About fossils -- would you say this is true?

[YoursTrue]

If you define anything that you know as a "fact" then by the same standards you use (as long as they are rational ones) then evolution is a fact too.

Look, it's a "fact" that we have pen, paper, and ink. And computers. And letters to press to make words to transmit. It's also a fact we have food to eat. And some mushrooms are poisonous. Those are facts. But that's my opinion about facts. It's also a fact there are fossils. But what is not a fact are certain things surrounding the description as estimated, surmised, however you want to call it around the fossil.

 

[Subduction Zone]

Makes sense. So here is what I discern from your answer and @Subduction Zone's responses regarding this detail: the dating of the fossils is without doubt intertwined with the soil residue.

No. The "soil residue" is not dated. Why would you think that?

 

[YoursTrue]

Most sedimentary rocks are formed under water. They are mostly Shale, which is made of fine grained clay that has settled out of the water, sandstone, which usually forms on beaches and near shore environments, and limestone, which quite often forms on coral reefs.

They are made of "sediments". Call it dirt if you like, but that will be inaccurate. All three examples that I gave were examples of well sorted sedimentary rock. There are others but they are a small percentage.

Sandstone can also be aeolian, or wind blown. In the Grand Canyon one of the layers is windblown sand. You know, sand dunes, camels. Lawrence of Arabia. The Coconino sandstone is made up of wind blown sands. Geologists can tell by the angle of the cross bedding. Dunes have steep sides. If such a structure forms in water it is nowhere near as steep. The footprints of animals that live on sand dunes is also a good clue that they were sand dunes. And the sand itself tells us that it was wind blown. Sand in sand dunes is frosted. That means if one looks at it under a microscope it looks white due to all of the tiny collisions that it went through while flying in the air. Beach sands on the other hand are transparent. The water allows them to get polished instead of frosted.

And volcanic ash settles whenever there is an eruption. There is no rule as to when. Where do you live, no need to be exact. I might be able to find a mountain that you are familiar with.

(Sorry, but I prefer to keep where I live under the rocks for the moment.) But then we go back to the establishment of the earth, and -- as I read it -- there is sterile rock or water so it is said (can't yet understand it, but virtually I suppose lifeless) on other planets.

 

[YoursTrue]

No. The "soil residue" is not dated. Why would you think that?

Because -- the fossils from long ago (not sure how long) have imbedded soil in them and they have turned to stone, is that correct?

 

[Subduction Zone]

Look, it's a "fact" that we have pen, paper, and ink. And computers. And letters to press to make words to transmit. It's also a fact we have food to eat. And some mushrooms are poisonous. Those are facts. But that's my opinion about facts. It's also a fact there are fossils. But what is not a fact are certain things surrounding the description as estimated, surmised, however you want to call it around the fossil.

It is the amount and strength of evidence that makes even your everyday examples facts. And that is why evolution is a fact as well.

 

[Subduction Zone]

(Sorry, but I prefer to keep where I live under the rocks for the moment.) But then we go back to the establishment of the earth, and -- as I read it -- there is sterile rock or water so it is said (can't yet understand it, but virtually I suppose lifeless) on other planets.

Are you talking about when the Earth first formed? I am unsure what point you are trying to make here..

 

[Subduction Zone]

(Sorry, but I prefer to keep where I live under the rocks for the moment.) But then we go back to the establishment of the earth, and -- as I read it -- there is sterile rock or water so it is said (can't yet understand it, but virtually I suppose lifeless) on other planets.

That is okay. It was just an offer to help.

 

[Subduction Zone]

Because -- the fossils from long ago (not sure how long) have imbedded soil in them and they have turned to stone, is that correct?

Not "soil", but material from older weathered rock. But once again, we are not dating that.

 

[YoursTrue]

Ultimately, sedimentary rocks are formed by deposition of material eroded from older rocks, which may be igneous, metamorphic or sedimentary.

soo...if I understand correctly, and correct me if I'm wrong, the bones can have embedded material that becomes meshed with the bones. As a result, how is the fossil dated?

 

[YoursTrue]

Not "soil", but material from older weathered rock. But once again, we are not dating that.

I didn't see this before my last post. So if you're not dating the enmeshed material embedded in the fossil from the surrounding soil or material around the bone (which evidently, according to what I understand now, becomes rocklike), how are fossils dated? That is, if they have seeped in soil/ash/lava, etc.

 

[YoursTrue]

Are you talking about when the Earth first formed? I am unsure what point you are trying to make here..

