fossilising
Turning to rock
Fossilising is the British spelling of fossilizing—the process of becoming or making into a fossil.
Organic remains fossilise when minerals replace original material over geological time.
Figuratively, ideas or institutions fossilise when they become rigid and outdated: The department was fossilising under his leadership.
To fossilise something is to preserve it unchangingly, often with negative connotations of stagnation.
Extinct prehistoric reptiles
- trilobiteExtinct segmented marine arthropod
- mammothExtinct elephant with curved tusks
- ammoniteExtinct spiral-shelled cephalopod
- megafaunaSpecies over 44 kilograms
coprolite · paleontology · excavation · stratigraphy · carbon-dating · prehistoric · extinct · Jurassic
Becoming rock-like
- mineralizationConversion to mineral form
- calcificationMineral hardening of tissue
- sedimentationParticles settling in liquid
- crystallizationForming ordered solid structure
cementation · strata · sedimentary · limestone · amber · imprint · trace · cast
Conversion to bone tissue
- stagnationAbsence of flow or progress
- rigidityState of being unbending
- inflexibilityQuality of being unbending
- antiquatedOld and outdated
outdated · obsolete · unchanged · static · entrenched · immutable · calcified · hidebound
Preserving bodies after death
- permafrostPerpetually frozen earth layer
- impressionEffect on the mind
- conservationPreventing waste or loss
- specimenIndividual for examination
remains · intact · articulated · exceptional · trackway · burrow · coprolite · resin
dinosaurs
Extinct prehistoric reptiles
- trilobiteExtinct segmented marine arthropod
- mammothExtinct elephant with curved tusks
- ammoniteExtinct spiral-shelled cephalopod
megafauna · coprolite · paleontology · excavation · stratigraphy · carbon-dating · prehistoric · extinct · Jurassic · Cretaceous
petrification
Becoming rock-like
- mineralizationConversion to mineral form
- calcificationMineral hardening of tissue
- sedimentationParticles settling in liquid
crystallization · cementation · strata · sedimentary · limestone · amber · imprint · trace · cast · mold
ossification
Conversion to bone tissue
- stagnationAbsence of flow or progress
- rigidityState of being unbending
- inflexibilityQuality of being unbending
antiquated · outdated · obsolete · unchanged · static · entrenched · immutable · calcified · hidebound · petrified
mummification
Preserving bodies after death
- permafrostPerpetually frozen earth layer
- impressionEffect on the mind
- conservationPreventing waste or loss
specimen · remains · intact · articulated · exceptional · trackway · burrow · coprolite · resin · anoxic
fossilisingdecaying
Undergoing organic breakdown
decomposing · rotting · putrefying · biodegrading · disintegrating
fossilisingevolving
Changing gradually over time
modernising · adapting · innovating · transforming · revolutionising
fossilisingvanishing
Ceasing to be visible
disappearing · erasing · obliterating · dissolving · fading
fossil, fossils, fossilized, fossilize, fossilization, fossilised, fossilizing, fossilizes, fossilise