Footprint Fossil

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Luke 1:18-19 “Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.

 

 Tracks and trails are two types of fossils that can be found under the trace fossils category. As with all other trace fossils, tracks and trails also tell more about the organism's behavior rather than the organism itself. These are typically formed when an organism moves over the surface of soft sediment and leave an impression of its movement behind.

There are four basic stages in the formation of footprint fossils. A footprint is formed when an organism steps into soft mud (usually silty sediment that is deposited in shallow temporary pools.) Then the impression is covered with loose sand so that the footprint is filled. The sand eventually consolidate into sandstone and finally the rock split open along the bedding surface to reveal the original footprint in the shale and its cast in the sandstone.

Examining the footprints left behind by dinosaurs give us a hint as to the size of the dinosaur. Most of the time there is certain proportionality between an organism's body and its legs (feet.) If the footprint left by the dinosaur is huge, we can only fathom the size of the whole dinosaur. The actual footprint provides us with a better estimate than any museum model.

The celebration and anniversary of the first advent (arrival) of God is what is more commonly called Christmas. Christmas is God’s footprint fossil which reveals God’s behavior as it relates to you and me…as we celebrate Christmas and look over Christmas scriptures, I pray we will be influenced and embrace God’s behavior as our own.

You know I love ya, Don