Fossils SOSI

Presented by Linder O.
Winter
E-S Rules Committee
SESSION OBJECTIVES
Introduce the 2010 Fossils Event rules
Suggest options and strategies to guide
participants in preparing for the event
Address major topics and themes included
in the event
Review a recent exam
2010 EVENT RULES
DESCRIPTION: Teams will demonstrate
their knowledge of ancient life by
completing several tasks at a series of
stations.
DESCRIPTION: Continued
Emphasis will be on fossil identification
and ability to answer questions about:
Classification
Habitat
Ecologic relationships
Behaviors
Use of fossils to date and correlate rock
units
A TEAM OF UP TO: 2
 Roles of each team member should be defined long
before the competition.
 Lead participant: most knowledgeable and/or most
experienced
 Avoid limiting participation to only two members due
to potential drop-outs, illness, conflicting times, etc.
 Don’t discount younger students, i.e. sixth graders
 Avoid identifying team members too quickly
EVENT PARAMETERS
Each team may bring only one magnifying
glass.
Emphasis is on the word team
Controls the number of objects to transport
from station to station
EVENT PARAMETERS:
Field Guides
One published field guide that they may
tab, write in or attach Post-It or other notes
 Recommend that participants consult one or
more field guides and numerous books and
websites while developing their binder
 Suggest that participants not bring field guides
to the competition
EVENT PARAMETERS:
Field Guides
Why not bring a field guide?
Participants are given only a very brief time
at each station
Contains far too much information to sort
through in a very short time
Often serves as a crutch rather than an
effective resource
EVENT PARAMETERS:
3-Ring Binders
And one 3-ring binder (any size) containing
information in any form from any source. The
materials must be 3-hole punched and
inserted into the rings (sheet protectors are
allowed).
Teammates work together to create the
binder. This encourages discussions on items
to include and provides an opportunity to
actually work together as a team.
EVENT PARAMETERS
Rationale for Permitting Resources
 Most professionals take field guides with them into the
field.
 For Science Olympiad participants, resources …
 Provide a means for coaches to monitor participant
progress
 Include only those items identified in the event rules
 Are uniquely developed by the competitors
 Encourage preparation
3 – RING BINDER
Creating the Ideal Resource
 Each team of individuals should create their own
binder.
 Binders “grow” as team members’ knowledge and
experience grow.
 It’s the creation and continual upgrading of one’s
own binder that make them such an effective tool.
 Avoid the temptation to pass binders on to future
teams!
3 - RING BINDER:
Table of Contents
 Suggest participants obtain a notebook with clear plastic
sleeves on both front and rear covers.
 Create “cover sheets” with names and thumbnail images of
each specimen along with page numbers where specimens
are found to insert into the plastic covers.
 Front – invertebrates. Rear – vertebrates and plants
 “Speed is the key!” Design for rapid specimen identification
to permit maximum time for locating requested information.
 Devote one page to each specimen. Standardize format for
quick and easy access.
3-Ring Binder: Items to include on
pages devoted to each specimen
 Repeat thumbnail image, if desired
 Mode of life, i.e. predator, scavenger …
 Environment
 Special adaptations for survival – food gathering,
defense, etc.
 Position on the Geologic Time Scale
 Taxonomic classification
 Labeled sketches identifying various body features
 Significance of the creature to paleontology, i.e. index
fossil, etc.
 Names, and possibly images, of related specimens
3 - RING BINDER
Additional Materials – Appendix
 Glossary of key terms
 Geologic Time Scale
 Listing of major events that occurred during each era
or period, i.e. mass extinctions, introduction of new
species, etc.
 Descriptions of common fossil-bearing sedimentary
rocks … high or low energy environments; highlands
or adjacent plains, etc.
 Types of fossilization … descriptions and examples
3 - RING BINDER
Continual Maintenance
 Team briefings following each level of competition
 Identify difficulties or surprises participants may have
encountered during the competition
 Modify binder to include facts and concepts that would
have been helpful had they been included
 Additional information obtained through continued
study and research
3-Ring Binder: Previously
Administered Exams
 Sources: National and State Science Olympiad sites,
Coaches Clinics, etc.
