Palรคontologie-Glossar
essential terms and definitions for paleontology and dinosaur science.
Fieldwork & Excavation
15 termsTerms related to fossil discovery, excavation techniques, and specimen preparation.
Type Specimen
The original specimen used to define and name a new species. The holotype is the โฆ
Plaster Jacket
A protective shell of burlap and plaster applied around fossils in the field to prevent โฆ
Taphonomic Bias
The systematic distortion of the fossil record due to preservation factors. Large-bodied, heavily-built animals are โฆ
Disarticulated
A fossil assemblage in which bones have been separated from their anatomical positions before or โฆ
Articulated Skeleton
A fossil skeleton found with bones still in their natural anatomical positions. Far more informative โฆ
Bone Bed
A concentration of fossil bones in a single geological layer. Mass death assemblages at bone โฆ
Impression Fossil
A fossil formed when an organism leaves an imprint in sediment that later hardens to โฆ
Associated Skeleton
A set of bones found together and inferred to belong to the same individual, though โฆ
CT Scanning
Computed tomography used to image the internal structure of fossils without damaging them. Reveals brain โฆ
Microfossil
A fossil that requires magnification to study, typically less than 1 mm in size. Dinosaur โฆ
Mold and Cast
A mold fossil preserves the shape of an organism as a negative impression; a cast โฆ
Permineralization
The most common form of fossilization, in which minerals carried by groundwater fill the pore โฆ
Preparation
The careful removal of rock matrix from a fossil using tools ranging from dental picks โฆ
Quarry Map
A detailed spatial record of fossil positions, orientations, and rock layers at an excavation site. โฆ
Screen Washing
A field technique in which sediment is washed through fine mesh screens to recover tiny โฆ