How long does it take for a fossil to form?

Question

is it possible fossils can take only a couple hundred years to fossilize

Answer 1

Just a few decades. Evidence is at the Mt. Saint Helen's eruption site.

Answer 2

Under the right conditions, a fossil can form in a relatively short period of time (mush less than millions of years). Outside of the perfect conditions of a lab, fossils have formed naturally in as little as 20 years.

Fossils have been created in laboratories in as little as 18 weeks. When samples of these fossils were sent to numerous labs for radiometric dating, the results came back varied indicating dates between 12,000 yrs and 1.2 million yrs.

Answer 3

The "limestone cowboy" story is often misrepresented as actual proof that long term fossilization is false, that it takes a matter of decades for bones to fossilize, therefore confirming the 6,000 year old universe story in Genesis. Fossils as we know them takes millions of years to form.

The Human foot in the 50 year old boot shows no likeness to real fossilized bone, and when examined by a paleontologist, can be debunked pretty quick.
Here is how:
http://paleo.cc/paluxy/boot.htm

The St. Helens eruption site is the same deal. Creationists use it to prove that the natural formations of the Earth could have formed in decades or by the flood in Genesis instead of millions of years. But again, the "fossilization" wasn't actual fossilization, and Mt. St. Helens won't simulate the same effects of a world wide flood, as said in this link:
http://www.icr.org/article/3267/

Also, it goes by the flawed reasoning that if it might have happened once, then it probably happened every time, and all the tests and evidence that prove contradictory must be false.

Answer 4

Creationists are a bit sad, really. Desperately clinging to false information to prove that fantasy in the bible is fact. Please, people, don t encourage your children to wear blinkers and avoid scientific fact. The beauty of science is that it is not dependant upon dogma which is why accepted scientific fact changes over time as new information is received. This is excellent and far more able to be trusted.

Answer 5

What do you mean by fossilise?
Do you mean petrification or lithification?
Down here on the south coast of England we have seashells that are 50 million years old that are still made of the same material they were when their owners died - does that mean they are not fossils?
Does your definition of fossil have to mean that the remains have been turned into something else?

Answer 6

They usually take millions of years. Check out google or go on these websites >>
http://www.angelfire.com/mi/dinosaurs/fossilboot.html
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Paleontology-Dinosaurs-1571/long-fossil-form.htm
Hope i helped ;-)