 Science Olympiad Student Center located at
http://scioly.org/wiki/Fossils#Sample_Questions
(now includes the former Wright Center materials
listen under “Outside Resources.”)
 Have participants review previously administered
exams for information that may prove beneficial during
future events.
INTERNET RESOURCES
Limit visits to professional sites only!
 USGS
 College Sites – Geology and Paleontology
Departments
 National Parks and Monuments
 Science Olympiad Student Center
 Many commercial sites often include good
information about the fossils they sell.
INTERNET RESOURCES
Avoid websites posted by individuals or organizations
with an agenda
 Creation Science websites.
 It’s inevitable that participants will stumble onto
these sites which advocate two major worldwide
events, the Creation and the Great flood as the sole
events that influenced early life on Earth.
Suggested Resource for C-Division
 This is a remarkable
book for students
interested in the history
of paleontology.
 Author: Sean B. Carroll

THE COMPETITION
 Emphasis will be placed upon task-oriented
activities.
 Participants will move from station to station, with the
length of time at each station predetermined and
announced by the event supervisor.
 Participants are not permitted to return to stations,
but may alter or add information to their original
responses while at other stations.
 Identification will be limited to species on the list, but
other species may be used to illustrate key concepts.
Supervisor Philosophies
Prepare participants for different types of exams:
 “Old-school” individuals tend to design knowledge-
based exams.
 Others prefer a mixture of conceptionally-based
activities with knowledge content.
SPECIMEN COLLECTIONS
 Don’t be disappointed when you discover that kits
including all the specimens on the SO list simply are not
available
 Before purchasing specimens, inventory those your
school may already have or consult with the previous
coach from your school.
 Start small and add to your collection as budget and
availability permit
 Think twice before purchasing inexpensive kits offering a
large number of specimens at a very low cost. Most
include small and/or broken specimens having little value
other than simple identification.
 Larger specimens showing greater detail are ideal
 Images of specimens, although less than ideal, are
fair substitutes.
 Many commercial websites provide quality images of
specimens.
Try to include replicas of ancient Supervisors may include questions
creatures in your collections. about special adaptations, such as a
mammoth’s tusks used to shove aside
snow, carnivores vs. herbivores, etc.
 The Fossils Event is on a three-year rotational
scheme, with Rocks and Minerals as its counterpart.
 Plan purchases to span over a period of several
years to spread cost.
 Emphasize the importance of treating specimens
with care, returning them to designated storage
areas, etc.
 Visit www.otherworlds-edu.com for quality speci-
mens at a very “reasonable” cost.
VOLUNTEERS
 As with all events of the Science Olympiad, practicality
often dictates identifying a volunteer to coach this event.
 If you are unable to obtain a professional or amateur
volunteer, attempt to seek out an interested parent or
community member. Many parents are willing to devote
numerous hours to help their own children, as well as
those of their friends and classmates, achieve their
greatest potential.
 A background in paleontology is not an absolute
essential, but strong interest is.
 Professionals often enjoy sharing their passion for fossils
with others – especially with children.
VOLUNTEERS
 Provide a copy of this PowerPoint presentation to
your volunteer(s) as very few are familiar with the
coaching regimen. Provide an opportunity to follow-
up on any questions your volunteer may have.
 Touch base with your volunteer(s) frequently to
assure that they are following through on their
commitment and are comfortable with their role.
 A few of these volunteers become so involved that
they volunteer to assist with other events, provide
assistance at competitions, or even continue their
role after their own children have moved on.
COACHING STRATEGIES
 Monitor development of participant binders. This is
especially beneficial if a large number of individuals
have shown an interest in this event.
 Competitive rivalry increases the chances of
constructing the best overall team possible.
COACHING STRATEGIES
 Set up weekly practice sessions with three to five stations
each. Stations included in previously administered exams
makes this task a bit easier.
 The initial sessions can be untimed. After several weeks,
set time limits of three to five minutes per station to
simulate actual competitive conditions.
