Nature Net News
November 2008
Fossils
"Very interesting for an old duffer
like me to try his hand at something new. If I don't do that once in a
while, I might just turn into a fossil, you know!"
Norman Rockwell
Dear Reader, I'll never forget my first fossil
experience - a bumpy, dusty glob of gray shale that my father kept
wrapped in tissue in an old shoe box. He carefully handed it to me,
and showed me where it came apart in three layers. Inside each layer - a fossil
waiting to be seen! I marveled at their beauty and complexity, but even
more so at the fact that they had not seen the light of day for millions
of years! Enjoy! Kathe & Betsy |
You can find fossils here in Wisconsin? Not dinosaurs but ancient sea creatures like snails, cephalopods, corals and trilobites. They lived here when this area was covered by a shallow, tropical sea about 450 million years ago.
What to Do This Month:
Pick up a copy of "Common Paleozoic Fossils of Wisconsin" from the Wisconsin Geological & Natural History Survey.
Then, get out and fossil hunt along road cuts (where rock is exposed on the side of the road) or near recent excavations (where buildings are being built) - see Tricks of the Trail below.
Create a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry with your fossil finds.
Try some experiments with rocks - especially limestone where many Wisconsin fossils are found.
Tricks of the Trail for Parents:
Fossil Hunting with Children
Nothing can frustrate young fossil hunters (and their grown up buddies) more than a day hunting fossils without a find. Ensure some success on your explorations! First, make sure that you are in an area where fossils might be found close to the surface and that you have the land owner's permission to be there. Many sites require adequate and protective footwear, eyewear, and clothing - a must! Go over illustrations and samples of what you will be looking for so that your hunters have a visual image. Remember that you may be looking only for pieces and parts. Still no luck? Have a contest on finding the prettiest, weirdest, curviest, (fill in the blank) found object. What do you think it is, why do you think it looks that way? Everyone can be a winner!
Instant Outdoor Expert:
Fossils in Wisconsin
We've always known Wisconsin has a rich history, but not until one investigates on a geologic timescale is Wisconsin's deep history of life realized. Long before dinosaurs roamed the Earth, other creatures were staking out a life for themselves across the land we now call Wisconsin. During the Ordovician period, beginning 494 million years ago (which, just to give you perspective, is about 285 million years before Jurassic dinos), Wisconsin was situated close to the equator and covered by a shallow tropical sea. Many of the bottom-dwelling, shell-forming creatures who lived here, including brachiopods, bryozoans, corals, clams and crinoinds, were captured in time and show up today as fossilized evidence of this period of diverse sea life. When the calcium or mineral calcite in these animals' shells dissolved, mixed with carbon and oxygen, and settled to the sea floor - if given sufficient time and pressure - limestone was created. And where we're lucky, the creatures themselves were trapped and fossilized. In fact, the unique layer of sedimentary limestone laid down in the late Ordovician period is the most fossil-rich rock layer in Wisconsin and offers geologists much to study regarding life long ago.
If you're interested in becoming a paleontologist, studying life in the fossil record, staff at the UW Geology Museum suggest the following websites (and a visit to the Museum, of course):
Paleo Explorer Kids, American Museum of Natural History's Ology website, and Science Daily's Paleontology news
Eco-Exercise:
Trilobite Tumble
Trilobites were an ancient sea creature that lived on the ocean floor. Today they are found, often curled up, in fossil form. Have your little one try this simple stretching exercise: lie on the floor, flat on your back. Stretch your arms high above your head, your legs straight out. Then, curl up like a trilobite - bringing your knees and head to your chest. Hold that pose for 5 seconds, then relax. Repeat five times.
Featured Nature Net Site
Nature Craft
UW Geology Museum
Explore the Geology Museum and take a peek into
Wisconsin's deep history!
