fossilisation

Everyday

1. Fossilisation is the very slow process, over thousands or millions of years, by which the remains or traces of a living thing are turned into a fossil, usually in rock. tree →
2. (figurative) Fossilisation is when ideas, habits or a language stop changing and become fixed. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons on rocks, evolution and dinosaurs, fossilisation is explained step by step: an animal dies, is buried quickly in mud or sand, the soft parts rot, minerals slowly replace the bones, and layers of rock press down. Mary Anning found famous fossils in Lyme Regis. Phrases: «the process of fossilisation», «conditions for fossilisation».

Examples

• Fossilisation takes millions of years. tree →
• Only a few dead animals ever go through fossilisation. tree →
• Quick burial in mud helps fossilisation. tree →
• Shells are often found because they survive fossilisation well. tree →
• We drew a comic strip of the stages of fossilisation. tree →
• Teeth and bones are the parts most likely to survive fossilisation. tree →

Note

UK, Australian, New Zealand and Irish spelling: fossilisation; US and Canada: fossilization. Verb: fossilise / fossilize. Myth: most living things never become fossils; fossilisation is rare.