FOSSILS
2016
Which
includes
the 4.54 billion year
geological history of the Earth,
with a topping of all life that ever lived,
In 30 minutes or less... or it’s free.
Image Credit: Dana Berry, National Geographic
2016 Fossils Rules
FOSSILS
1. DESCRIPTION: Teams will demonstrate their knowledge of ancient life by completing selected tasks at a
series of stations. Emphasis will be on fossil identification and ability to answer questions about
classification, habitat, ecologic relationships, behaviors, environmental adaptations and the use of fossils to
date and correlate rock units.
A TEAM OF UP TO: 2
APPROXIMATE TIME: 50 minutes
2. EVENT PARAMETERS: Each team may bring only one magnifying glass, one published field guide that
they may tab and write in, and one 3-ring binder (any size) containing information in any form from any
source. The materials must be punched and inserted into the rings (sheet protectors are allowed).
3. THE COMPETITION: Emphasis will be placed upon task-oriented activities. Participants will move from
station to station, with the length of time at each station predetermined and announced by the event
supervisor. Participants may not return to stations, but may change or add information to their original
responses while at other stations. Identification will be limited to species on the Official Fossil List, but
other species may be used to illustrate key concepts. Questions will be chosen from the following topics:
a. Identification of all fossil specimens on the official Fossil List posted at http://www.soinc.org
b. Conditions required for a plant or an animal to become fossilized.
c. Common modes of preservation: permineralization, petrifaction/petrification/silicification, mineral
replacement, cast/mold, imprint, actual remains. Uncommon modes of preservation: encasement
in amber/copal, mummification, freezing, entrapment in tar/asphalt.
d. Relative dating: law of superposition, original horizontality, cross cutting relationships, unconformities
(buried erosion surfaces).
e. Absolute dating: radiometric dating, half-life, carbon dating, volcanic ash layers.
f. Geologic Time Scale
g. Index Fossils
h. Fossil bearing sedimentary rocks: limestone, shale, sandstone,
mudstone, coquina, etc.
i. Modes of life: filter feeder, predator, scavenger, deposit feeder,
benthic, pelagic, etc.
j. Environments: marine, terrestrial, fresh water, etc.
k. Mineral and organic components of skeletons, shells, etc: (calcite, aragonite, silica, chitin)
l. Taxonomic hierarchy: kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species
m. Adaptations and morphologic features of major fossils groups
n. Important paleontological places, events and discoveries including mass extinctions and Lagerstatten.
4. REPRESENTATIVE STATION TASKS: Possible questions, tasks, stations and/or examples:
a. Identify each fossil and record its mode of preservation.
b. Identify each of the fossils and list them in order from oldest to most recent.
c. Identify each index fossil and record the geologic period(s) in its stratigraphic range.
d. Based on the fossil and rock associations, determine the environment in which the organism lived.
e. Construct a range chart and determine the age of the fossil assemblage.
f. Identify the Genus of a sample trilobite and the type of rock in which the creature is embedded.
g. Identify each dinosaur by name, record each specimen’s order and the geologic periods in its
stratigraphic range.
5. SCORING: Points will be awarded for the quality and accuracy of responses. Ties will be broken by the
accuracy and/or quality of responses to several pre-identified questions.
Recommended Resources: All reference and training resources including the Smithsonian Fossil Handbook
and the Fossil CD are available on the Official Science Olympiad Store or Website at http://www.soinc.org
The Smithsonian Fossil Handbook will serve as the primary authority on stratigraphic ranges of listed specimens,
with the Audubon Society Fossil Field Guide as the secondary authority.
See General Rules, Eye Protection & other Policies on www.soinc.org as they apply to every event.
a. Identification of all
fossil specimens
on the official list
posted at:
http://www.soinc.org
HOW DO YOU EAT AN ELEPHANT?
ONE
ATAA
TIME!
ONEBITE
BITE AT
TIME!
HOW DO YOU EAT AN ELEPHANT?
ONE
ATAA
TIME!
