Fossil or not?
Personajes:
Tema: Fossil guide
Competencias
Competencia Matemática, en ciencia, tecnología e ingeniería
Materias y cursos por Sistema Educativo
España > Biología y Geología > 4º ESO > Geología
Enunciado
Mary Anning was the first woman fossil hunter. She found some spectacular fossils in the cliffs of southern England in the early 19th century. She is known as the "Mother of Palaeontology" for her fossil discoveries.
But... WHAT IS A FOSSIL?
A fossil is any preserved record of life in the past that is more than 10,000 years old.
A corporeal fossil is the remains of an animal or plant body, its imprint or cast.
A trace fossil: indicates that a plant or animal existed, but is not a fossil body. It includes footprints, punctures, root marks, bite marks, etc.
A.- Which of the following are fossils?
1.- Human footprints from 4,000 years ago,
2.- A squirrel crushed on the road.
3.- Cellular filaments from 3.5 billion years ago.
4.- A petrified tree trunk
5.- The trace of a trilobite from 530 million years ago.
6.- Dendriform mineral growths
7.- A rock from the seabed with holes caused by boring organisms.
A human form preserved in the volcanic ash of Pompeii.
9.- A piece of dinosaur skin.
B.- Look at the illustrations. Indicate if they are fossils:
Source: https://www.earthlearningidea.com/PDF/Spanish_What_is_a_fossil.pdf
Observaciones y contexto
Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot were two 19th century English fossil collectors. Although they both came from different worlds, they shared a common hobby: the search for fossils on the beaches of Lyme Regis, an activity that was frowned upon for two young ladies of the time. They were both pioneers in the field of fossils and palaeontology. Their discoveries enabled people to realise that animals existed on Earth many millions of years ago, and that therefore the Bible's version of creation should not be taken literally.
The first recognised female geologist was the British Etheldred Benett (1776-1845) who worked in Wiltshire, but she did not become as famous as Mary Anning.
Descripción
The fossil record is the evidence of evolution. In order to study it, it is necessary to know what a fossil really is. It is often thought that only animal bones and teeth can be fossilised and that fossils have to be preserved in rocks.
The activity can be done with your own specimens or photographs.