Whiteleaf Fossil Worksheet

You will be unlikely to find fossils in the rocks and soils of Whiteleaf. The rocks have been exposed for a long time and someone has already picked up those that were on the surface. However, do look for fossils yourself on led trips to quarries or when you are on the beach on your holidays. Both are very good places to find fossils. But be very careful to collect only where it is safe and add a label of where you found it which will be kept with your fossil.

·         Question: What is a fossil?

·         Question: Can you think of some ways fossils could be useful to geologists?

There are some fossils to be seen on the Whiteleaf display board.

Question: What are these fossils called?

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Question: Name one fossil normally found in the sea.

Question: Name a fossil from an animal found on land.

Question: Name a fossil that is commonly found on land, but that has varieties found in rivers and seas (this type of animal is not on the display board, but living examples are behind you - a tricky one!)  

Look at the coiled fossil called an ammonite. The ammonites all died out about 65 million years ago.

·         Question: Do you know which living animal ammonites most closely resemble?

·         Question: What do you think ammonites ate?

·        Question? In what environment did ammonites live? (e.g. river, sea, lake, land)

Look at the mammoth. These animals are now extinct and last roamed Whiteleaf Hill over 10,000 years ago.

·         Question: What living animal do they most closely resemble?

·         Question: They lived in the grass-less Tundra. What do you think they ate?