Concept explainers
Introduction: Fossils are considered as the remains and traces of the living organism which was once alive. Fossils are completely or partially transformed in the form of rock. Mostly the fossils are composed of teeth and bones.
Answer to Problem 1SQ
Correct answer: a. burial soon after death by sediments or volcanic ash.
Explanation of Solution
Reason for the correct answer:
Burial of organisms results in the decay of soft tissue. Only skeletal remains such as bones and teeth are covered with water and deposited as sediments. Many layers of deposit are completely or partially transformed into fossils in the form of rocks.
Option a. is given as “burial soon after death by sediments or volcanic ash”.
Hence, the correct answer is option a.
Reasons for incorrect answers:
Option b. is given as “burial after defleshing of bones by scavengers and insects”.
After death, the flesh is decomposed by scavengers and insects and bones will weather, break or disappear. So there is no chance for fossil formation. Therefore, option b is incorrect.
Option c. is given as “burial in groundwater or acidic soils”.
Groundwater and acidic soils can dissolve the skeletal remains. So, there is no appearance of any fossils. Therefore, option c. is incorrect.
Option d. is given as “burial in a geologically active area with high ground pressure”.
Ground pressure or geologic activity can distort the formation of any potential fossils. Therefore, option d. is incorrect.
Hence, options b., c., and d. are incorrect.
Thus, fossils are formed when the body’s skeletal remains exposed over a long period and became sediments.
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Chapter 8 Solutions
Our Origins: Discovering Physical Anthropology (Fourth Edition)
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