Web Quest: Reading the Rocks

Earth forces: Extinctions & fossils

Fossil records help us "read the rocks" in an interesting and exciting way. The mass extinction during the Jurassic period is one that students are most familiar with. There have been many other extinctions with were more devastating than the one 65 million years ago. Following the path of the questions in Activity 7 will lead you to information about these extinctions.

Optional Activity # 7
How are the rocks in the Nashville Basin a key to the past? Nashville was once a coral reef that shared similarities and differences with present day coral reefs around the world. Compare and contrast the extinct fossil animals from our shallow sea to coral reefs of today.

Consider these questions in your answer:
1. What do fossils tell us about the geologic history of Tennessee?
2. Did dinosaurs ever roam the hills of Middle Tennessee?
3. What fossils are predominant in Middle Tennessee?
4. Why have very few vertebrate fossils been found in this area?
5. Why were vertebrate fossils found in their particular locations?
6. What are some examples of animals that lived in Nashville 400 million years ago?
7. Why are many of the Nashville fossils no longer found in the oceans of the world?
8. What theories have been brought forward to explain these extinctions?

Coon Creek in Tennessee
Ask a scientist
Dino Russ's great web page
Smithsonian exhibits
Fossils of Kentucky
Nancy Stetten's web page on Middle Tennessee fossils
More about Bryozo
Displays of Tennessee
A page of links to other fossil sites