Transcript Document

Mission
• Reconstruct happenings from the
geological past by analyzing
a set of fossilized tracks
• Form defensible explanations
of past events from limited evidence.
• As more evidence is available,
modify or abandon your hypotheses.
Position #1
• Can you tell anything about
size or nature of organisms?
• Were the tracks made at the
same time?
• How many animals involved?
• Can you reconstruct a series of
events represented by this set
of fossil tracks?
• Suggest evidence to support
your explanations!
Position #2
• With new
info, revisit
first
explanation
• MODIFY
your
explanation
and/or add
new ones
Interpret What Happened
Questions to Consider...
• In what directions did animals move?
• Did they change speed or direction?
• What might have changed the footprint
pattern?
• Was the land level or irregular?
• Was the soil moist or dry?
• In what kind of rocks were the
prints made?
• Were sediments coarse or fine?
• Characteristics of track area
environment?
Remember!
• Any reasonable explanation must be
based only on those proposed
explanation that still apply when all
of the puzzle is projected
For Each Explanation...
• Be sure to indicate the evidence!
If you could VISIT the site, what
evidence would you look for to support
your hypothesis?