microfossil

noun

mi·cro·fos·sil | \ ˌmī-krō-ˈfä-səl

How to pronounce microfossil (audio)

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Definition of microfossil

: a small fossil that typically can be studied only microscopically and that may be either a fragment of a larger organism or an entire minute organism

Examples of microfossil in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web At around 1 billion years old, the seaweed microfossil — a type of algae known as Proterocladus antiquus — is the oldest green seaweed known to man. — Joshua Bote, USA TODAY, "Newly discovered fossil is a billion-years-old, the oldest green seaweed ever found," 27 Feb. 2020 The freckles, Virginia Tech researchers say, are actually billion-year-old seaweed microfossils. — Alaa Elassar, CNN, "Scientists found a billion-year-old fossil believed to be an ancestor of earth's very first plants," 26 Feb. 2020 The scientists discovered the cave while searching for microfossils to buttress their then-radical theory that microbial life flourished on land more than a billion years ago. — Peter Byrne, Quanta Magazine, "Early Life in Death Valley," 24 Apr. 2014 All of these microfossils — or the chemical evidence associated with them — are hotly debated. — Quanta Magazine, "Fossil Discoveries Challenge Ideas About Earth’s Start," 22 Jan. 2018 Paleosols are typically full of pollen and microfossils of simple organisms, such as diatoms, a kind of algae that can indicate climate conditions. — Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, "Rising Seas Swallowed Countless Archaeological Sites. Scientists Want Them Back," 20 May 2019 And where there are geochemical signs of life, there could also be microfossils. — Peter Byrne, Quanta Magazine, "Early Life in Death Valley," 24 Apr. 2014 The sediment layers where the skeleton was positioned, known as microfossils, were crucial to determining the quadrupedal whale's age, around 42.6 million years ago. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Ancient Pacific Whales Lived On Land Like Rhinos," 4 Apr. 2019 Researchers will analyze sediment samples from the test pits for traces of pollen and microfossils that might yield clues as to whether the stones were built in an intertidal marsh, a wooded area, or on farmland. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "The lost standing stones of Devon are still hiding from archaeologists," 1 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'microfossil.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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“Microfossil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/microfossil. Accessed 27 Feb. 2021.

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