3.

2 The Fossil Record

 2

Mon 2/11 Agenda - What is a Fossil?

1. Students will complete the Bellringer Upcoming:
and participate in discussion. 2/15 Fri: NO Study Check
a. Take notes from front desk
2/25 3.2 QUIZ
2. Students will participate in
lecture/notes and discussion. 2/19 Fossil HW Due (GC)
3. Students will work on their
PRESENTATIONS
OFFICE HOURS TODAY AFTER SCHOOL
2:45 pm - 3:45 pm, in the Library.
 3

The Fossil Record

3.2 Coevolution of Earth.
 4

The Fossil Record

▪ Earth is approximately 4.5 billion years old, and

▪ Life has been around 3.5 billion years.
▪ Over 5 billion species have already lived and gone
extinct.
Some of them left evidence...

extinct: (of a species, family, or other larger group)

having no living members.
 5

The Fossil Record

Fossils are remnants or traces of past life.
They can be:
▪ Remains fossils (bones, shells)
▪ What they looked like

▪ Trace fossils (footprints, poop)

▪ How they Lived
 6

The Fossil Record

Body Fossils : fossilised remains of an animal
or plant, like bones, shells and leaves.
These show what animals looked like.
(Write In)
Show how life and environmental
conditions have changed on Earth.
 7

The Fossil Record

These can be
▪ mold and cast fossils,
like most of the
fossilised dinosaur
skeletons and big
bones we see,
 8

The Fossil Record

▪ Mold: A cavity in the ground or rock where
a plant or animal was buried.
 9

The Fossil Record

▪ Cast: An object that is created when dirt
(sediment) fills a mold and becomes a
rock.
 10

The Fossil Record

▪ Petrification fossils, like petrified wood
(Write In) Also call Permineralization: cells
replaced with minerals. Rock in the shape of
the living organism
 11

The Fossil Record

Trace Fossils: shows the activity of an animal.
These show how an animal lived.
These can be
▪ these include footprints, trackways, and coprolites
(fossil poo!).
 12

The Fossil Record

Question: whole body fossils - mammoths
caught in ice, or insects trapped in amber…
What kind of fossil?
a. Mold
b. Cast
c. Petrification
d. Remains
e. Trace
 13

Wed 2/13 Agenda - Presentations

1. Students will complete the Bellringer Upcoming:
and participate in discussion. 2/15 Fri: NO Study Check
a. Take Peer Rubric from front desk 2/25 3.2 Test
2. Groups 1 & 5 will present their Earth 2/19 Fossil HW Due (GC)
Timeline presentations.
a. Students will grade their peers.
 14

Wed 2/13 Agenda - Presentations

1. Students will complete the Bellringer and
participate in discussion.
Upcoming:
2/15 Fri: NO Study Check
a. Take Peer Rubric from front desk
2. Groups 1 & 5 will present their Earth Timeline 2/25 3.2 Test
presentations.
2/19 Fossil HW Due (GC)
a. Students will grade their peers.
3. Students will complete the Fill-In Notes while
following along with Lecture.

OFFICE HOURS TODAY AFTER SCHOOL

2:45 pm - 3:45 pm, in the Library.
 15

The Fossil Record

How does something get fossilized?
Get Buried...
▪ ...fast, so you don’t decompose
▪ ... gently, so you don’t break
▪ The harder the organism, the more likely to be fossilized

▪ ...without oxygen, to slow decay

▪ Underwater
▪ Carbon-rich soil
 16

Will it Fossilize?

Fox jaw above ground Badger in a Swamp

A. Will Almost Certainly A. Will Almost Certainly
B. May or May Not B. May or May Not
C. Probably Will Not C. Probably Will Not
 17

Wed 2/15 Agenda - Presentations

1. Students will complete the Bellringer Upcoming:
and participate in discussion. 2/15 Fri: NO Study Check
a. Take Peer Rubric from front desk 2/25 3.2 Test
2. Groups 2 & 3 will present their Earth 2/19 Fossil HW Due (GC)
Timeline presentations.
a. Students will grade their peers.

3. Students will complete the Fill-In

Notes while following along with
Lecture.
 18

2/15 Bellringer - Will it Fossilize?