I don't remember now the name of the type of water said to be on other planets. Later...maybe...

 

[Subduction Zone]

soo...if I understand correctly, and correct me if I'm wrong, the bones can have embedded material that becomes meshed with the bones. As a result, how is the fossil dated?

By the volcanic rock above and below it. And by the fossil assemblage.

Do you understand that different critters lived at different times?

 

[Subduction Zone]

I don't remember now the name of the type of water said to be on other planets. Later...maybe...

Wet.

 

[SkepticThinker]

Look, it's a "fact" that we have pen, paper, and ink. And computers. And letters to press to make words to transmit. It's also a fact we have food to eat. And some mushrooms are poisonous. Those are facts. But that's my opinion about facts. It's also a fact there are fossils. But what is not a fact are certain things surrounding the description as estimated, surmised, however you want to call it around the fossil.

It is also a fact that allele frequencies change in populations over time. Biology is inextricably intertwined with evolution. So, when you reject evolution, you also reject biology. Evolution is a fact of life.

 

[Astrophile]

(Sorry, but I prefer to keep where I live under the rocks for the moment.) But then we go back to the establishment of the earth, and -- as I read it -- there is sterile rock or water so it is said (can't yet understand it, but virtually I suppose lifeless) on other planets.

This is off-topic; we are supposed to be discussing terrestrial fossils.

However, to answer your question, the Earth is the only planet in the solar system that has liquid water on its surface. Mars and Mercury, and perhaps the Moon as well, have ice in their polar regions, and Mars may have liquid water below its surface. The interiors of Neptune and Uranus, below their atmospheres, probably consist of volatile substances (water/ice, ammonia and methane) at extremely high temperatures and pressures, quite beyond the range of terrestrial experience.

With the exception of Io, which is a rocky volcanic satellite, all the large satellites of the giant planets consist largely of ice, and some (particularly Europa and Enceladus) may have oceans of liquid water below their icy crusts. It is also suspected that Pluto may have a sub-glacial ocean.

However, nobody knows whether the putative sub-glacial water bodies of Mars, Pluto and the satellites of the giant planets support life.

 

[Audie]

This is off-topic; we are supposed to be discussing terrestrial fossils.

However, to answer your question, the Earth is the only planet in the solar system that has liquid water on its surface. Mars and Mercury, and perhaps the Moon as well, have ice in their polar regions, and Mars may have liquid water below its surface. The interiors of Neptune and Uranus, below their atmospheres, probably consist of volatile substances (water/ice, ammonia and methane) at extremely high temperatures and pressures, quite beyond the range of terrestrial experience.

With the exception of Io, which is a rocky volcanic satellite, all the large satellites of the giant planets consist largely of ice, and some (particularly Europa and Enceladus) may have oceans of liquid water below their icy crusts. It is also suspected that Pluto may have a sub-glacial ocean.

However, nobody knows whether the putative sub-glacial water bodies of Mars, Pluto and the satellites of the giant planets support life.

We all know that

 

[Audie]

Ultimately, sedimentary rocks are formed by deposition of material eroded from older rocks, which may be igneous, metamorphic or sedimentary.

We all know that

 

[Subduction Zone]

We all know that

Not all of us.

 

[YoursTrue]

This is off-topic; we are supposed to be discussing terrestrial fossils.

However, to answer your question, the Earth is the only planet in the solar system that has liquid water on its surface. Mars and Mercury, and perhaps the Moon as well, have ice in their polar regions, and Mars may have liquid water below its surface. The interiors of Neptune and Uranus, below their atmospheres, probably consist of volatile substances (water/ice, ammonia and methane) at extremely high temperatures and pressures, quite beyond the range of terrestrial experience.

With the exception of Io, which is a rocky volcanic satellite, all the large satellites of the giant planets consist largely of ice, and some (particularly Europa and Enceladus) may have oceans of liquid water below their icy crusts. It is also suspected that Pluto may have a sub-glacial ocean.

However, nobody knows whether the putative sub-glacial water bodies of Mars, Pluto and the satellites of the giant planets support life.

Ok, well I didn't understand about what was said about sterile rock or water on a website, but I guess it may not matter in this context of the earth. While the topic may deal with terrestrial surface, I am interested in the dating of fossils and I have learned a bit about it. It's late,maybe tomorrow I can go over it again or at least try to describe what I think I may understand. Thanks.

 

[YoursTrue]

Wet.

You sure?