| trace fossil | |
| —n | |
| the fossilized remains of a track, trail, footprint, burrow, etc, of an organism | |
| trace fossil
A fossil consisting of an imprint of or a mark left by an organism, as opposed to physical remains. Trace fossils are produced in soft sediments and include surface tracks, molded impressions left by organisms or tissues that later decayed, and subsurface burrows or tunnelings. |