Mushroom in a mudslide Jellyfish in deep water

A. Will Almost Certainly A. Will Almost Certainly
B. May or May Not B. May or May Not
C. Probably Will Not C. Probably Will Not
 19

Fossil Record Vocab - Flashcards 2/22

extinct: (of a species, family, or other larger group) having no living members.
Fossils: remnants or traces of past life.
Remains (fossils): parts of an organism preserved; bones, shells. Shows form.
Trace fossils: Evidence of an organism; footprints, coprolites.
cast: A mold filled with sediment and hardened to create a replica of the original
fossil.
mold: An impression made in sediments by the hard parts of an organism.
permineralization or petrification: Fossilization in which minerals in water deposit
into empty spaces in an organism.
coprolites: fossilized feces (poop)
amber: Fossilized tree sap.
 2/19-2/22 Weekly Agenda

▪ Tuesday: Relative vs Absolute Dating Upcoming:

▪ Superposition, Radioactive Decay 2/22 Fri: Flashcards Due
▪ Wednesday: Index Fossils 2/25 3.2 Test
▪ Index Fossils
▪ Thursday & Friday: Geologic Time Scale 2/19 Fossil HW Due (GC)
▪ Eras, Eons, Epochs.
▪ Mass Extinctions
 21

Wed 2/19 Agenda - Geologic Timeline

1. Students will complete the Bellringer Upcoming:
and participate in discussion. 2/22 Fri: Flashcards Due
2. Students will participate in 2/25 3.2 Test
lecture/notes and discussion.
2/19 Fossil HW Due (GC)
3. HW: TechBook on Relative Dating.
4. HW: TechBook on Absolute Dating.
Objective:

1. Describe how index fossils can be used to

determine time sequence.

2. Identify a sequence of geologic events using

relative-age dating principles.
How Old Is It?

There are various ways to determine how old a fossil is…

▪ We can measure exactly, with Carbon Dating…
▪ We can measure relatively, by comparing how deep
it’s buried…
▪ We can see what fossils were found around it, and
compare those to fossils whose ages we know.
 Radiometric Dating
aka Absolute Dating

▪ Absolute dating uses the radioactive decay of

radioactive isotopes to determine the age of the rock.
▪ When a radioactive isotope (parent material) decays, it
forms a new isotope, a daughter product.
 Radiometric Dating
aka Absolute Dating

▪ The half-life of a radioactive element is the time it

takes for half of its atoms to decay into the daughter
product.
▪ After two half lives, one-fourth of the original isotope’s
atoms remain and three-fourths have turned into the
daughter product.
 Carbon Dating

▪ Carbon-14 or C-14 or 14C is a radioactive isotope of carbon

that is present in all living organisms, in about the same
amount.
▪ It decays slowly, but predictably, so scientists can measure
the amount present and work back out old it is.
▪ This form of Radioactive Dating is called
Carbon Dating.
Carbon Dating

After a half-life
there is HALF as
much C-14.
If half-life is 5,730
years… when
there is 12.5% left
it has been 17,190
years.
 Carbon Dating - Try It.
Remember, the half- You test a fossilized skull for Carbon-14
life of C-14 is 5,730 and find 10 percent carbon-14 compared
years. to a living sample. The skull is
approximately how old?
100% - 0 Years
a. 100 Years old.
50% - 5,730 Years b. 6,000 Years old.
25% - 11,460 Years c. 12,000 Years old.
d. 18,000 Years old.
12% - 17,190 Years.

Cast of Homo floresiensis skull;

with ~10% C-14 left.
Want More Help? Here’s a YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phZeE7Att_s
More about Homo florienses: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/06/hobbits-humans-older-ancestors-island-fossils-archaeology/
 Relative Dating

Just like when you pile laundry on the floor, layers of rock
(called strata) show the sequence of events that took place
in the past. The clothes as the bottom were worn first...
Using a few basic principles, scientists can determine the
order in which rock layers formed. Once they can know the
order, a relative age can be determined for each rock layer.

Relative age indicates that one layer is older or younger than

another layer, but does not indicate the rock’s age in years
(absolute age).
Put these Layers in Order from
Oldest to Youngest.
Put these Layers in Order from
Oldest to Youngest.

1. Q
2. O
3. N
4. M
5. L
6. P
7. H
8. I
9. J
10.K Why is
this true?
 Law of Superposition

Reminder: Sedimentary rocks form when new sediments are deposited on

top of old layers of sediment. As the sediments accumulate, they are
compressed and harden into sedimentary rock layers.

▪ Scientists use a basic principle called the Law of

Superposition to determine the relative age of a layer
of sedimentary rock.
▪ The Law of Superposition is that an undeformed
sedimentary rock layer is older than the layers above
it and younger than the layers below it.
▪ According to the Law of Superposition, layer Q was the first
layer deposited, and thus the oldest layer. The last layer
deposited was layer K, and thus it is the youngest layer.
 Principle of Original Horizontality

*Horizontality = Being Horizontal

Scientists also know that sedimentary rock

generally forms in horizontal layers. The Principle
of Original Horizontality is that sedimentary
rocks left undisturbed will remain in horizontal
layers.
▪ Therefore, scientists can assume that sedimentary
rock layers that are not horizontal have been tilted
or deformed by crustal movements that happened
after the layers formed.
 Law of Crosscutting Relationships

▪ When rock layers have been disturbed by faults (a

break or crack in Earth’s crust) or intrusions (a mass
of igneous rock that forms when magma is injected
into rock and then cools and solidifies), determining
relative age may be difficult.
▪ In such cases, scientists may apply the Law of Crosscutting
Relationships.

