fossils
soil
weathering and erosion
mix
mystery
100
True or False?
All organisms that die turn into fossils.
false
100
Sally found some soil in her backyard and wants to identify what type of soil it is.
It is dark brown and has medium sized particles. What type of soil did Sally find?
loam/topsoil
100
What is erosion?
processes like wind, water flow, and ice movement, resulting in a change from one location to another.
100
A student saw a fossilized skeleton of an animal at a museum. He wants to know more about the animal and the habitat it lived in when it was alive. Which of the following clues BEST helps the student find out information about the animal's habitat?
a. 2 long back legs and 2 short front legs
b. a large body and flipper-like front feet
c. a beak and skinny legs
d. flat dull teeth and a small skull
b. a large body and flipper-like front feet
100
What is a fossil?
preserved remains of organisms that lived in the past.
200
What is something a fossil CANNOT help a scientist determine about the organism?
a. what it ate
b. what environment it lived in
c. what color it is
d. how long ago it lived
C. what color it is
200
In order to determine a soil’s texture, what do you need to do?
Use a hand lens to determine particle size AND touch it to feel it
200
what is weathering?
the breaking up of rocks into smaller fragments changing the rock’s size and structure.
200
Why does sand retain the smallest amount of water?
Due to its large particles
200
What can fossils help scientist figure out about an organism?
a. What an organism ate
b. what color an organism is
c. what other organisms it lived with
a. what an organism ate
300
When fish fossils are found on dry land millions of years later, what does that tell about about the land long ago that that area?
That area of land was once underwater.
300
I found a type of soil in my backyard and it’s red. When it gets wet it is very smooth, but it can be very hard when dry. When I looked at the soil, it was very hard to see each particle. What soil did I most likely find?
Clay
300
Ms. Moore was on her annual vacation to Alaska when she came across this rock formation. She noticed on that day the wind was blowing furiously. When she did her research, she saw that in this particular city, the wind has been blowing hard and constantly for many years.
What has happened over time to cause this rock to break apart?
Wind or ice has broken the rock into pieces.
300
which comes first in the process of fossilization?
sediment covers the organism
or
the soft tissue begins to decay
sediment covers the organism
300
Which soil has the highest water retention?
clay
400
The organism dies.
The organism is buried in sediment or mud. Over time, more and more sediment or mud covers the organism.
The soft tissue begins to decay until just the bones are left. sediment and minerals fill in the empty spaces.
- DESCRIBE WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS STEP
5. A fossil is discovered.
Time turns sediment and minerals into rock/stone.
400
When I pour water on this soil, a lot of the water filters right through it because it’s particles are so big! It’s very rough and gritty when I touch it. What soil am I describing?
Sand
400
Why are the Appalachian Mountains more rounded than the Rocky Mountains?
Because the Appalachian Mountains are older and have been exposed to more weathering and erosion compared to the Rocky Mountains.
400
A student noticed a crack in a large rock. What could be one of the causes of this crack over time?
A. tree root grew up into the crack and slowly made it bigger.
B. Lots of rain got the rock wet and caused it to crack
C. An animal rolled the rock around
D. A large gust of wind caused the crack to grow.
A tree root grew up into the crack and slowly made it bigger.
400
If you wanted to see how a plant grew in each type of soil, how would you set up your experiment?
A.Put all the soil together in one cup and plant the seed
B. Put one seed in each type of soil and then water them
C. Pour water over the soil through a filter and then plant the seed in the water
D. Plant the seed in only the one you think is the best
A. Put one seed in each type of soil and then water them
500
WHERE IS THE ERROR? Explain.
The organism dies.
The soft tissue begins to decay until just the bones are left. Sediment and minerals fill in the empty spaces.
The organism is buried in sediment or mud. Over time, more and more sediment or mud covers the organism.
- Time turns sediment and minerals into rock/stone.
5. A fossil is discovered.
Steps 2 and 3 are switched. The organism SHOULD BE buried in sediment BEFORE the soft tissue decays and minerals fill in the empty spaces.
500
Marcia wanted to find out what soil would be the best to plant peas in. What kind of investigation would be the best for Marcia to perform?
a. Plant 3 seeds in one area of all 3 soils mixed together and then measure the growth of each plant.
b. Plant 1 seed in clay and measure the growth.
c. Add water to the soils and then plant the seed in whichever soil holds the most water.
d. Plant 1 seed in a cup of each type of soil and then measure the growth of the plants.
d. Plant 1 seed in a cup of each type of soil and then measure the growth of the plants.
500
A student noticed a large crack in a rock. Tell one of the possible causes of this crack over time.
Water getting into the crack and it froze in freezing temperatures (causing the crack to expand)
OR
Tree roots growing down into the rock and breaking the rock apart
500
How does freezing water cause the weathering of rocks? The freezing water—
A. causes rocks to fall in landslides
B. makes the rocks last longer
C. keeps the rocks in place
D. expands cracks and breaks rocks
D. expands cracks and breaks rocks
500
Which step does NOT belong in the fossilization process?
A. The organism dies
B. The soft tissue decays and minerals fill in the spaces
C. The organism is buried in mud and sediment over time
D. The bones change into rock over time
D. The bones change into rock over time