Fosil: Béda antarrépisi

Permineralization consists of organic remains being to some degree impregnated by minerals derived from the surrounding sediments or waters. For permineralization to occur, the organism must become covered by sediment soon after death or soon after the initial decaying process. The degree to which the remains are decayed when covered determines the later details of the fossil. Some fossils consist only of skeletal remains or teeth; other fossils contain traces of [[skin]], [[feather]]s or even soft tissues. Once covered with sediment, these layers slowly become compacted and cemented into rock, and the organic remains are slowly replaced with hard minerals.

To sum up, fossilization processes proceed differently for different kinds of tissues and under different kinds of conditions.

[[Fosil hirup]] mangrupakeunmangrupa istilah nu dipaké pikeun spésiés-spésiés hirup nu raket pisan hubunganana jeung spésiés nu kapanggih salaku fosil. <!--This can be a species known only from fossils until living representatives were discovered, such as the [[coelacanth]] and the [[ginkgo]] tree, or a single living species with no close relatives, such as the [[horseshoe crab]], that is the sole survivor of a once large and widespread group in the fossil record.-->