ONEBITE
BITE AT
TIME!
Here is some advice on how to prepare your students for this event.
Show them a path to follow. Try to get them to do a little bit each week.
Get them to commit to dedicating 2, maybe 3 days a week
to spend a ½ hour or so on creating the binder.
Eat the elephant one bite at a time.
Give them weekly assignments to complete.
They will respond to a guideline.
They will need to see for themselves
if they will be ready when the competition arrives.
You need to keep a record of their progress to keep them on track.
I had a big binder with all the events I coached.
I had the evidence to show them if they were falling behind.
I could get them to commit to getting to the next portion of the event
I knew where each team was and who needed motivation.
Separate the responsibility for gathering the information
amongst the team members.
Don’t let one person do it all!
If you can,
get them to meet after school hours at someone’s home.
Set up 2 minute practice drills,
so they have an idea of what it’s like to move
in a station orientated event.
I highly recommend...
MAKE A BINDER
Instead of using a field guide!
Have a copy of the Fossils list in it.
Separate the binder into sections with tabs -
Have them make it easy to find the section they need,
to quickly identify the specimen.
A binder is easier to find information than the field guide.
If your students prefer the guide, tab your field guide as well.
It is harder to find information in the guide without doing so.
I highly recommend...
Get the samples.
Have your students get hands on experience with the Fossils.
Recommended Resources:
All reference and training resources including:
the Smithsonian Fossil Handbook, the Audubon Society Fossil Field Guide,
and the Fossils CD
GO ONLINE - LOOK AT PICTURES
Separate the responsibility for gathering the information
amongst the team members.
Don’t let one person do it all!
General Resources for this event:
http://soinc.org/
The home page for the Science Olympiad
You can find information on all events, not just Fossils.
http://soinc.org/fossils_b
( B or C )
Here you will find the 2015 Fossils list
and a link to Ward’s Science to purchase fossil kits
http://scioly.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
The best place for information on all B & C events.
For Fossils, scroll down and click on the blue Fossils link
in either the B or C column.
This is a good outline to begin gathering information on the Fossils event.
http://scioly.org/wiki/index.php/2015_Test_Exchange#Fossils
sample tests
http://scioly.org/wiki/index.php/Fossil_List
Will give information on invertebrates
http://petrifiedwoodmuseum.org/Index.htm
A great site, though not listed.
Plenty of information specific to many aspects of the Fossils event,
though it’s old, the list is not up to date for 2015.
The Smithsonian Fossil Handbook
and the Fossil CD
are available on the Official Science Olympiad Store
or Website at http://www.soinc.org
The Audubon Society Fossil Field Guide
has information that can be included in the binder.
As you go through the PowerPoint, there will be links on each slide.
These links will give you and your students a place to find the information
needed to be able to answer the questions at the competition.
Don’t be overwhelmed, I don’t stray far from the rules.
There is a lot more information at the sites than will ever be needed.
Just pick out what you feel is closest to the heart of the event.
1. DESCRIPTION:
Teams will demonstrate their knowledge of ancient life
by completing selected tasks at a series of stations.
Emphasis will be on fossil identification and ability to answer questions about
classification, habitat, ecologic relationships, behaviors,
environmental adaptations
and the use of fossils to date and correlate rock units.
classification,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_(biology)
Six Kingdoms - Taxonomic hierarchy
It is good to be familiar with all as listed on this site,
any questions I will use will be based on the more modern model of 6 kingdoms
You will need to know the complete taxonomic hierarch
for all plants and animals on the list.
Habitat, ecologic relationships, behaviors,
environmental adaptations
Will apply to both plant and animal.
examples: marine ( coastal-open ocean ), tidal, fresh water,
terrestrial, swamp/marsh, desert, deciduous, etc.
You should know the climate and their individual habitat
at the time and place of their existence.
ecologic relationships,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_relationship
Competition: Two or more organisms vying for the same food source
or energy source.
Competition can be inter-specific (between individuals of different species)
or intra-specific (between individuals of the same species).