 It’s much better for participants to experience “pressure”
under simulated conditions than during actual
competitions.
 Practice drills are also valuable. Compile a list of
questions; dictate them orally; clock the time required for
participants to locate the answers in their notebooks; and
note their accuracy.
A BRIEF INTRODUCTION
TO EACH INCLUDED TOPIC
Suggested Reference
 The following reference was invaluable as a resource
for developing many of the following slides. It is a
HIGHLY recommended resource for both B- and C-
Division Science Olympiad participants. Its
explanations are concise and thorough. It addresses
many crucial concepts often ignored by other books.
Its illustrations are both beautiful and functional.
 Coenraads, Robert R., Rocks and Fossils – A Visual
Guide. Firefly Books, Ltd., 2005
 ISBN-13: 978-1-55407-068-8
 ISBN-10: 1-55407-068-6
TOPIC A: CONDITIONS FOR
FOSSILIZATION TO OCCUR
 Rapid burial to (a) avoid scavenging and (b)
eliminatating oxygen to prevent decay
 Possession of hard parts - bones, teeth, nails, shell
or woody tissue
TOPIC B: MODES OF PRESERVATION -
PERMINERALIZATION
 Skeletal material can be quite porous. If the pores
are filled in by foreign minerals that precipitate out
of solution, the fossil is said to be permineralized.
 Petrified wood is an example of wood that has
been permineralized by silica.
TOPIC B: MODES OF PRESERVATION:
PETRIFACTION/PETRIFICATION/SILICIFICATION
 In geology, petrifaction, petrification or
silicification is the process by which organic
material is converted into stone by impregnation
with silica.
TOPIC B: MODES OF PRESERVATION
–
MINERAL REPLACEMENT
 This occurs when skeletal material is replaced,
molecule by molecule, with some alien material.
 This process occurs gradually over a long period
of time as the original mineralogy dissolves away
and a new mineral precipitates in its place.
Examples include:
 (1) Silicification - when calcium carbonate is
replaced by silica, and
 (2) Pyritization - a permineralization process
involving sulfur and iron.
TOPIC B: MODES OF PRESERVATION:
CASTS & MOLDS

 Sometimes the original material is dissolved
away, leaving a cavity in the rock which may later
become filled with another material, such as a
mineral.
 The cavity is known as a mold
 The internal filling is known as a cast
TOPIC B: MODES OF
PRESERVATION: IMPRINT
 Carbonization occurs when all organic volatiles are
distilled away due to the effects of heat and/or
pressure, leaving a carbon film remnant of the
organism.
 This usually occurs with organisms rich in carbon
that possess thin or no skeletal material.
TOPIC B: MODES OF
PRESERVATION: ACTUAL REMAINS
 Unaltered: Occasionally an organism's skeleton is
preserved intact without any chemical alteration
of the original mineralogy.
 This mode of preservation becomes increasingly
rare for fossils of older ages.
 Note: Copal has been added to the Official NSO List as it is cheaper and fills the
same role as amber which is much more expensive.
TOPIC B : UNCOMMON MODES
OF PRESERVATION
 Uncommon modes of preservation:
 Encasement in amber or copal – smaller animals,
mainly insects, but sometimes lizards, frogs and
birds
 Mummification – rare process peculiar to desert
areas
 Freezing – animals, including humans and
mammoths
 Entrapment – in tar/asphalt
TOPIC C: RELATIVE DATING
 The most basic concept used in relative dating is
the law of superposition.
 Simply stated, each bed in a sequence of
sedimentary rocks (or layered volcanic rocks) is
younger than the bed below it and older than the
bed above it.
 This law follows two basic assumptions: (1) the
beds were originally deposited horizontally and
(2) the beds were not overturned after their
deposition.
The principle of cross-cutting relationships states
that the geologic feature which cuts another is the
younger of the two features, i.e. the thing being cut is
older than the thing doing the cutting.
Unconformities: buried
erosion surfaces
 The law of faunal succession states that groups
of fossil animals and plants occur throughout the
geologic record in a distinct and identifiable order.
 Following this law, sedimentary rocks can be
"dated" by their characteristic fossil content.
