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Lesson summary for:
Inferring Ancient Environments from Fossil Foraminifera

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Overview:
Students analyze actual data from samples of microfossils collected from a particular locality. They use this data to infer water depths in the Miocene in order to locate potential petroleum reserves.

Author/Source:
Olson, Hilary

Grade level:
6-8

Time:
40-50 minutes

Concepts:

  • Fossils provide evidence of past life.

  • The sequence of forms in the fossil record is reflected in the sequence of the rock layers in which they are found and indicates the order in which they evolved.

  • Scientists test their ideas using multiple lines of evidence.

  • Scientists use fossils to learn about past life.

  • Scientists can test ideas about events and processes long past, very distant, and not directly observable.

  • Science is a human endeavor.

Teacher background:

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