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Why do we find fossils in sediment or metamorphic rocks?

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Because igneous rocks (the third kind) are produced when flowing lava solidifies, so either you'd need an animal that lives in lava as its habitat or an animal with bones that can survive if lava flows over them and still fossilize. read more

Fossils are preserved in layers of sediment, which gradually harden and compress into sedimentary rock; sometimes that sedimentary rock is later squished and folded and changed by the enormous power of plate tectonics and becomes a metamorphic rock. read more

Metamorphic rocks are formed from sedimentary or igneous rocks that are heated and subjected to high pressure. If these sedimentary rocks contain fossils, these may survive the metamorphic process. However, the fossils are severely deformed and distorted by the pressure and heat. read more

Finally, the sedimentary rocks are the one type which can contain fossils because these rocks are formed on the Earth surface, under the water, at very low temperatures and pressures. In other words, the biosphere can only interact with the sediments. read more

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