Predation: One organism (the predator) kills and consumes another (the prey) for food (energy).
Parasitism: One organism (the parasite) takes food (energy)
from another (the host) without killing it.
Mutualism: A relationship involving two organisms
in which both organisms benefit.
Commensalism: An ecological relationship between two organisms
in which one benefits and the other is not affected.
Is it a producer / consumer
FOR PLANTS:
How did it affect the environment around it?
How did the environment affect it?
behaviors,
Examples:
what was its means of locomotion - bi-ped / quadra-ped how did it swim
was it a predator - did it hunt in packs or alone was it a carnivore or scavenger.
for sea animals, was it a filter feeder, suspension feeder, etc.
was it sessile or vagrant ?
*see mode of life
was it prey - a herd animal - how did it feed, - grasses or trees, etc.
did it live in small family groups ?
did it nest?
What were it’s means of capturing prey
or eluding predation?
Did it have other defense mechanisms?
You will have to know this for all animals on the list
environmental adaptations
( applies to both land and sea, animal or plant )
Examples:
Was it in general:
Big or small bodied
Short or long arms or necks feathers
or such as a mammoth’s tusks used to shove aside snow
Was it a tall plant with broad leaves or did it have whorls?
This link can provide general information on wide variety of the Fossils event.
You can navigate through to find examples of Mesozoic life, adaptations, climate and diversity.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Dinosaur
and the use of fossils to date and correlate rock units.
GOOGLE - Faunal Succession to find information
This link can help with other parts of the event as well.
http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~pgore/Earth&Space/GPS/fossils.html
A TEAM OF UP TO: 2
APPROXIMATE TIME: 50 minutes
2. EVENT PARAMETERS:
Each team may bring only one magnifying glass,
one published field guide that they may tab and write in,
and one 3-ring binder (any size) containing information in any form from any source.
The materials must be punched and inserted into the rings
(sheet protectors are allowed).
3. THE COMPETITION:
Emphasis will be placed upon task-oriented activities.
Participants will move from station to station, with the length of time at each station predetermined
and announced by the event supervisor.
Participants may not return to stations, but may change or add information to their original responses
while at other stations.
Identification will be limited to species on the Official Fossil List,
but other species may be used to illustrate key concepts.
Questions will be chosen from the following topics:
a. Identification of all fossil specimens on
the official Fossil List posted at http://www.soinc.org
b. Conditions required for a plant or an animal
to become fossilized.
This site can help with many other items in the fossils event
http://www.fossilmuseum.net/index.htm
c. Common modes of preservation:
permineralization,
petrifaction/petrification/silicification,
mineral replacement,
cast/mold,
imprint,
actual remains.
http://higheredbcs.wiley.com/legacy/college/levin/0471697435/chap_tut/chaps/chapter06-01.html
http://scioly.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
C, continued
Uncommon modes of preservation:
encasement in amber/copal,
mummification,
freezing,
entrapment in tar/asphalt.
http://scioly.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
d. Relative dating:
law of superposition,
original horizontality,
cross cutting relationships,
GOOGLE Niels Steno
http://www.uvm.edu/perkins/evolution/qanda/?Page=time/relative.html&SM=time/timemenu.html
click on the pictures to enlarge them
unconformities (buried erosion surfaces).
GOOGLE James Hutton
This site will give information on other areas of
dating and correlation as well
http://www.google.com/url?url=http://www.kean.edu/~csmart/Observing/Lectures/Lecture%252008
%2520Geologic%2520Time%2520r.ppt&rct=j&frm=1&q=&esrc=s&sa=U&ei=zSw5VO_NHZOcyg
TI2YHwCg&ved=0CCYQFjAD&usg=AFQjCNEAx1xB2pwrdpgGfyuJfkaxonpJKg
e. Absolute dating:
http://www.geo.utep.edu/pub/avila/web/ch03.ppt
radiometric dating
half-life,
carbon dating,
including definitions related to each
You should have a sheet with basic terms
volcanic ash layers.