 Particularly useful are index (zonal) fossils,
geographically widespread fossils that evolved
rapidly through time.
 Reference for this and preceding slide: Utah Geological Survey
TOPIC D: ABSOLUTE DATING
 Carbon dating uses the half-life of Carbon-14 to find the
approximate age of certain objects that are 40,000 years
old or younger.
 The ratio of normal carbon (carbon-12) to carbon-14 in
the air and in all living things at any given time is nearly
constant.
 One in possibly a trillion carbon atoms is carbon-14. Both
Carbon-12 and Carbon-13 are stable, but Carbon-14
decays by very weak beta decay to nitrogen-14 with a
half-life of approximately 5,730 years. After the organism
dies it stops taking in new carbon.
http://www.ndt-ed.org/EducationResources/HighSchool/Radiography/carbon14dating.htm
 Radioactive decay is the process by which a "parent"
isotope changes into a "daughter" isotope.
 Rates of radioactive decay are constant and
measured in terms of half-life, the time it takes half of
a parent isotope to decay into a stable daughter
isotope.
 Some rock-forming minerals contain naturally
occurring radioactive isotopes with very long half-
lives unaffected by chemical or physical
conditions that exist after the rock is formed.
 Half-lives of these isotopes and the parent-to-
daughter ratio in a given rock sample can be
measured
 Then a relatively simple calculation yields the
absolute (radiometric) date at which the parent
began to decay, i.e., the age of the rock.
Volcanic Ash
 Volcanic ash is one of the best materials for
absolute dating because it can be used for both
radiometric dating and absolute dating.
 Geologically, volcanic events are relatively
instantaneous events.
 Any fossils found above, below, or between can
be dated “relative” to the volcanic ash layers.
TOPIC E: GEOLOGIC TIME SCALE
TOPIC F: INDEX FOSSILS –
CRITERIA
 An index or zonal fossil is any fossil that may be
used for correlating and dating geologic strata
found in different parts of the world.
 A perfect index fossil will satisfy all the following
criteria:
CRITERIA
 Short geologic range so the time between
appearance and extinction is short. (Trilobites
may be an exception. Their designation as
index fossils is most likely based upon
evolutional changes … vision, etc.)
 Widespread geographic range so it is found in
many places around the globe
 Found in various rock types so it is not
dependent upon a particular type of bottom
sediment
CRITERIA
 Must have hard parts that easily fossilize,
either calcareous, siliceous, phosphatic or
organic
 Must be extremely abundant so that it is
likely to be found in even very small
samples such as drill cores
EXAMPLE
 Micro-organisms traveling the currents in the
world’s oceans (plankton) are excellent “index
fossil” candidates
TOPIC G: FOSSIL-BEARING
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
Limestone
 Occurs in shallow to deep marine environments
 May form from the accumulation of calcareous
microfossils
 May form spectacularly huge deposits from the
remains of reef-building corals
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
Shale
 Composed of tiny, flat, clay particles deposited in
horizontal layers, as is mudstone
 Shale is finer than mudstone
 Layering occurs because the flat, clay flakes align
themselves horizontally
 Weathers easily
 Forms in low-energy environments
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
Sandstone
 Particles are commonly rounded quartz grains, but
may be feldspar and other minerals
 Forms in moderately high-energy beach, river-delta
or desert environments
 Lithification binds the grains together with quartz,
calcite or iron-oxide cement
 The nature and degree of cementation determines
the hardness of the rock
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
Mudstone
 Composed of tiny, flat clay particles deposited in
horizontal layers, as is shale
 Formed in bodies of relatively still waters – lakes,
low-energy flood plains, and marine environments
far from land
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
Coquina
 Coquina is a limestone consisting almost entirely of
mechanically transported fossil debris with little or no
matrix, loosely cemented together so that the rock
appears to be very porous.
 Such rocks form in zones of high energy where finer
material is winnowed away.
TOPIC I: FOSSIL
IDENTIFICATION
 Ideally, students should master recognition of each
specimen on the list without having to refer to a guide.
