Unit 7 Lesson 2: Rocks and Fossils

What do some fossils and modern-day organisms have in common?

The Green River Formation in Wyoming is made of layers of rock that contain fabulous fish fossils. The picture shows the type of fossils that are found in these rocks. What most likely occurred to allow the fish to be preserved so well?

Which type of fossil is approximately 438 million years old?

A class took a field trip to look at some rock layers and the fossils in the rock. The fossils found in each rock layer are shown. Which fossil is the youngest?

The picture shows a Mesosaurus fossil and a drawing of what scientists think Mesosaurus looked like. Which living organism looks most like the Mesosaurus, and where did it likely live?

The fossil shows a type of animal. What type of animal is it, and what can you say about the materials found with it?

The diagram shows three rock layers. The evidence that supports the scientist's statement that this area was once under the ocean and later not covered by water is:

We learn about the organisms of long ago from _____________________________.

They are the ____________________________, or traces, of organisms that lived in the past.

Many animals alive today have structures that are similar to ____________________________ that lived in the past.