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/evo101/IIE1aAtomicclocks.shtml
This site has good information on many aspects of the fossils event
http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~pgore/Earth&Space/GPS/fossils.html
f. Geologic Time Scale
Google geologic time scale - there are many sites to Google.
You should have a scale or chart with - Eons, Eras, Periods, and Epochs
http://www.fossilmuseum.net/GeologicalHistory.htm
http://higheredbcs.wiley.com/legacy/college/levin/0471697435/chap_tut/chaps/chapter0301.html
http://www.geosociety.org/science/timescale/timescl.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Geologic_time_scale
You should know the Ediacaran period and why it is important.
You should know the major extinctions,
not only when,
but what may have caused them.
You should know the different ages of life.
g. Index Fossils
http://www.phsteamstrength.com/resources/FossilsGeoTime.ppt
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/geotime/fossils.html
You must know the 3 conditions an index fossil must meet
to be considered as such.
You should have a range chart of index fossils.
* see range charts later in the document
h. Fossil bearing sedimentary rocks:
chert,
coquina,
diatomite,
diatomite rock,
limestone: chalk & fossiliferous limestone,
mudstone,
sandstone,
shale,
siltstone.
http://scioly.org/wiki/index.php/Fossils#Sedimentary_Rocks
You should be able to identify the sedimentary rocks
in which fossils may be found.
You should know the general types of fossils
that can be found in each listed rock.
You should know the basic formation of the rocks.
Example:
Chert is formed when the siliceous skeletons of marine plankton
are dissolved, with silica being precipitated from the resulting solution .
i. Modes of life:
filter feeder,
predator,
scavenger,
deposit feeder,
benthic,
pelagic,
http://scioly.org/wiki/index.php/Fossils#Modes_of_life
You will need to know the mode of life for all animals on the list
j. Environments:
Organisms that die in areas of frequent
or high sediment accumulation
are much more likely to fossilize than those that die
in areas of erosion or low sedimentation accumulation.
Marine continental shelf environments are commonly preserved in sedimentary strata.
Terrestrial uplands are very rarely preserved.
What environments were any given fossil likely to have occurred.
k. Mineral and organic
components of
skeletons,
shells,
etc:
(calcite, aragonite, silica, chitin)
http://scioly.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~pgore/Earth&Space/GP
S/fossils.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomineralization
You will need to know this for all
Arthropods, Brachiopods, Mollusca
and in general, all skeletal animals
1. Taxonomic hierarchy:
( EXTREME GRUNTWORK! )
kingdom, phylum, class, order, family & genus ONLY
You should make a spreadsheet or chart showing the taxonomy
for all plants and animals on the list
You will need to know for all plants and animals on the list
Here is a good site - http://taxonomicon.taxonomy.nl/Default.aspx
If it isn’t on this site, it can be GOOGLED
Delaware - DIVISION C ONLY - for 2015
You will be asked to give the taxonomic hierarchy
of animals or plants chosen at random.
EXAMPLE: Triceratops
When you search this site, you will see all of this EXTRA information.