On your visit you can touch rocks from a time when there were volcanoes
in Wisconsin; see corals, jellyfish and other sea creatures that used to
live and swim where we now walk; and stand under the tusks of a mastodon
while imagining yourself in the Ice Age. Also on display at the Geology
Museum are rocks and minerals that glow, a model of a Wisconsin cave,
dinosaur skeletons and meteorites.
The Geology Museum's mineral, rock and fossil collections have the power to educate and
inspire visitors of all ages. Come see for yourself! Take a Self-Guided
Tour and browse through the halls of the museum with your copy of the "Self-Guided Tour Booklet" which
you can download from the UW Geology Museum website or pick up at the museum.
The Museum also offers Guided Tours.
The Geology Museum is a popular tour destination on the University of
Wisconsin Madison campus. From kindergarten classes through adult civic
groups, Geology Museum tours are tailored to deliver age-appropriate content to
each group.
Museum Hours:
Monday - Friday 8:30am-4:30pm
Saturday 9am-1pm
Parking: On-street parking (with 2-hour enforced parking limits); Lot 17
with a University permit (call to get one); public parking garage at Grainger Hall
Fossil Fever
Though fossils are truly millions of years old, you
can recreate the process of creating and discovering fossils with these
two activities:
First, find items like shells, leaves or other found
natural objects to "fossilize". For each "fossilized" item, place a large ball of
clay on a piece of waxed paper and flatten it into a thick circle. Make an impression in the clay by gently pressing in the object and
then removing it. Now, prepare some plaster of Paris according to the package directions so
that it has a smooth but thick consistency. Spoon plaster into each impression, thoroughly filling it in. Let the
plaster dry completely (about 30 to 60 minutes), then peel away the
clay to reveal the fossil.
Now try your hand at paleontology with this fun mixture:
Measure and mix together 1/4 cup of plaster of Paris,
1 Cup of Vermiculite (found at gardening center) and
1/2 cup of water. Put some in the bottom of a regular size paper
cup. Fill about 1/4 full. Next, put in a small plastic or rubber
dinosaur (again, shells or other found objects can be used) and bury it completely.
Don't let any part of the dino remain uncovered. Set aside for 2 days.
The
mixture will turn hard (if measured correctly). Now peel away the paper
cup and with a small hammer, chisel, and dry paint brush (and protective
eyewear), unearth your buried fossil.
Suggested Reading:
"How do Dinosaurs Clean Their Rooms?" by Jane Yolen (age
1-5)
"Fossils Tell of Long Ago" (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out
Science 2) by Aliki (age 4-8)
"The Best Book of Fossils, Rocks, and Minerals" by Chris Perrault (age 4-8)
"The Fossil Factory: A Kid's Guide to Digging Up Dinosaurs, Exploring
Evolution, and Finding Fossils" by Niles Eldredge (age 4-8)
"Raptors, Fossils, Fins & Fangs: A Prehistoric Creature Feature" by Ray
Troll (age 4-8)
"Ivy + Bean - Book 3: Break the Fossil Record" by Annie Barrows (age 4-8)
"Stone Girl Bone Girl: The Story of Mary Anning" by Laurence Anholt (age
4-8)
"Rocks, Fossils and Arrowheads" by Laura Evert (age 6-12)
"Bones Rock!: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Paleontologist" by Peter
Larson & Kristin Donnan (age 8+)
"When Bugs Were Big, Plants Were Strange, and Tetrapods Stalked the Earth: A
Cartoon Prehistory of Life Before Dinosaurs" by Hannah Bonner (age 8-12)
"When Fish Got Feet, Sharks Got Teeth, and Bugs Began to Swarm: A Cartoon
Prehistory of Life Long Before Dinosaurs" by Hannah Bonner (age 8-12)
"The Fossil Book Study Guide" by Gary Parker (age 9-12)
"If You Are a Hunter of Fossils" by Byrd Baylor (age 9-12)
"Fossil Fish Found Alive: Discovering the Coelacanth" by Sally M. Walker
(age 12+)
