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Exploring Fossils

15 minutes 44 seconds

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Students learn why fossils are often referred to as "windows to the past." The basic requirements for fossil formation are identified. Examples of various fossils highlight different types of fossil preservation, including petrification, imprints, molds and casts, freezing, amber fossilization, and preservation in tar pits. Finally, various uses of fossils are discussed. Additional terminology and concepts: cement, paleontology, fossil fuels, preserved remains, paleontologist, sediments, and limestone.

Media Details

Runtime: 15 minutes 44 seconds

Still image from: Amber Hunters
25 minutes
Grade Level: 9 - 12
Illustration of two people kneeling next to a dinosaur skull that is larger than they are. Caption: A T. rex skull can weigh up to 750 pounds.
11 minutes 57 seconds
Grade Level: 2 - 5
Still image from: Dinosaurs on Earth: Then...and Now
25 minutes
Grade Level: 6 - 12
Person laying on the ground with tools and buckets spread around them. No Trespassing sign. Caption: The paleontologists in the field uncover an exciting find.
14 minutes 53 seconds
Grade Level: 4 - 8
A large dinosaur wearing a hat and a necklace changes the lightbulb on a streetlamp while a police officer stands next to her holding the light cover. Caption: She was the dinosaur who did favors for anyone who asked.
9 minutes 38 seconds
Grade Level: 2 - 5
A sketch of a dinosaur, and a man is seen standing below. Caption: Argentinosaurus, 35 meters approximately equals 114 feet. 70 metric tons approximately equals 154,000 pounds.
Eons
Season 2 / Ep 51
9 minutes 18 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
A cartoon shows a large python wrapping its body and squeezing a small crocodile.
Eons
Season 2 / Ep 53
7 minutes 45 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Still image from: Eons: How Plants Caused the First Mass Extinction
Eons
Season 3 / Ep 6
10 minutes
Grade Level: 10 - 12
An illustration depicts a pair of reptile like dinosaurs running in a desert. Image credit: Ceri Thomas.
Eons
Season 2 / Ep 36
8 minutes 33 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Two rat like creatures are seen fighting. Caption: Illustration by Velizar Simeonovski, copyright Darin Croft. From horned armadillos and rafting monkeys: The fascinating fossil mammals of South America.
Eons
Season 2 / Ep 50
9 minutes 51 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12