Units of Measurement Conversion between metric and English units. 1 meter (m) = 39.4 inches = 1.09 yards; 1 yard = 0.92 m 1 centimeter (cm) = 0.39 inches; 1 inch = 2.54 cm 1 millimeter (mm) = 0.039 inch = 39/1,000 inch; 1 inch = 25.4 mm 1 micrometer or micron (um) = 0.000039 inch = 39/1,000,000 inch; 1/1000 inch = 25.4 um
The most important characteristics to consider when identifying Index Fossils: ABUNDANCE: To best allow paleontologists to correlate rocks with other rocks found at locations far apart, it's important that the index fossil be very widely distributed across a vast geographical region.
The study of fossils across geological time, how they were formed, and the evolutionary relationships between taxa (phylogeny) are some of the most important functions of the science of paleontology. Such a preserved specimen is called a fossil if it is older than some minimum age, most often the arbitrary date of 10,000 years.