Mystery Science Rocks

What term describes a place where people dig rock out of the ground?

• Quarry

• Fissure

• Landfill

What are fossils?

• Fossils are the remains of plants and animals that have turned to rock.

• Fossils are bones of dead animals.

• Fossils are rocks that have turned to bones.

How can you match a newly found fossil with other fossils that you have found?

• Compare them by their traits, such as if it has legs or fins.

• Compare them by their weight, such as heavy or light.

• Compare them by their color, such as brown or green.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

How do fossils give us clues about habitats?

• We can tell what color the animals were based on their fossils.

• Habitats and fossils aren’t connected. We can only guess since it was so long ago.

• The traits of the fossils can be compared to the animals that live there today.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Could an ocean ever become a desert?

• No. This is impossible. Oceans cannot turn into deserts.

• Yes. Scientists think the Sahara Desert was an ocean millions of years ago.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

What is a habitat?

• A time long ago when dinosaurs roamed the earth.

• A building, such as a greenhouse.

• A natural home or environment for plants and animals.

How could you find ocean fossils in the middle of the United States?

• Animals from long ago carried them there for food.

• There used to be an ocean over the middle of the United States.

• People from long ago must have carried them there.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

On a fossil dig, you find animals with legs and a tail close to the surface. Much deeper you find animals with fins.

What does this tell you?

• Ocean and Land animals lived there at the same time.

• Ocean animals lived in that area first and then after that, land animals lived there.

• Land animals lived in that area first and then after that, ocean animals lived there.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

NGSS.MS-LS4-1