Vocabulary
Describes a group of living things that can no longer be found on Earth
What is extinct?
When wood hardens and becomes a fossil, it is called this
What is petrified wood?
Scientists may learn what an animal ate by looking at the shapes of this part of a fossil
What are teeth?
Mr. Lawrence found a trilobite fossil in his back yard. He infers that St. George used to be covered by a...
What is shallow sea?
The hardened remains of a living thing that died long ago
What is a fossil?
True or False: All fossils found are from dinosaurs
False - plant fossils, sea creatures, and insects have also been found
Observing fish fossils in a rock layer helps us infer this about the environment at that time
What is underwater?
True or False: All scientists agree that volcanoes killed off the dinosaurs
False - some are studying the asteroid impact off the coast of Mexico, as well as a number of other theories
A scientist that studies rocks and rock layers
What is a geologist?
This is the first step to an organism becoming a fossil.
What is getting buried? (I'll also accept "dying")
A shark tooth fossil is found above a fern plant fossil. Which fossil is older?
What is fern plant fossil?
A scientist who studies fossils
What is a paleontologist?
In a canyon, this phenomena causes rock layers to be exposed over time
What is erosion?
Information you use to prove and support your answer to a question
What is evidence?
If two fossils are found in the same rock, scientists can infer that these two things did this
What is lived at the same time?
Omnivore
True or False: Scientists compare fossils to animals alive today to infer how they lived millions of years ago
True - they can infer how they lived and what the environment was like
Something you notice using any of your five senses
What is an observation?
Something has to be this old to be considered a proper fossil
What is 10,000 years?
True or False: Observing rocks and fossils help geologists solve mysteries
Ice, water, wind, gravity, temperature, and plant roots all do this to the Earth's surface
What is break down, move, or erode?
Suppose a plant and animal die on the same day. Which one will most likely become a fossil? Why?
The animal because it has more hard parts than the plant