•Fossil Arthropods Of Distinction
The prolific trilobite could be called the signpost of the Paleozoic Era. This early arthropod, one of earth’s first, shows up in the fossil record in the early Cambrian Period about 450 million years ago. It flourished in the ancient seas for close to 300 million years before finally becoming extinct at the close of the Paleozoic Era.
Trilobite Popularity So, what was the trilobite and what about it inspires such fondness among students of all ages? Could it be its unusual body armor that...
•Fossils – Hot Trends In Home Decor
There is a growing trend in interior decorating. Fossils are showing up in homes and offices in the U.S. and around the world. Large display fossil pieces, tile inlays, and table ware are just a few ways that fossils are being used in home decorating.
At the recent Denver Fossil, Gem, and Mineral Show I couldn’t help but listen with wonder as dealer after dealer reported the furious buying of large fossil specimens for Japanese homes and businesses. It seems that the Japanese are not only...
•Geology Activities-Inspiring Life-Long Learning With Fun
Do you need geology activities? For a classroom? Homeschooling? Something different for an after school program? Maybe you don’t know how much you need them.
If you’ve ever taken a walk in the woods with a young child, you’ve probably observed a natural love of rocks and minerals. Shape, color, texture…any of these can warrant special notice, a quick pick-up and a drop in the pocket. Once home, those same rocks can spark a memory or an imagination of how it came to be there at just that spot...
•How Are Fossils Formed?
How are fossils formed? For fossil formation to take place a series of fortunate events must occur. If any part of the series is missing, we will never see the fossil! In fact, fossilization is a rare occurrence. Nature tends toward recycling. That includes just about everything from plants and animals to rocks and minerals.
Let’s narrow it down to just animals for a minute. Animals, dead or alive, are food for other animals. From insects to dinosaurs, an animal could be someone’s lunch! Any...
•Igneous Rocks
Igneous…ignite! And that’s just what happens when igneous rocks form. Fiercely hot molten rock from deep inside the earth pushes its way out and lights everything in its path on fire. As the firey liquid cools, it forms igneous rocks.
Rock types are organized, or classified, according to how the rock formed. It’s a pretty simple system and there are only three types: igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic. Their names give clues about how the rocks were formed.
Earth’s Mantle
Under the crust...
•Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary rocks are classified as clastic, chemical, and organic sedimentary rocks.
The rocks in each group form by completely different processes.
Clastic Sedimentary Rocks
Clastic sedimentary rocks are formed from sediment. Sediments are tiny broken bits and pieces of rock that settle out of air or water.
Weathering
All rocks are subject to weathering. Weathering is anything that breaks the rocks into smaller pieces or sediments. This can happen by the forces of wind, rain, or moving...
•Spinosaurus The Sailback Carnosaur
Jurassic Park 3 made Spinosaurus famous: Spinosaur was the ferocious star of the film! But we all know that films take great liberty with the truth, so let's see what paleontologists can tell us about the real Spinosaur.
How Big Is Big? How huge? Scientist estimate spinosaurus to be 40 to 56 feet or 12 to 17 meters from head to tail. Spinosaurus' body looks a lot like that of T-Rex, but there are a couple of obvious differences. Of course, T-Rex didn't carry that large sail-like fins made of...
•The Mesozoic Era
The Mesozoic Era begins at the end of the Permian Period. Mass extinction had eliminated most of the species of life that had existed throughout the Paleozoic Era.
The Continents
At end of the Paleozoic Era the land that would become the continents of Europe and Asia crashed into North America. By the time of the Mesozoic Era Pangea the super continent had formed.
Climate During The Mesozoic Era
The temperatures, both on land and in the ocean, were much higher than during the Paleozoic, and...
•The Paleozoic Era
The Paleozoic Era is seen in the fossil record as an explosion of life forms. The Cambrian Period marks the beginning of an era with thousands of new life forms in the ancient seas. Prior to the Cambrian period fossils are extremely rare but after about 540 million years ago the fossil record shows many and varied life forms.
Life In The Seas
It is this characteristic, life in the ancient sea, which distinguishes the Paleozoic Era from all others. You see, the autotroph’s makeup didn’t just...
•The Triassic Period a Time of Transition
The Triassic Period begins the Mesozoic Era. The mass extinction event at the end of the Permian period ended 90% of the species on earth at that time. The plants and animals that survived would repopulate the planet.
The Age of Reptiles
The Mesozoic Era is called the Age of Reptiles. But that only tells a small part of the story. Just like the Paleozoic Era, the Mesozoic is divided into periods. Each period has specific land forms and climates, so each period has special animals and plants...
•What Is A Fossil?
What is a fossil? While this is a simple question, the answer can be simple or a bit more complicated.
The short and sweet answer to that question is “A fossil is the remains or evidence of any creature or plant that lived on the earth in a past geologic age.”
But there are so many KINDS of fossils. A more important question for a curious student is “What kinds of fossils are there?” The answer to that question will take a bit more exploration. You’ll have to dig a little deeper…pun...
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