 Suggest that students create their own “flash cards.”
Place an image on the front of each card and its name on
the back. Several cards may be constructed for each
fossil.
 Having the ability to identify a fossil instantly by sight
provides maximum time to complete many standard
tasks presented during an exam. This knowledge,
coupled with organization, permits students to quickly
turn to the correct page in their binders.
TOPIC I: FOSSIL
IDENTIFICATION
 Although “trace fossils” appear in the SO list, the term
was inadvertently left out of the event description.
However, to understand modes of life, they are too
important to ignore.
 Trace fossils include marks, tracks, burrows, coprolites,
eggs, nests and other traces an animal left behind that
became fossilized.
 Trace fossils may reveal more about the lifestyles and
habits of an ancient creature than the actual fossil itself.
TOPIC I: FOSSIL IDENTIFICATION
Examples of Trace Fossils
 Footprints or feeding tracks provide clues about a
creature’s movement, how it captured its prey,
whether it traveled in a group or was solitary, and
the manner it which it ran or walked.
 Diggings or burrows may reveal evolutionary
development for groups as they developed more
efficient feeding patterns over time.
TOPIC I: FOSSIL IDENTIFICATION
Examples of Trace Fossils
 Coprolites, or fossil animal droppings, may reveal
information about a creature’s diet and even how it
chewed, swallowed and digested.
 Gastroliths, or stomach stones, were used by some
creatures to aid digestion, similar to birds today.
 Dental teeth marks may be helpful in identifying the
predator.
 Nesting structures and eggs may provide insight
into an animal’s reproduction and how it reared its
young.
TOPIC H: MODES OF LIFE
 Filter feeder
 Predator
 Scavenger
 Deposit feeder
 Benthic
 Pelagic
 In addition to a host of other modes of life …
TOPIC I: ENVIRONMENTS
 Organisms that die in areas of frequent or high sediment
accumulation are much more likely to fossilize than those
that die in areas of erosion or low sedimentation
accumulation.
 Marine continental shelf environments are commonly
preserved in sedimentary strata, whereas terrestrial
uplands are very rarely preserved.
TOPIC J: MINERAL COMPOSITION
 Aragonite (CaCO3) is a form of calcium carbonate that is
fairly unstable and commonly dissolves away.
 Skeletons originally composed of aragonite are
commonly recrystallized to calcite and preserved as
molds.
 Aragonite is easy to recognize. It is usually (but not
always) milky white and has no shiny luster.
 Calcite (CaCO3) is the more common form of calcium
carbonate. It is more stable than aragonite and therefore
does not dissolve as readily.
 Calcite usually has a grayish color and a slight vitreous
(or glassy) luster when found as a skeletal mineral.
 It can be found as an original skeletal material, or as a
product of recrystallization.
TOPIC L: MINERAL COMPOSITION
 Silica (SiO2) is easy to distinguish from the
carbonate minerals since it will not react with acid.
 Skeletons composed of silica commonly have a
brown, earthy color, with or without a vitreous luster,
and may have a granular texture.
 Silica is rarely found as an original material and most
commonly occurs as a replacement product.
 Chitin is a major constituent of the exoskeleton, or
external skeleton, of many arthropods such as
insects, spiders, and crustaceans.
 Chiton: This term should actually be spelled “chitin.”
It’s the skeletal material of crustaceans that permit a
bit of flexibility for movement.
TOPIC K: TAXONOMIC HEIRARCHY
 URL for the Fossil Heirarchy that follows:
http://web.eps.utk.edu/courses/HistoricalGeo/taxono
my.html
 Participants may choose to include this material as

an appendix in their resource binder.
