Large glaciers can contain fossils trapped within the ice.
A glacier consists of snow that slowly turns into a large mass of ice. Glaciers can take decades to form and during formation some living organisms and other elements get trapped and fossilized. Because glaciers are cold enough to preserve tissues of organisms, glacial fossils often retain the original form and shape of the plant or animal that made them.
General Characteristics
Glacial fossils have one preservative that fossils found in other places do not have: ice. Most fossils today are made up of rock-like minerals and no longer contain actual tissues of the fossilized organism. However, fossils found in glaciers are sometimes authentic, preserved specimens. This happens because the ice drastically slows down the decaying process by inhibiting the movement of bacteria that decompose the specimen.
Body Fossils and True Form Fossils
Body fossils (fossils containing an animal's bone, teeth, skin or muscle) and true form fossils (animals preserved in almost perfect condition) are usually preserved within glaciers or a similar landscape. Because of the lack of chemical reactions and bacteria for decomposition, most body fossils found in glaciers contain tissue samples.
One such fossil is a preserved baby mammoth found in the Arctic Yamalo-Nenetsk Region in Russia in 2007. According to National Geographic, the fossil of the baby mammoth is about 40,000 years old and has been preserved in perfect condition, including its internal organs.
Glacial Drifts and Fossil Distribution
Some common fossil types seen today in different areas formed in part because of glacial activities. According to the Department of Natural Resources in Minnesota, fossils from different geological periods can be found all around its region because of glacial drifts. During the Ice Ages, glaciers slowly drifted from Canada to cover the Minnesota region. As the glaciers slowly moved, they gathered remains of animals and other geological debris like rocks and sand. When the glaciers melted, they left behind the debris and fossilized animals.
Glacial Erratic Fossils
Glacial erratic rocks are pieces of rock that glaciers transported from one place to another. These rocks, ranging from pebbles to ones larger than houses, can be distinguished easily because they are unique in the location they are found. Some of these glacial erratic rocks contain fossils. Just like the rocks, these fossils are mostly unique and unrelated to the area where they are found.
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