(Write In) The Law of Crosscutting Relationships is that a

fault or intrusion is always younger than all the rocks it cuts
through above and below the unconformity.
 Law of Crosscutting Relationships

The red dike represents an inclusion that crosscuts all the older
layers. In the real-life example on the right, you see it can shift
layers down!
 Put these Layers in Order from
Oldest to Youngest.

Based on what you now

know about the Law of
Superposition, the
Principle of Original
Horizontality, can you
place the layers indicated
in the diagram in the
correct order, starting
from the oldest layer?
 44

Wed 2/20 Agenda - Geologic Timeline

1. Students will complete the Bellringer Upcoming:
and participate in discussion. 2/22 Fri: Flashcards Due
2. Students will participate in 2/25 3.2 Test
lecture/notes and discussion.
3. HW: TechBook on Geologic Timeline.
That’s the end… for now!

Next Week:
▪ Test Wednesday! (Study Guide STILL Due
Sunday Night)
▪ Beginning Thursday: In depth look at the
Geologic Time Record’s Periods!
▪ Be able to DESCRIBE the major features of each
period.
▪ Class Poster Project: Periods and Index Fossils.
 46

Mon 2/25 Agenda - 3.2 General

1. Pick up worksheet and participate in Upcoming:
discussion. 2/27 Bellringers/HW Due
2. HW: All last week BELLRINGERS and 2/28 3.2 Test
HW are due 2/27 10:00 pm. These WILL
BE ON THE TEST. Office Hours (245-345)
Tue & Thur
 47

Tue2/26 Agenda - Absolute Dating Lab

1. Pick up TWO-PAGE lab packet. Upcoming:
2. DO NOW: Read 1-8 Directions. 2/27 Bellringers/HW Due
3. Be awesome. 2/28 3.2 Test

Office Hours (245-345)

➢ HW: All last week BELLRINGERS and Tue & Thur
HW are due 2/27 10:00 pm. These WILL
BE ON THE TEST.
 Absolute Dating Lab Notes
▪ M&Ms are Parent (Radioactive)
▪ Skittles are Daughter Isotope (Stable)

1. Upside-Up M&Ms will DECAY into Skittles.

a. If you see the “M”, it decays.

2. Each Stop, COUNT and CHART how

many M&Ms and Skittles you have
each “Half-life” (shake).
a. They should ALWAYS ADD UP TO 50!!
3. Complete about 8-9 half-lives.
 50

Thu 2/28 Agenda - Geologic Timeline

1. Students will collect the worksheet Upcoming:
and participate in discussion. 3.4 Mon: Worksheet Due
2. HW: TechBook on Geologic Timeline. 3/6 Wed: Flashcards Due
3/6 3.3 QUIZ
 Index Fossils
Paleontologists can use fossils to determine the relative ages
of the rock layers in which the fossils are located. Fossils that
occur only in rock layers of a particular geologic age are called
index fossils.
To be an index fossil, a fossil must meet certain requirements:
1. It must be present in rocks scattered over a large region.
2. It must have features that clearly distinguish it from other
fossils.
3. Organisms from which the fossil formed must have lived
during a short span of geologic time.
4. The fossil must occur in fairly large numbers within the
rock layers.
Think, Pair, Share

Index fossils are a little like one hit wonders in the

music industry. They are insanely popular for a short
amount of time, and then never heard from again.

Can you think of any songs or musicians that would

fit this description?
Think, Pair, Share

Which would make a better index fossil?

A fern that lived on Earth since the Pennsylvanian

period (300 mya)

A trilobite that lived in many areas for a few million

years during the Cambrian period.
 Individual Activity
Construct a timeline of the important events in your life. Be sure to include all of the
events listed below and any other events you feel are important. Your timeline should be
constructed TWO ways:

▪ Numerical Order (use actual dates)

▪ Sequential Order (most recent at top)

▪ ___When you started second grade

▪ ___When you were born
▪ ___ When you started kindergarten
▪ ___When you learned to ride a bike.
▪ ___ When you learned to walk.
▪ ___ When you learned to read.
▪ ___ When you lost your first tooth.
▪ ___ Today’s date.
Geologic Time Scale

Your life is your Time Scale.