REMEMBER, you only need
kingdom, phylum, class, order, family & genus
Natura - nature
Mundus Plinius - physical world
Naturalia - natural bodies
Biota
Domain Eukaryota Chatton, 1925 - eukaryotes
Unikonta
Opisthokonta Cavalier-Smith, 1987
Holozoa
Kingdom Animalia C. Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
Epitheliozoa Ax, 1996
Eumetazoa Bütschli, 1910 - eumetazoans
Bilateria Hatschek, 1888 - bilaterians
Eubilateria Ax, 1987
Superphylum Deuterostomia Grobben, 1908 - deuterostomes
Phylum Chordata Bateson, 1885 - chordates
Subphylum Vertebrata Cuvier, 1812 - vertebrates
Myopterygii - myopterygians
Superclass Gnathostomata Zittel, 1879 - jawed vertebrates
Grade Teleostomi C.L. Bonaparte, 1836
Euteleostomi - bony vertebrates
Sarcopterygii (Romer, 1955)
Rhipidistia Cope, 1887
Tetrapodomorpha Ahlberg, 1991
Osteolepidimorpha
Superclass Tetrapoda Goodrich, 1930 - tetrapods
Reptiliomorpha Säve-Söderbergh, 1934
Batrachosauria
Amniota Haeckel, 1866 - amniotes
Reptilia
Eureptilia Olson, 1947
Romeriida
Diapsida Osborn, 1903
Eosuchia Broom, 1914
Neodiapsida Gauthier, 1984
Sauria Macartney, 1802
Archosauromorpha von Huene, 1946
Archosauria Cope, 1869
Avesuchia
Avemetatarsalia Benton, 1999
Ornithodira
Dinosauromorpha
Dinosauriformes
Dinosauria Owen, 1842b NOTE: the clade for dinosaurs is the class
Order †Ornithischia Seeley, 1888
†Genasauria (P. Sereno, 1986)
Suborder †Cerapoda (P. Sereno, 1986)
†Marginocephalia (P. Sereno, 1986)
Infraorder †Ceratopsia
†Neoceratopsia (P. Sereno, 1986)
Family †Ceratopsidae Marsh, 1888
Subfamily †Chasmosaurinae
Genus †Triceratops Marsh, 1889
†Triceratops maximus B. Brown, 1933
†Triceratops prorsus Marsh, 1889
EXAMPLE: Elrathia
REMEMBER, you only need
kingdom,
phylum,
class,
order,
family
& genus
Natura - nature
Mundus Plinius - physical world
Naturalia - natural bodies
Biota
Domain Eukaryota Chatton, 1925 - eukaryotes
Unikonta
Opisthokonta Cavalier-Smith, 1987
Holozoa
Kingdom Animalia C. Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
Epitheliozoa Ax, 1996
Eumetazoa Bütschli, 1910 - eumetazoans
Bilateria Hatschek, 1888 - bilaterians
Eubilateria Ax, 1987
Protostomia Grobben, 1908
Ecdysozoa A.M.A. Aguinaldo et al., 1997 - ecdysozoans
Superphylum Panarthropoda
Phylum Arthropoda Latreille, 1829 - arthropods
Euarthropoda
Subphylum Arachnomorpha Heider, 1913
[Infraphylum †Trilobita - trilobites] see Subclass Trilobita
Walch, 1771
[Class †Trilobita Walch, 1771 - trilobites] see Subclass
Trilobita Walch, 1771
Order †Ptychopariida Swinnerton, 1915
Suborder †Ptychopariinaᵀ
Genus †Elrathia Walcott, 1924
†Elrathia kingi
EXAMPLE: Ginkgo
REMEMBER, you only need
Natura - nature
Mundus Plinius - physical world
kingdom,
Naturalia - natural bodies
Biota
phylum,
Domain Eukaryota Chatton, 1925 - eukaryotes
class,
Bikonta
order,
"photokaryotes"
Kingdom Plantae Haeckel, 1866 - plants
family
Viridiplantae Cavalier-Smith, 1981 - green plants
& genus
Streptophyta
Embryophyta Endlicher, 1836
"polysporangiophytes"
Phylum Tracheophyta Sinnott, 1935 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - vascular plants
Subphylum Euphyllophytina
Infraphylum "Radiatopses" Kenrick & Crane, 1997
"lignophytes"
Class Spermatopsida
"core seed plants"
Subclass Ginkgoidae Engl., in H.G.A. Engler & K.A.E. Prantl, 1897
Order Ginkgoalesᵀ Gorozh., 1904
Family Ginkgoaceaeᵀ Engler, in H.G.A. Engler & K.A.E. Prantl, 1897, nom. cons. - maidenhair
tree family
Genus Ginkgoᵀ C. Linnaeus, 1771
Ginkgo bilobaᵀ C. Linnaeus, 1771 - common ginkgo
m. Adaptations
and morphologic features of major fossils groups
You need to have a basic understanding of these for all plants and animals on the list
Adaptations are characteristics of a plant or animal that help it to survive.
examples: In general, you should know In animals, adaptations can be:
Structural - how the body is formed or shaped. Large or small bodies.
