Trace Fossils

Whats a trace fossil?

The preservation of the activity of and an organism, trace fossils may include tracks, trails, burrows, boring and coprolite's.

They can be regarded are the behaviour and can be used to work out the paleo-enviroment

Trace fossils are not necessarily formed by the same organism e.g. a burrow could have been inhabited by a bivalve, a crustacean or a worm, which may not have been preserved.

How to make a trace fossil?

• an organism walks on soft, fine sediment and leaves an imprint of its feet
• very small chance that it would be infilled by sediment before being washed away by water…