2006-09-27 05:46:35 · 3 answers · asked by ... 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Geography
They determine ages of rocks.
They can help to determine paleoenvironments, based on a knowledge of what species lived in what environment, or functional morphology (deductions based on the anatomy of the fossil), or taphonomy (how the fossil is preserved, eg. broken up or whole).
They can help to determine paleoclimates based on preserved geochemical signatures, eg. some types of fossils like foraminifera and belemnites preserve oxygen isotope ratios from which paleotemperatures can be calculated.
2006-09-27 09:03:25 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
you can also learn from studying what is buried above or below the fossils. Scientist got the dinosaur killer meteorite theory from the fact that there is this layer of dust to be found above which no fossils are found indicating the dust waqs kicked up in a super destructive astrological impact
2006-09-27 07:55:58 · answer #2 · answered by chavito 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The age, deposition method and weathering.
2006-09-27 06:06:34 · answer #3 · answered by ag_iitkgp 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