WARNING WARNING --- There are more YEC propagandists out there than you can shake a fossilized Ichthyosaurus or toss a coal miner's helmet at...

"What are fossils?

A fossil is a plant or animal that has been dead for a long time - usually thousands of years. It must be buried immediately after it dies. If it dies and is exposed to the air it will never become a fossil. A flood could cause a sudden burial and provide a means of fossilization.

How fast can something become a fossil?

The bigger the object, the longer it will take to fossilize. In Brazil, the Santana Formation contains millions of fossilized fish in which lithification [conversion to stone] was instantaneous. A fossil of Ichthyosaurus was in the process of giving birth! Something happened very fast in order to lock this event into stone.

What are index fossils?

They are fossils associated with a particular span of geological time. Almost every stratum [sheetlike layer of rock] contains fossils that seem to be the same type (clams, coral, etcetera). Evolutionists study the stratum and determine what "index" fossils are contained in it. They date the stratum from the index fossils they find. Okay, now think about this: if the date of the fossil is wrong, then the date of the stratum is also wrong. Remember that geologists tell us that the stratum have been laid down over millions of years!

What is the most unusual fossil?

It is a miner's felt hat from Tasmania. After 50 years, the hat was found and was as hard as a rock. The minerals in the water that covered the hat had turned it to stone.

How long does it take coal to form?

We have been taught that it takes millions of years for coal to form. However, in a laboratory, researchers have made low-quality coal in less that one year. It takes eleven years to produce coal that is very close to "Natural" coal. For example, under the right conditions, diamonds can be made in days and opals in a few months to a few years."

http://www.arksearch.com/naevolu.htm