Alberta's History
How is a fossil of a dinosaur made?
One of the most common types of fossilization is when minerals from the water or ground seeps into the pores of dead plant or animal material. The water leaves minerals behind that turn into rock.
What is a Fossil?
Fossils are unique rocks made from the remains or impressions of ancient plants and animals.
What is the name of the fossil museum in Drumheller?
Royal Tyrrell Museum
Who is Joseph Tyrell?
Joseph Tyrell is a geologist who ended up finding the first fossil in Alberta and is credited for discovering the Albertosaurus in the Badlands.
Name any two prehistoric events that led to what Alberta looks like today and its many fossils.
The rising and sinking Pangaea in the sea, a large comet or asteroid slammed into the earth, and the receding ice age.
What are the two types of fossils?
Body fossils, which are the preserved remains of plants and animals, and trace fossils, which are records of an animal's behavior, of plants and animals.
Why was the museum named the Royal Tyrell Museum?
In recognition of Joseph Tyrell's discovery of fossils in Alberta, a museum was opened in his name.
What are the four things you should you do if you find a fossil?
Photograph it, locate it on a map, leave it buried, and report the find.
What information do fossils tell us?
Fossils can give us tons of information about how prehistoric animals lived, what they looked like, what they ate. It can also give us information about what prehistoric land looked like and how it became what it looks like today.
What are the Badlands?
Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded. They are characterized by steep slopes and deep, winding gullies.
What information we can find in the Royal Tyrell Museum?
The Royal Tyrell museum gives us information about a variety of prehistoric animals and explains changes in Alberta's land over billions of years.
Name a prehistoric organism (fossil) that was found in Alberta.
Triceratops, Albertosuarus, Elasmosaurus, Stegosaurus, and many more...
Why do we have so many fossils in Alberta?
In prehistoric times Alberta's landscape was flat, warm, wet, and lush. Perfect for herds of plant-eating dinosaurs, and a buffet for the carnivores that hunted them. Additionally Alberta was once underwater during which sediment easily covered animal remains. When hit by a meteorite any dead plants and animals were quickly buried and fossilized.
What is an Archeologist?
Archaeology, is the study of the human past through material remains. Therefore archeologists study material that reveals information about how humans lived in the past.
Name another museum or provincial park in Alberta that contains fossils.
Dinosaur Provincial Park, Drumheller Provincial Park, or Phillip J. Currie Museum in Wembley, Alberta.
Who where the first people to discover fossils in Alberta?
The Piikani People (Blackfoot)- A First Nation living in southern Alberta.
How do fossil discoveries help us understand Alberta's past?
Fossils give us information about Alberta's unique history by helping us understand prehistoric creatures that lived long ago. Fossils can also give us a picture of what Alberta may have been like millions of years ago.
What is a Paleontologist?
Paleontology, is the study of ancient life of all kinds, mostly but not always by investigating fossils, the mineralized remains of living things.
How are Alberta's provincial parks and protected areas and national parks important to the sustainability of Alberta's natural environment?
Alberta's provincial parks protect the illegal removal of fossilized remains and protects the environment from being destroyed by excavation and digging.
How can ownership of a discovered artifact be determined?
The fossilized remains of plants and animals, or traces of their activities, are protected under the Government of Alberta's Historical Resources Act. If you live in Alberta and legally surface collect a fossil, you may keep it as custodian, but ownership remains with the Province of Alberta.