GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Fossils are the preserved remains of plants and animals whose bodies were buried in sediments, such as sand and mud, under ancient seas, lakes and rivers. Fossils also include any preserved trace of life that is typically more than 10 000 years old.

Detailed explanation-2: -Ichnofossils, also known as trace fossils, are geological records of the activities and behaviors of past life. Some examples include rock evidence of nests, burrows, footprints, and scat. These fossils are different from body fossils that preserve the actual remains of a body such as shells or bones.

Detailed explanation-3: -In July 2018, scientists reported that the earliest life on land may have been bacteria 3.22 billion years ago.

Detailed explanation-4: -The four types of trace fossils are tracks and trails (footprints), burrows and bores (worm holes), gastroliths (stomach stones), and coprolites (fossilized feces).

Detailed explanation-5: -3.472–3.432 Ga metavolcanic pillow lavas of the Barberton greenstone belt (BGB), South Africa, have been argued to represent Earth’s oldest trace fossils (1–4).