fossilisation
Turning to rock
Fossilisation is the process by which organic remains become fossils—preserved in rock over geological time as minerals replace original tissue.
The word extends to anything that becomes rigid, outdated, or frozen in an earlier state: the fossilisation of language, institutional fossilisation.
Also spelled fossilization.
Conversion to mineral form
- petrificationBecoming rock-like
- calcificationMineral hardening of tissue
- carbonizationConversion to char
- recrystallizationPurification through dissolving and reforming
replacement · compression · imprint · mold · cast
Hardened ancient tree secretion
- entombmentPlacing in a sepulcher
- sedimentationParticles settling in liquid
- tarFile bundling utility
- peatWaterlogged decomposed vegetation
bog · mummification · burial · encapsulation · anoxic · inclusion · matrix · trace
Study of ancient organisms
- excavationAct of unearthing
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- carbon-datingIsotope-based age measurement
- digUnearth by shoveling
site · artifacts · sediment · geology · paleobiology · dating · specimen · reconstruction
Absence of flow or progress
- rigidityState of being unbending
- ossificationConversion to bone tissue
- antiquatedOld and outdated
- outdatedNo longer in use
unchanging · calcified · fixed · inflexible · static · archaic · entrenched
mineralization
Conversion to mineral form
- petrificationBecoming rock-like
- calcificationMineral hardening of tissue
- carbonizationConversion to char
recrystallization · replacement · compression · imprint · mold · cast
amber
Hardened ancient tree secretion
- entombmentPlacing in a sepulcher
- sedimentationParticles settling in liquid
- tarFile bundling utility
peat · bog · mummification · burial · encapsulation · anoxic · inclusion · matrix · trace · impression
paleontology
Study of ancient organisms
- excavationAct of unearthing
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- carbon-datingIsotope-based age measurement
dig · site · artifacts · sediment · geology · paleobiology · dating · specimen · reconstruction · classification
stagnation
Absence of flow or progress
- rigidityState of being unbending
- ossificationConversion to bone tissue
- antiquatedOld and outdated
outdated · unchanging · calcified · fixed · inflexible · static · archaic · entrenched
trilobite
Extinct segmented marine arthropod
- ammoniteExtinct spiral-shelled cephalopod
- dinosaursExtinct prehistoric reptiles
- mammothExtinct elephant with curved tusks
megafauna · mastodon · archaeopteryx · nautiloid · brachiopod · belemnite · fern · gastropod · bivalve · ichthyosaur
cretaceous
Last Mesozoic period
fossilisationdecay
Gradual organic breakdown
decomposition · putrefaction · rotting · biodegradation · disintegration
fossilisationevolution
Species changing over generations
innovation · modernisation · revitalisation · adaptation · transformation
fossilisationevanescence
Gradual disappearance from existence
ephemerality · impermanence · transience · volatility · disappearance
fossil, fossils, fossilization, fossilised, fossilise, fossilising, fossilises