Fossil Hunters: Digging Into History
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Fossil Hunters: Digging Into History
Mission 1: Investigate the past
Archaeologists examine human-made objects and places to learn about people who lived in the past. Other specialists study fossils and evidence of ancient life.
- Palaeontologist
- Archaeologist
- Meteorologist
- A fossilised fern impression
- A carved stone cutting tool
- A naturally formed quartz crystal
- Photograph each find before removing it
- Note the find's position and depth
- Mix finds from different areas into one bag
- Scrape quickly with a metal tool around delicate material
Mission 2: Read the layers
Researchers record where objects are found because position can help them interpret a site. In an undisturbed sequence, lower layers are generally older than layers above them.
Layer
Finds recorded
Top
A glass drink bottle and a steel nail
Middle
A clay cooking vessel and a small charcoal patch
Bottom
A fossil shell and a large animal tooth
- People may have used or managed fire at the site.
- The site must have been covered by a glacier.
- The charcoal proves that the layer formed recently.
Mission 3: Think like a field researcher
Use the terms below to explain how discoveries can help researchers build an interpretation of the past.
- Fossil
- Artefact
- Excavation
- Evidence
- Information or clues used to support an interpretation
- The systematic uncovering and recording of a site
- Preserved remains or traces of ancient life
- An object made, changed or used by people
3 printable pages
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
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