Fossils are essential for understanding the past of the Earth and its creatures. Researchers who study fossils are called paleontologists. They try to reconstruct the life of past times.
Fossils give us insights into:
- The living world of the past: fossils document extinct animal and plant species.
- Climate and environmental conditions: For example, tropical plant fossils in cool regions show that the climate was once warmer.
- The history of the Earth: Fossils help to place rock formations in chronological order and date the development of life.
Some fossils, known as index fossils, are typical of certain geological periods. They make it possible to date rock formations precisely. The structure of the Earth’s history is often based on the appearance or extinction of certain organisms. For example, the extinction of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago marks the end of the Mesozoic era.