▪ The Geological time scale is a record of the life
forms and geological events in Earth’s history.
▪ Scientists developed the time scale by studying
rock layers and fossils world wide.
Geologic Time

It is very difficult for humans to conceptualize a time

frame as large as 4,500,000,000 years. To help we
will imagine that Earth formed at 9:00 am this
morning and it is now only 10:00 am. What has
occurred on planet Earth during the past hour?
 Divisions of Geologic Time

Eras are subdivided into

periods...periods are subdivided
into epochs.
FOUR Eras…

1. PRE-CAMBRIAN – 88% of earth’s history

▪ 4.5 billion – 570 million years ago
▪ Life during the Precambrian included single-celled, and
simple multi-celled organisms
▪ Ended with the Cambrian Explosion (of life)
FOUR Eras…
Paleozoic (ancient life)
▪ 570 – 245 million years ago - Lasted 300 my
▪ characterized by the development of diverse sea life
and the emergence of the first land plants, first insects,
first amphibians, and first reptiles.
▪ Ended by the End-Permian Extinction: greatest
extinction event in history.
▪ Massive volcanic activity
Paleozoic Life by Period...

Age
(millions) Period Organism

286-245 Permian Reptile diversity explodes

320-286 Pennsylvania Large scale coal formation in swamps

n

360-320 Mississippian Land plant diversity explodes, first flying insects, first
reptiles

408-360 Devonian First insects (flightless), first amphibians

438-408 Silurian First fish and land plants

505-438 Ordovician Starfish and crinoids appear

570-505 Cambrian Explosion of marine life – bivalves, sponges, trilobites,

jellyfish, coral
FOUR Eras…
3. Mesozoic (middle life)
▪ 245 million years ago…lasted 180 million yrs
▪ During this brief 1.8 seconds, the dinosaurs came and
went, and the first birds and mammals emerged.
▪ The end of the Mesozoic, like the Paleozoic before it,
was marked by a mass extinction - the K-T Event.
▪ Asteroid a few km across collides with Earth, near
Chicxulub.
FOUR Eras…
4. Cenozoic (recent life)
▪ 65 million years ago…continues through present day
▪ It is only during the last 1.3 seconds that the first
human ancestor appeared
▪ Ice ages occurred
▪ Climate ameliorates 10,000 years ago, allowing the
development of agriculture and human civilization
Today...

Today we are in the

Holocene Epoch of the
Quaternary Period of the
Cenozoic Era.

Which unit is the largest?

Which unit is the smallest?
 End of an Era...

Each Era Ended, or is defined, by major changes in the

fossil record.
An example of a major change?
MASS EXTINCTION.
▪ Impacts, climate changes, and volcanism can produce
sudden and rapid changes to environmental
conditions.
▪ Many organisms cannot adapt , resulting in the
extinction of those species.
▪ When these events are global in nature then mass
extinctions occur.
 End of an Era...
Remember: Mass Extinction doesn’t mean EVERYTHING
dies.
Some organisms are able to adapt.
Living birds descended from a group of meat-eating
dinosaurs called theropods.
Theropods were:
▪ Meat-eaters
▪ Had short arms
▪ Had powerful legs
End of an Era...
Mass extinctions left thin layers of fossil fuels in the
geologic record.
 End of an Era…
What to Know…
1. There have been FIVE mass extinctions in history.
2. The last was the K-T event that killed the dinosaurs.
Mass Extinction Cheat Sheet
 End of an Era…
3. Humans are causing the next one:
Anthropogenic Climate Change!
a. The average rate of extinction prior to the
existence of humans was about 10-100
species per year.
b. Scientists estimate that 27,000 species are
currently going extinct each year from
tropical forests destruction alone.
c. This mass extinction will likely mark the end
of the Quaternary Period, or, Age of Man.
Index Fossils Reference

Late
Carboniferous

Early
Carboniferous
 3.3 Vocab List

Index fossil Mass Extinctions to Know:

Eon
Era ▪ end-Ordovician -global cooling
Period ▪ Late-Devonian -global cooling
Epoch ▪ End-Permian - Volcanic activity =
pre-Cambrian global warming
Cambrian Explosion ▪ End-Triassic - Volcanic activity =
Paleozoic global warming
Mesozoic ▪ K-T Event - Asteroid
Cenozoic

● 3.3 Practice Quiz 1: Khan Academy

● Detailed Timeline Reading: Miracosta.Edu
P3 #19 Bonus Question:

VOTE on the name of the Class Mascot:

A. Princess Peach
B. Duchess Duck
C. Royal Rosy
D. Queen Lily
E. Queen Quack