Advertisement.

EnchantedLearning.com is a user-supported site.
As a bonus, site members have access to a banner-ad-free version of the site, with print-friendly pages.
Click here to learn more.

ad
(Already a member? Click here.)


ZoomDinosaurs.com
DINOSAUR FOSSILS
First Dino Fossil Discoveries What are Fossils? How Fossils Form Types of Fossils Finding Fossils Dating Fossils Excavating Fossils Bony Jigsaw Puzzles Famous Fossil Hunters
Fossil Locations Worldwide
North American
Fossils
South American
Fossils
African
Fossils
Asian
Fossils
European
Fossils
Australian
Fossils
Antarctic
Fossils



FINDING FOSSILS: SKILL, TENACITY, AND LUCK

Since fossils are buried during their formation, finding them can be difficult. Paleontologists do a lot of research to decide where to dig for dinosaurs . To choose an optimal location for a dig, they choose: Areas where fossil-bearing sedimentary rock erode quickly (because of rain, flooding, wind, etc.) are good for finding fossils. Rarely, fossils are observed just sticking out of the ground. More often, paleontologists must do enormous amounts of work to find, excavate , and prepare fossils.


The Continents
Fossils have been found on every continent on Earth . Rock strata in many places are remarkably similar to each other. This lends credence to the continental drift theory of Alfred Wegener (1912) who theorized that 200 million years ago there was a single land mass on Earth which he called "Pangaea" (meaning "All Earth"). This land mass then slowly drifted apart on Earth's floating crust, forming separate continents. Wegener's theory explains why fossils of the same species are found on many different, unconnected continents.


Children and Fossils
Children have found important dinosaur fossils, including T. rex skin found by a 12-year-old and an egg found by a 3-year-old.


Fossil Hot Spots: Lagerstätten
Lagerstätten (meaning "fossil deposit places" in German) are geological deposits that are rich with varied, well-preserved fossils, representing a wide variety of life from a particular era. These spectacular fossil deposits represent an amazing "snapshot" in time. Some Lagerstätten include the La Brea Tar Pits (California, USA), Ediacara Hills (South Australia), Burgess Shale (B.C., Canada), Solnhofen (Germany), and Mazon Creek (Illinois, USA)

ZoomDinosaurs.com
DINOSAUR FOSSILS
First Dino Fossil Discoveries What are Fossils? How Fossils Form Types of Fossils Finding Fossils Dating Fossils Excavating Fossils Bony Jigsaw Puzzles Famous Fossil Hunters
Fossil Locations Worldwide
North American
Fossils
South American
Fossils
African
Fossils
Asian
Fossils
European
Fossils
Australian
Fossils
Antarctic
Fossils


Enchanted Learning®
Over 35,000 Web Pages
Sample Pages for Prospective Subscribers, or click below

Overview of Site
What's New
Enchanted Learning Home
Monthly Activity Calendar
Books to Print
Site Index

K-3
Crafts
K-3 Themes
Little Explorers
Picture dictionary
PreK/K Activities
Rebus Rhymes
Stories
Writing
Cloze Activities
Essay Topics
Newspaper
Writing Activities
Parts of Speech

Fiction
The Test of Time

Biology
Animal Printouts
Biology Label Printouts
Biomes
Birds
Butterflies
Dinosaurs
Food Chain
Human Anatomy
Mammals
Plants
Rainforests
Sharks
Whales
Physical Sciences: K-12
Astronomy
The Earth
Geology
Hurricanes
Landforms
Oceans
Tsunami
Volcano
Languages
Dutch
French
German
Italian
Japanese (Romaji)
Portuguese
Spanish
Swedish
Geography/History
Explorers
Flags
Geography
Inventors
US History

Other Topics
Art and Artists
Calendars
College Finder
Crafts
Graphic Organizers
Label Me! Printouts
Math
Music
Word Wheels

Click to read our Privacy Policy

E-mail


Enchanted Learning Search

Search the Enchanted Learning website for:



Advertisement.

Advertisement.


Copyright ©1997-8 Enchanted Learning Software