Fins and legs are two different structural adaptations.
Physiological - how the body works.
Cold-blooded and warm-blooded are physiological adaptations.
Behavioral - what the animal does, such as hibernating in the winter.
In plants, adaptations can be: vascular systems or seeds, etc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_plant_evolution
Morphologic features, examples:
http://www.geo.arizona.edu/geo3xx/geo308/FoldersOnServer/2005%20MiscLabStuff/Lab%2
01%20-major%20fossil%20groups.pdf
morphology involves the study
of the external features of organisms.
flight between birds and bats are different ( convergent or divergent evolution? )
Trilobites - 3 lobed bodies - compound eyes - jointed legs, etc.
The shape of the shells of Brachiopods and Mollusca, etc.
n. Important paleontological places.
events and discoveries.
including mass extinctions.
and Lagerstattens.
Examples:
Liaoning Province, China.
Single event Lagerstättens such as the Burgess Shale
Mary Anning unearth the skull of a Ichthyosaurus
and other marine animals.
Permian Extinction.
Solnhofen, Germany.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Lagerst%C3%A4tten
You should also have a chart with all of the major extinctions
including a brief summary of each.
4. REPRESENTATIVE STATION TASKS:
Possible questions, tasks, stations and/or examples:
a. Identify each fossil
and record its mode of preservation.
permineralization,
petrifaction/petrification/silicification,
mineral replacement,
cast/mold,
etc.
Any type of range chart
( MORE EXTREME GRUNTWORK! )
b. Identify each of the fossils
and list them in order from oldest to most recent.
You must know the stratigraphic range of each plant and animal on the list
The Smithsonian Fossil Handbook will serve as
the primary authority on stratigraphic ranges of listed specimens,
with the Audubon Society Fossil Field Guide as the secondary authority.
c. Identify each index fossil and record
the geologic period(s) in its stratigraphic range.
You must know the common index fossils and what period
they are used to identify.
Example of a spreadsheet you can make
You should have this as a separate chart in your binder
d. Based on the fossil and rock associations,
determine the environment in which the organism lived.
Was it, marine, fresh water - terrestrial, forest or desert.
Is the rock formed in a high or low energy environment
e. Construct a range chart and determine
the age of the fossil assemblage.
You will need this for each plant and animal on the
list.
A simple spreadsheet will be the best.
Tab a separate area in the binder
example
f. Identify the Genus of a sample trilobite
and the type of rock in which the creature is embedded.
I.E. Elrathia in shale
g. Identify each dinosaur by name,
record each specimen's order
and the geologic periods in its stratigraphic range.
5. SCORING:
Points will be awarded for the quality and accuracy of responses.
Ties will be broken by the accuracy and/or quality of responses
to several pre-identified questions.
Recommended Resources:
All reference and training resources including
the Smithsonian Fossil Handbook and the Fossil CD
are available on the Official Science Olympiad Store
or Website at http://www.soinc.org
The Smithsonian Fossil Handbook will serve as
the primary authority on stratigraphic ranges of listed specimens,
with the Audubon Society Fossil Field Guide as the secondary authority.
Examples of how to set up your binder
 Create “cover sheets” with tabs with names
and maybe thumbnail images of each specimen
Front – types of fossilization, invertebrates.
Middleish – vertebrates and plants
Middle- dating, rocks, events, index fossils
Rearish- range charts, time scales, mass extinctions,
Rear- glossary,
misc. info the students would want included
 “Speed is the key!”
Design it for rapid specimen identification
to permit maximum time
to locate the requested information.
 Devote one page to each specimen.
Standardize your format for quick and easy identification.
For the State of Delaware, you will need to know:
The geology and fossils of the C. and D. Canal
The Philadelphia connection to Tiktaalik
I can be reached at
genepulcher@verizon.net