Fossil Collecting - Why

• Introduction
• What is a Fossil?
• Plate Tectonics
• History of Paleontology
• Geological Time
• Further Reading

Fossil collecting is like time travel to a distant past, when the earth was a much different place than it is today. As you collect, you learn about the earth's history and the amazing creatures that long ago populated the world.

The fascination with fossil collecting has always been inside all of us. No other hobby can match the fun of fossil "hunting" specially in beautiful California. It includes outdoors recreation, adventure, sight-seeing, exercise, the thrill of discovery and the pride of ownership, while providing a highly stimulating intellectual experience.

However, seldom one can find the time or the will to put together all what is needed for a rewarding fossil searching expedition. After all, you must know exactly where and what to look for. This website provides the information required and a virtual get together place for sharing adventures, discoveries and the desire of further understanding the wonderful mystery of life.

Fossils are the remains of very ancient life that has been preserved by natural processes. Most fossils are formed from the hard parts of animals or plants such as shells, teeth, bones, or wood. The study of fossils, called paleontology, determined that life started on earth at least 3,500 million years ago!

Fossilization is a process that relies on a chain of very favorable circumstances over very long periods of time. The majority of animals and plants completely disintegrate soon after death. But sometimes, the hard parts of certain organisms is mineralized as part of a sedimentary rock and becomes a fossil.

The earth's crust is divided into several Tectonic Plates which move relative to one another. The majority of earthquakes and volcanoes occur at the edges of these plate boundaries.

Over million of years, due to the dynamic uplifting and motion of the earth crust combined with natural erosion, deep inside layers are exposed onto the surface. These exposures are called 'outcrops' and are where the fossils of the corresponding geological age are located.

A Geological Map shows the location of these outcrops.

The study of fossils began 300 years ago when it was believed that supernatural forces created these strange looking rocks. In 1667, Niels Stensen noticed that the teeth of sharks were very similar to the by then known as "tongue" rocks. He was the first person to discover that fossils came from ancient life organisms.

In the mid 1700's, Georges Cuvier recognized that many of the fossils belonged to extinct animals and was able to conclude that the earth had several extinction periods. He believed that the last life extinction was the Biblical flood.

In the mid 1800's Louis Agassiz and William Smith created modern paleontology. Agassiz reinterpreted the notion that some fossils were caused by the Biblical flood and attributed them to glaciers deposited during an Ice Age period. Smith noticed the correspondence of fossils of a certain age with certain layers in the earth's crust and created the first geological map.

With the studies of fossils and other geological techniques the earth's history has been accurately determined.

Geological Time is divided in two Eons: Pre-Cambrian and Phanerozoic. The first, spanning about 4,000 million years starting at the birth of the solar system to around 600 mya. Single-celled life started 3,500 mya.

During the start of the Phanerozoic Eon, the Cambrian Period, the first hard body multi-cellular life appeared. This started the Paleozoic Era which concluded with the biggest mass extinction ever, the Permian to Triassic boundary, which saw the disappearance of an amazing 95% of all the species on earth!

That event started the Mezoic Era, which concluded with the extinction of the dinosaurs among other species, at the end of the Cretaceous Period at around 65 mya.

The following sources are recommended for further information:

• "Fossil Collector's Handbook" - G. Lichter - Sterling Publishing Co. NY, 1993. Is an excellent handbook with all the in-and-outs of fossil collecting.
• "Fossils" - C. Walker & D. Ward - Dorling Kindersley, Inc. NY, 1992. Is a great manual for fossil identification.
• "I Dig Fossils" - Mazon Production Inc, IL, 1993. A very well done video for both grown-ups and kids.
• "Fossil" - P. D. Taylor - A. Knopf, NY, 1990. A nice coffee table reference book with lots of images. ('History of Paleontology' images adapted from this book)

(Follow the book links to see reviews and purchasing info directly from Amazon.com)