Sometimes fossil remains found in limestone are quite complete.
Limestone is commonly used in construction, sometimes as part of the formula to make cement or as crushed rock. In its natural state and in certain parts of the world, limestone can be a treasure trove for fossil hunters.
Composition
Limestone is made up largely of calcium carbonate. This sedimentary rock can occur organically from the remains of corals, shell fish, algae and even fecal matter. These organic remains can be microscopic or large enough to be seen by the naked eye as fossils.
Fossil Formation
Small particles of sediment, mostly clay and sand, get deposited in parts of streams or in pools--any place where there is slow moving water. Plants and animals die and get buried in the mud and eventually the water is squeezed out. Their remains form fossils in the resulting shale.
Biosparite
Another type of fossil limestone is the biosparite. The name translates into bio, for fossils, and sparite, which describes the calcite cement-like substance holding the fossils together. The rock is coarse and the imprisoned fossils are of many shapes and sizes.
Coral Reef
Biosparites are commonly associated with a reef environment. Since the space between the fossils was originally under water there is a lack of micrite, or finely grained sediment. The limestone formed from the mound of skeletal remains on the sea floor.
Tectonic Stability
Both types of limestone are associated with areas of the Earth that were geologically stable, had a rich marine environment and usually quiet waters. Some of these inland seas, such as those covering the badlands of southern Alberta, Canada have long ago dried up, leaving vast numbers of fossils yet to be found.
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