Evidence & Concepts
What does the fossil record show us?
How the environment has changed over time.
What is an index fossil used for?
To tell us about to tell us how old rock layers are.
Which time period is known as the dawn of dinosaurs?
Mesozoic
How do fossils form?
When parts or traces of organisms are buried and preserved quickly.
What ca fossils tell us about extinct animals?
Fossils can tell us about animals behavior and activity.
What does the law of superposition state?
That the oldest layer is at the bottom and the youngest is at the top.
Which fossil type forms when an organism is trapped in resin that hardens?
True form fossil/ amber fossil / body fossil
Describe the Mesozoic era.
Dinosaurs roamed Earth.
Why can't soft tissue be easily fossilzed?
It decomposes to fast.
What do trace fossils tell us? Give two examples of trace fossils.
Trace fossils tell us about an animals behavior and activity. Ex. footprints, nests, burrows, feces.
Which era comes after the Paleozoic era?
Mesozoic era
What does a mold fossil show?
The imprint/ shape of a organism
List the major era from oldest to most recent.
Paleozoic Mesozoic Cenozoic Modern day
What does preserved mean?
When something maintains its original state.
If an ammonite (marine animal) is found in the oldest rock layer and a rodent (land animal is found in the youngest layer, what does that tell scientists about that environment?
This tells scientists that there used to be a body of water where now there is land.
In a rock layer, which layer is the oldest and which is the youngest?
Bottom = oldest
Top = Youngest
What are true form fossils? Why are they important?
True form fossil preserve arts of the actual organism.
What does fossilized footprint provide evidence of?
Provides evidence of an animals movement
How could a diagram showing similar bone structures in different animals provide evidence of evolution?
Answers Vary
How do scientists use fossils to learn about Earth's history?
Scientists compare fossils from different layers and places to determine when organisms lived, track changes over time and match environmental conditions.
Which is a key feature used to identify fossils?
appearance and structure
How were the continents arranged during the Mesozoic
They were all together in one big continent called pangea.
Which type of rocks are fossils most often found in?
Sedimentary Rock
Do fossils help scientists understand the evolution of organisms over time? How?
Yes, because we can use fossils from thousands of years ago and compare them to a living animal today of the same species and compare how much they have changed over time.