Index Fossils

1. Do Now: Try to answer these
WITHOUT using your notes.
 Why won’t you ever find fossils in igneous rocks?
 What type of rocks will you find fossils in?
 What can scientists determine about an organism
from its fossil?
 Name one substance in which you could find an
entire organism preserved.

2. Do Now 3.13.17
1. What land use would be the best choice for watershed drainage?
A. mall
B. wetland
C. recreational area
2. Where is the majority of Earth’s freshwater located?
A. groundwater
B. oceans
C. lakes
D. Ice
3. What causes upwelling in the oceans?
A. coral reef construction
B. photosynthesis reactions
C. winds and ocean currents

3. Do Now 3.13.17
1. What land use would be the best choice for watershed drainage?
A. mall
B. wetland
C. recreational area
2. Where is the majority of Earth’s freshwater located?
A. groundwater
B. oceans
C. lakes
D. Ice
3. What causes upwelling in the oceans?
A. coral reef construction
B. photosynthesis reactions
C. winds and ocean currents

4. Do Now 3.13.17
1. What land use would be the best choice for watershed drainage?
A. mall
B. wetland
C. recreational area
2. Where is the majority of Earth’s freshwater located?
A. groundwater
B. oceans
C. lakes
D. Ice
3. What causes upwelling in the oceans?
A. coral reef construction
B. photosynthesis reactions
C. winds and ocean currents

5. Do Now 3.14.17
1. Which describes the hydrosphere?
A. all of Earth’s organisms and the environments in which they live
B. a layer of Earth’s atmosphere made up primarily of concentrated ozone
C. all of the water in Earth’s oceans, lakes, seas, rivers, and glaciers, plus
the water in the atmosphere
2. Which provide the best source of information about the quality of water
in aquifers?
A. wells
B. lakes
C. septic tanks
3. Which statement best compares the amount of water present on Earth
today with the amount present millions of years ago?
A. There is slightly more water on Earth today.
B. There is significantly less water on Earth today.
C. There is significantly more water on Earth today.
D. There is about the same amount of water on Earth today.

6. Pre & Post Test
 Google search ncedcloud
 Log into school net
 Use your lunch number for username
 Password: Chargers!15
 Post Test code: WY9XE5
 Pre Test code: LU8XY4NY8 (write words you
do not know)
 When you’re done go to study island and
READ only Adaptation

7. Do Now 3.21.16
1. Most fossils are found in _____ rock.
 A. igneous
 B. metamorphic
 C. sedimentary
 D. all of the above

8. 2. What is the approximate
age of the oldest
ammonite fossil shown in
the diagram above?
 A. 65 million years
 B. 248 million years
 C. 480 million years
 D. 540 million years
3. Which point shows
where a fossil that is 500
million years old would
most likely be found?
 E
 F
 H
 G

9. How fossils are the first part of
telling a story.

10. Relative Dating
 The age of an event or object in relation to
other events or objects

11. Can you think of any examples?

12. Remember this is NOT an exact
age or date, but an important way
to put events or ages of objects in
order. It’s the first step to fitting
together the puzzle of Earth’s past
together.

13. How old are these bicycles? Can you
arrange these bikes in order of their
ages without knowing how old each
is?
A. B
.
C.

14. Index Fossils are an important
tool scientists use to find the
relative date of rocks

15. Index Fossils
 Fossils found in sedimentary rock can offer
clues about the age of the rock
 An organism that is fossilized in rock must
have lived during the same time span in which
that rock was formed

16. Index Fossils
 Therefore, if scientists knew how long ago
a fossilized organism lived, then they
could figure out the age of the rock in
which the fossil was found.
  HOWEVER, not all fossils can be used to
date rocks. Why is this?

17. Index fossils
 Were common organisms (there were lots of
them around)
 Lived in many areas (all over the world)
 Existed only during specific spans of time

18. Practice
 How can you use index fossils to determine
the age of rock layers?

19. How are index fossils like fashion
trends?
 Index fossils are used to date rocks
 Lets look at fashion trends to date when the
following pictures were taken…

20. About when do you think these
people are from?

21. About when do you think these
people are from?

23. About when do you think these
people are from?

25. Exit Ticket
1. Which best describes the relationship between rock layers and
index fossils?
A. Different rock layers contain only specific species of index fossils.
B. Different rock layers can be compared to determine the exact age
of index fossils.
C. Different rock layers can be determined to be the same exact age if
they contain the same index fossils.
D. Different rock layers can be determined to be the same relative age
if they contain the same index fossils.
2. Which best explains the significance of the trilobite(type of fossil) as
an index fossil?
A. They were the first fossils to be discovered.
B. They are fossils that represent many different life-forms.
C. They were the only fossils found outside the United States.
D. They are fossils that indicate a certain era in geologic time.