US Geologist - University of Sindh Geologists

 What are fossils:-
                              Fossils are the remains or evidence of ancient plants or animals that have been preserved in the rocks of the earth’s crust. Most fossils represent the hard parts of prehistoric organisms that lived in the area in which their remains were collected.
            With the help of fossils the paleontologist is able to form a visible picture of past age. He does this by studying bones, teeth, shells, foot prints or any other indication of presence of past life.

            The majority of fossils are found in marine sedimentary rocks. Only rarely fossils occur in igneous and metamorphic rocks.

 Requirements of Fossilization:- There are certainly a few requirements of fossilization.

1. The organism should possess hard parts:                 
             Possession of hard part is very importan requirement. These hard parts might be shell, bones, teeths or the woody tissue of plants.

2. The organic remains must escape immediate destruction after death:
               If the body parts of an organism are crushed, decayed , badly weathered, or otherwise greatly changed, this may result in the alteration or complete destruction of the fossil record of that particular organism.

3. Rapid burial must take place in a material capable of retarting decomposition.

                             The type of material burying the remains usually depends upon where the organism lived. The remains of marine animals are common as fossils because they to the ocean bottom after death, and here they are covered by soft muds which are converted into the shales and limestones of later geologic ages.
               Ash falling from near by volcanoes has been known to cover entire forests. Some of these fossil forests have been found with the trees still standing and in excellent state of preservation.

  Uses of fossils:-

(1) The fossils are commonly used for correlating the strata and determining their relative age.
(2) Fossils indicate wether the rock is a fresh water deposit or a marine deposit.
(3) Fossils give information about the climate of the times in which they lived.
(4) The fossils have helped in understanding the evolution of plants and animals.

Tags: Abrasion, Fossils, Frost Wedging, Geology, Glacier, Ice, ice movement. Erosion, Paleontology, Valley glaciers

Pages :192
The Little Book of Planet Earth presents a concise description of the geological evolution of Earth from its formation. Meissner describes in detailed but accessible prose not just the planet’s features, but the tools that modern geologists use to explore and track the ever-changing subterranean and surface features of the planet. With a particular gift for expressing how the forces in and around our planet constantly alter the world we live in, the author introduces lay readers to the key topics in modern earth and planetary science: the creation of Earth and its moon (as well as stars and other planets), the role of seismology in analyzing Earth’s structure, the formation of mountain ranges and basins, the role of plate tectonics, the significance of Earth’s magnetic field, and the complex relationship of our planet’s geology to the life forms found there.

Download:
ttp://www.usgeologist.com/The_Little_Book_Planet_Earth.pdf

Paperback: 26 pages 

Book Description
Evolution and the Fossil Record, an eye-catching booklet produced by the American Geological Institute in cooperation with the Paleontological Society, aims to help the general public gain a better understanding of one of the fundamental underlying concepts of modern science. This booklet has many colorful photos, drawings, and illustrations which complement the authors’ conversational style as they discuss geologic time; change through time; Darwin’s theory of evolution; evolution as a mechanism for change; the nature of species; the nature of theory; paleontology, geology, and evolution; and determining the age of fossils and rocks. Four “case study” examples from the fossil record - evolution of vertebrate legs, evolution of birds, evolution of mammals, and evolution of whales - are presented to provide a time perspective for understanding the evolution of life on Earth. This non-technical introduction to evolution contains straightforward definitions as well as discussions of complex ideas. 

http://usgeologist.com/Evolution%20and%20the%20Fossil%20Record.pdf

       A “glacier” is a thick mass of ice which moves over the ground under the unfluence of gravity. It originates on land from the compaction and recrystallization of snow-Glaciers form in places where more snow accumulates each year than that melts away. They are found chiefly in high lattitudes as in the Arctic region, or at high elevations as on the Himalayan mountains above the snow line. The “snow line” is lower limit of accumulating snow. Below the snow line the snow melts in Summer.

 Types of Glaciers:
                   There are three kinds of glaciers

 (i) Valley glaciers,  (ii) Piedmont glaciers and (iii) Ice sheets

 (i) Valley glaciers:-
                      The glaciers which originate near  the crests of high mountains and move along the valleys just like rivers are called “Val