How do most fossils form? Be sure to explain your answer. How do most fossils form? Be sure to explain your answer.

When a plant or animal dies in water and they are covered with mud and silt the tissues decompose leaving bones or shells. Then when sediment builds on top of the bones or shells it hardens making a fossil.

Sample Response: Most fossils are formed in water. So, for a fossil to form, an organism must die and fall to the bottom of a lake or ocean. Layers of sediment then cover the organism. Eventually, over millions of years, the layers of sediment become rock and preserve the shape of the organism.