Fossil and Soil ReviewFossils #1 Fossils #2 Fossils #3 Fossils and Soil Soil

10 10 10 10 10

20 20 20 20 20

30 30 30 30 30

40 40 40 40 40

50 50 50 50 50

In which type of rock would most fossils be found?

Sedimentary

How is the fossilized skeleton of a dinosaur similar to the

modern skeleton of a lizard?

They have backbones and tails.

Erin brought a piece of sandstone to school that had some ripples across it. What

might it be a fossil of?

Wave marks

Why is a fossil dinosaur bone much heavier than the original

bone?

It is now made of minerals

What are the three types of fossils?

Impression, mineral replacement, trace

The soft tissues rot away.

Why are the soft tissues of an animal’s or an organism’s body

not usually preserved as a fossil?

Because we find fossils of them.

How do we know that different kinds of plants and animals

lived in Utah millions of years ago?

Oceans have changed in size and

location

What have scientists learned about oceans by studying

fossils?

The mountain was once part of an ocean

bottom

What might a scientist tell from seashell fossils found on top of

a mountain?

Plants, shells…

What other types of fossils might you expect to find with a

dinosaur fossil?

Fossils of water creatures where there

is no water today.

What evidence is there that parts of Utah were once the

sea floor of an ancient ocean?

Mammoth, trilobite…

Name an animal that used to live in Utah but is now extinct?

Plants lived in the area before there were

dinosaurs

Ryan was studying a fossil layer model. He noticed that there were

plant fossils in the lower levels, but no dinosaur fossil. What could this mean?

What are minerals that have taken the place of the bone?

Fossil bones are much heavier than the original bone because of this.

What is prehistoric?

The period of time before history was recorded.

What is a trilobite?

This extinct ocean shellfish shows that parts of Utah were once the sea floor

of an ancient ocean.

What is sedimentary rock?

The best rock for finding fossils.

What is subsoil?

The layer of soil below the topsoil that has larger grains of rocks and minerals

and is usually lighter in color.

Downward

What general direction does erosion move Earth materials?

What are fossils?

These are the record keepers of the Earth. They show us how life has

changed.

When is soil most likely to erode?

When the plant cover is gone.

What process breaks the rocks into smaller pieces?

Weathering

Sally dug up some soil, put it in a cup, and weighed it. She put it in a warm place with no cover on the cup. Two weeks later she

weighed it again. It weighed less than the first time. Why?

Water in the soil had evaporated.

Which layer of soil is mostly made up of clay and sand?

Subsoil

Topsoil is usually darker in color than the subsoil. Why?

It is mostly made of organic matter