The document summarizes the process of fossil formation in 3 sentences: 1) An animal dies and its flesh is eaten away while its bones rot, leaving tiny spaces that get filled with rock as the bones sink into mud. 2) Over time, fossils are uncovered by water or wind and dug up by paleontologists. 3) The paleontologists then bring the fossils to a museum so people can view them, and the museum pays the paleontologists half price for each fossil while ensuring they do not fall apart.