How does this show how fossils are formed?

By showing where they are. Both fossils are inside a layer of rock, with more layers on top of them, so the order is on the board: the sea creature died, mud and sand settled on it, and the layers above were laid down afterwards. The deeper the layer, the longer ago.

Which rocks are in it?

Topsoil, clay, sandstone, shale, limestone and granite. Five of them settled in layers, one at a time, and the granite at the bottom did not: it cooled from melted rock, which is why it is speckled rather than layered.

Where are the fossils?

An ammonite in the limestone and a fish in the shale. It is worth letting the class hunt with the lens before pressing Away, because the hunting is the activity.

Do I need an account?

No. Trove Tools is free with no login, no subscription and no limits.

Rock Layers and Fossils

Science · Year 3–Year 6

Look through the ground at the layers, and find the fossils in them.

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About the rock layers

A field with a tree on it, and underneath the layers it is standing on. Drag the lens down through them and the board names each one: topsoil, then clay, then sandstone, then shale, then limestone, and granite at the bottom. Every layer runs the whole way across, so the lens names it wherever along it you happen to be.

There is an ammonite in the limestone and a fish in the shale. That is the Year 3 objective in one picture: a fossil forms when something that has lived is trapped in rock, and the rock it is trapped in is a layer with more layers piled on top of it. The deeper the layer, the longer ago it was laid down, and a class can see the order rather than being told it.

The layers are the other half of Year 3 rocks: sandstone is sand squashed for millions of years, limestone is made of the shells of sea creatures, shale is mud that splits into sheets, and granite was melted rock from deep down, which is why it has specks in it rather than layers.

Press Hide under Names and the board stops saying which rock is which, so the class names them. Press Away under Ground to take the field off and see all the layers and both fossils at once.

How to use it on your whiteboard

1Drag the lens down through the ground, or press anywhere on the picture to move it there.
2Read the layer the board names, and count how many there are between the grass and the granite.
3Hunt for the two fossils. They are in the limestone and the shale, and the board names them instead of the layer they are in.
4Press Hide under Names to let the class do the naming.
5Press Away under Ground to show every layer at once. Tap Fullscreen to fill the board.

Questions

How does this show how fossils are formed?: By showing where they are. Both fossils are inside a layer of rock, with more layers on top of them, so the order is on the board: the sea creature died, mud and sand settled on it, and the layers above were laid down afterwards. The deeper the layer, the longer ago.
Which rocks are in it?: Topsoil, clay, sandstone, shale, limestone and granite. Five of them settled in layers, one at a time, and the granite at the bottom did not: it cooled from melted rock, which is why it is speckled rather than layered.
Where are the fossils?: An ammonite in the limestone and a fish in the shale. It is worth letting the class hunt with the lens before pressing Away, because the hunting is the activity.
Do I need an account?: No. Trove Tools is free with no login, no subscription and no limits.