oldest known hominids (approximately 3.2 million years old).

• Trilobites : extinct marine animals, very common in Paleozoic rocks.

• Ammonites : spiral marine molluscs, typical fossils of the Mesozoic.

• Dinosaurs : The most popular fossils, dated between 230 and 66 million years ago.