 Participants may wish to revise the list to include
only specimens on the Official NSO Fossil List
Kingdom Monera - bacteria, cyanobacteria
Kingdom Protista
Phylum Protozoa
Class Sarcodina - amoebas -
Order Foraminiferida - amoebas with calcite skeletons
-
Order Radiolaria - amoebas with opal skeletons
Kingdom Fungi - fungi
Kingdom Plantae - green plants and algae
Phylum Bryophyta - mosses and liverworts
Phylum Tracheophyta - vascular or land plants
Kingdom Animalia - animals
Phylum Porifera - sponges (Proterozoic - recent)
Phylum Cnidaria
Class Scyphozoa - jellyfish
Class Anthozoa - corals
Order Rugosa (Ordovician - Permian)
Order Scleractinia (Triassic - recent)
Order Tabulata (Ordovician - Permian)
Phylum Bryozoa - bryozoans (Ordovician - recent)
Phylum Brachiopoda - brachiopods
Class Inarticulata - brachiopods with unhinged valves
(Cambrian - recent)
Class Articulata - brachiopods with hinged valves
(Cambrian - recent)
Kingdom Animalia - animals (continued)
Phylum Mollusca
Class Polyplacophora - chitons
Class Scaphopoda - tusk shells
Class Gastropoda - snails (Cambrian - recent)
Class Pelecypoda (Bivalvia) - clams (Cambrian - recent)
Class Cephalopoda - cephalopods
Subclass Nautiloidea (Cambrian - recent)
Subclass Ammonoidea (Devonian - Cretaceous)
Subclass Coleoidea - squids and octopuses
Phylum Arthopoda
Class Trilobita - trilobites (Cambrian - Permian)
Class Ostracoda - ostracodes (Cambrian - recent)
Class Insecta - insects (Devonian - recent)
Kingdom Animalia - animals (continued)
Phylum Echinodermata
Class Blastoidea - blastoids (Ordovician - Permian)
Class Crinodea - sea lilies and feather stars (Cambrian - recent)
Class Asteroidea - star fish
Class Echinoidea - sea urchins and sand dollars (Ordovician - recent)
Phylum Hemichordata
Class Graptolithina - graptolites (Cambrian - Mississippian)
Phylum Chordata - mainly vertebrate animals
Class Pisces - fish (Ordovician - recent)
Class Amphibia - amphibians (Devonian - recent)
Class Reptilia - reptiles (Pennsylvanian - recent)
Class Aves - birds (Jurassic - recent)
Class Mammalia - mammals (Triassic - recent)
TOPIC L: ADAPTATIONS
Adaptations are characteristics of a plant or animal
that help it to survive. In animals, adaptations can
be:
 Structural - how the body is formed or shaped. Fins
and legs are two different structural adaptations.
 Physiological - how the body works. Cold-blooded
and warm-blooded are physiological adaptations.
 Behavioral - what the animal does, such as
hibernating in the winter.
TOPIC M: SIGNIFICANT EVENTS:
Ediacaran Fossils (Australia)
 Only a handful of localities provide any insight into
the evolution of the first multicellular animal life at
the end of the Precambrian
 Their rarity is due to the difficulty in fossilizing soft
bodies
 Seafloor forms include jellyfish and other forms so
strange they cannot be easily compared with later
fossils or those from other Precambrian sites.
TOPIC M: SIGNIFICANT EVENTS:
Lagerstätten
Lagerstätten [meaning "(fossil) deposit places" in
German] are geological fossil deposits that are rich
with varied, well-preserved fossils, representing a
wide variety of life from a particular era. These
spectacular fossil deposits represent an amazing
"snapshot" in time.
TOPIC O: SIGNIFICANT EVENTS
Burgess Shale
 A rock formation in the western Canadian
Rockies containing a wealth of fossilized
invertebrates of the early Cambrian Period
 Buried by an underwater avalanche of fine silt
 Preserves many details of their soft parts
Permian Extinction
 In this, the gravest of Earth’s mass extinctions,
90% of marine life and some 3/4ths of vertebrate
life on land were wiped out.
 Lost forever were the trilobites, tabulate corals,
rugose corals and blastoids.
 Life took 150 million years to regain the diversity
it had in the Permian.
 Volcanic eruptions in Siberia were possibly
responsible for this extinction.
Dinosaurs with Feathers
 The first reptiles took to the air in the Triassic
some 220 million years ago. Recent fossil
evidence suggests that these pterosaurs were
covered with fur and featherlike fibers.
