Change over time Lauterbach 2016

Paleoclimate Data shows Earth’s Changing History over time:  These notes go in your Journals!

predictable and similar to those that have occurred in the past. The Earth’s processes we see today including erosion, movement of lithospheric plates and changes in atmospheric composition are predictable and similar to those that have occurred in the past.

are predictable and similar to those that have occurred in the past The Earth’s processes we see today including erosion, movement of lithospheric plates and changes in atmospheric composition are predictable and similar to those that have occurred in the past. CONSTRUCTIVE AND DESTRUCTIVE FORCES The Earths surface is constantly being changed by CONSTRUCTIVE AND DESTRUCTIVE FORCES 4

Atmospheric composition today!! (What the air is made out of)

Ice isn’t that old, the oldest ice we have is 700,000 years old… very young compared to the age of the earth. How do scientists study the atmosphere of the past?

ICE CORE SAMPLES: Packed snow and ice trap air bubbles. Scientists drill deep into the snow and get the bubbles and take them to a lab and analyze them. The further down they dig, the older the air bubbles are, and this is how they gather information about AIR from Earths past.

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 Besides continental drift affecting the layout of earth’s ecosystems, and the magnetosphere shifting every 500,000million years or so, what other natural factors can affect the stability of ecosystems and life forms over time?

paleo- atmosphere? How might scientists learn about earth’s paleo- atmosphere? What can we infer about the earths past atmosphere from rocks? What else can we figure out? ROCKS TELL OF THE OXYGEN CATASTROPHE!

Moments Law of Superposition – Geologic Time Scale and Moments of Mass Extinction 5 mass extinctions!

Official List of Extinction Factors (limiting factors that are responsible for causing extinctions)  Disease  Over-Predation of resources  Sudden Environmental Shifts – Drought, flood, extreme storms, unstable seasons, lots of volcanic ash in the air  Space Related Phenomenon – Meteors, Supernova, black holes…Meteors

Consider the Following…  What details can scientists learn about ancient life by looking at fossil evidence left behind? What details can scientists learn about ancient life by looking at fossil evidence left behind? Does this count as a fossil?

Paleontology 101 Some common questions to work out first…  What is a paleontologist?  What is a fossil?  How are fossils made?  Do all organisms turn into fossils when they die?  What kinds of things can be turned into a fossil, and how many types of fossils are there?how many types of fossils are there?  What do fossils look like? How can you tell the difference between them and the surrounding area?

A scientist who studies the fossilized remains of organisms from long ago… Remains of an organism or evidence of its activities

Hard/Bony organism = good fossil No hard/bony structures in organism = bad chances of forming a fossil

There are 4 major types of fossils (take notes!) 1.mold fossils (a fossilized impression made in the sedimentary material) 2.cast fossils (formed when a mold is filled in) 3.trace fossils = ichnofossils (fossilized nests, gastroliths, burrows, footprints, etc.) 4.true form fossils (fossils of the actual animal or animal part).

More trace fossils : TRACE FOSSILS—EVIDENCE OF PAST ACTIONS OR BEHAVIOR OF EXTINCT ORGANISMS

Describe how these fossils were formed (short answer): CAST FOSSILS IMPRESSION/TRACE FOSSILS MOLD FOSSILS TRUE FORM FOSSILS

Becoming a Paleontologist Draw a diagram of two of these fossils  DESCRIBE each of the fossils you chose, in detail  What does it look like  color, height, predator/prey how do you know, etc.  Is it a free fossil or still stuck in the surrounding rock  Etc.  IDENTIFY each of the organisms you illustrated  Use your thinking skills!

 Look at the following pictures and try to relate these ancient creatures to some of their modern day decedents: (justify why you think they are related)

CAST CAST FOSSILS –is a hollow impression of an organisms form Trace Trace FOSSILS—gives the best information about an organism’s behavior Mold Mold FOSSILS- form when the cast is filled with sediment and minerals producing a replica of the original organism. Carbonization Carbonization FOSSILS—a process that produces a thin film, showing the organisms form. Fossilized Amber Fossilized Amber– can often preserve the soft parts of an organism. Less than 10% of living things will become fossils. Many fossils are destroyed before they are ever found because of … Weathering, Erosion, and Pressure