 Pterosaurs were probably agile, warm-blooded
fliers, capable of powered flight, rather than just
gliding.
 The largest, Quetzalcoatlus, probably had a
wingspan of more than 40 feet (12 m)
Dinosaurs with Feathers
 Feathered Archaeopteryx probably evolved from
the small, meat-eating theropod dinosaurs 150
million years ago and likely led into the line of
modern birds.
 Birds survived the Cretaceous mass extinction,
which led to the demise of the pterosaurs 65
million years ago.
Cretaceous Extinction
 The second largest mass extinction in geological
history occurring 65 M.Y.A.
 Among the 85% of living things that disappeared
were the dinosaurs, pterosaurs, marine reptiles
and ammonites.
 Many of the niches left empty were taken up by
mammals.
Cretaceous Extinction
Trace amounts of the mineral iridium found in rock
strata of this age suggest two causes:
 Either the giant meteorite that hit Earth, creating
the Chicxulub crater in Mexico
 Or the massive volcanic eruptions of the Deccan
Traps, India. Perhaps both initiated this extinction
 Perhaps a combination of the two causes listed
above initiated this extinction.
Pleistocene Ice Age
Ice repeatedly pushed out of the Arctic Circle into
North America and Europe. The temperature drop
associated with this advancing ice had a profound
effect on life.
 The mammoth, rhinoceros, bison, reindeer and
musk ox evolved woolly coats to protect
themselves from the frigid conditions.
 As hominids proliferated on each continent, many
of the giant mammals, flightless birds and reptiles
disappeared.
Fossils Quiz
 Check your knowledge of fossils. Number from 1 to
10 on a sheet of scratch paper. You will be asked a
series of ten questions. The answer to each
question will appear on the slide immediately
following each question.
Fossils Quiz Question # 1
1. Is the fossil record more complete for terrestrial or
marine dwelling creatures?
1. Is the fossil record more complete for terrestrial or
marine dwelling creatures? MARINE
2. Which group of animals filled many of the niches
vacated by the mass extinction at the end of the
Cretaceous?
2. Which group of animals filled many of the niches
vacated by the mass extinction at the end of the
Cretaceous? MAMMALS
3. What physical characteristic of Precambrian
organisms resulted in their rarely being preserved as
fossils?
3. What physical characteristic of Precambrian
organisms resulted in their rarely being preserved as
fossils? BEING SOFT-BODIED
4. What extinct arthropods were fondly referred to by
Native Americans as “water creatures that live in
rock?”
4. What extinct arthropods were fondly referred to by
Native Americans as “water creatures that live in
rock?” TRILOBITES
5. Was the development of the Geologic Time Scale
more of a haphazard or systematic undertaking?
5. Was the development of the Geologic Time Scale
more of a haphazard or systematic undertaking?
HAPHAZARD
6. Does convergent or divergent evolution occur as
related species become increasingly dissimilar?
6. Does convergent or divergent evolution occur as
related species become increasingly dissimilar?
DIVERGENT
7. Which dating technique is used to determine the
approximate time of events that occurred within the
past 50,000 years?
7. Which dating technique is used to determine the
approximate time of events that occurred within the
past 50,000 years? CARBON-14
8. Which group of arthropods has diversified to
occupy nearly every conceivable environment,
including the skies?
8. Which group of arthropods has diversified to
occupy nearly every conceivable environment,
including the skies? INSECTS
9. What phrase refers to tracks, trails, footprints and
burrows remaining from the activities of ancient
creatures?
9. What phrase refers to tracks, trails, footprints and
burrows remaining from the activities of ancient
creatures? TRACE FOSSILS or ICHNOFOSSILS
10. Which geologic era provided near perfect
conditions for the formation of coal throughout much
of the world?
10. Which geologic era provided near perfect
conditions for the formation of coal throughout much
of the world? CARBONIFEROUS
How well did you do?
 Source of questions:
New 2010 version of “The Game of EARTH”
www.otherworlds-edu.com
Web Resources
 Preservation of specimens
http://www.fossilmuseum.net/fossilrecord/fossilizatio
n/fossilization.htm

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