1. Oregon Fossils This lesson is intended for 5 th grade students, as a one day lesson, and part of a larger section on fossils and rocks. Students would already have an idea what fossils are… Lindsey Rusch

2. John Day Fossil Beds The John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is located in North Eastern Oregon, and is divided into three separate units. http://www.nps.gov/joda/planyourvisit/maps.htm

3. Where in Oregon? A larger map showing the area, compared to where we are in Portland. http://geology.com/cities-map/oregon.shtml

4. John Day Fossil Beds Well known for preserved plants and animals of Cenozoic Era (a.k.a. Age of Mammals and Flowering Plants) Record of 40 million of the 65 million years of that Era http://www.geotimes.org/mar08/article.html?id=Travels0308.html

5. Geologic Time Scale http://www.britan nica.com/eb/art/p rint?id=1650&arti cleTypeId=0 Well known for this era, but we have evidence of older species also.

6. If you were to visit… you would see National Park Service The painted hills of John Day Fossil Beds National Memorial are filled with fossils from millions of years ago.

7. How did this area form? Layers of rock form fossil beds - deposited from volcanic eruptions many years ago 30 million years ago, strong winds blew ash across grasslands, marshlands and forests covering animals Now, thunderstorms each year cause erosion and uncover 100 different mammal species http://www.geotimes.org/mar08/article.html?id=Travels0308.html

8. Review - Types of Fossils Body part: (rare to find complete animal fossils) fossilized remains of body parts of organism Trace : records of biological activity i.e. footprints, burrows Cast: leaves, twigs The word fossil, derived from a Latin word meaning "something dug up" http://www.oregongeology.com/sub/learnmore/fossils.HTM http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trace_fossil#Classification

9. What do we find in John Day? Jungle plants Mammals Amphibians Reptiles For a detailed species list… http://www.nps.gov/archive/joda/faunaslist.htm Cretaceous Era 100 Millions Years Ago This is a coiled shell mollusk called ammonite. Dinosaurs in this area – it was a rugged beach! http://www.paleolands.org/find/time/here/C51

10. You can visit, but don’t touch! If you find one, notify the park ranger! Record location Layers of strata tell us how old it is

11. 4 Strata of John Day CLARNO strata: rocks formed 50-35 mya - nuts, seeds, leaves, banana tree, brontothere, amyodonts (giant horses and rhino like animals), tropical forest JOHN DAY UNIT STRATA: 37 mya,deciduous forests and relatives of wolves, pigs, rodents, horses camels, rhinos MASCALL: 20 mya, lava divides this and John Day unit, took 5 years for lava to cool and plants to regrow, massive grazers like rhinos and extinct bear dogs, warm wet grasslands RATTLESNAKE FORMATION: youngest, 8 mya, horses, sloths, camels, pronghorns, rhinos, drier climate http://www.geotimes.org/mar08/article.html?id=Travels0308.html

12. More from John Day… Entelodont: giant pigs, 7 feet tall, bone crushing teeth Miohippus: small horse dsc.discovery.com/.../photo/photo2/slide_06.html dsc.discovery.com/.../photo/photo2/slide_06.html http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/vertpaleo/fhc/mioh.htm

13. And many more… Eusmilus: leopard like carnivore http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusmilis

14. Eocene Era Plant Example 57 to 35 million years old plant casts Branches caught in mudflow or moving waters. Can also be found settled in lakes or ponds. http://www.paleolands.org/fi nd/time/here/C51

15. Make your own fossil Materials Ziploc of plaster (mix 1 tablespoon water + plaster in cup) Plastic spoon Paper plate Cup Leaf 1.Mix plaster and water in cup. Should be thick like pancake batter. Spread onto plate evenly with spoon. Be very careful not to get plaster near your face. 2.Press leaf evenly onto plaster like a stamp. Be careful not to touch the plaster! If you do, wash hands quickly. 3.Leave leaf on plaster to set for 7-10 minutes. 4.Word search! Work alone or with a friend. Take it home if you don’t finish today. CLEAN UP – do not put extra plaster down the drain! Dispose of in garbage only. You may wash your hands using the sink.

16. How is my fossil like the ones we might find in Eastern Oregon? How Do Fossils Form? The plaster of Paris is like mud and stones that get deposited over leaves or animal remains, but the mud takes millions of years to turn into stone that we see as a fossil. This particular type of fossil is called a cast. Other fossils form when animal or plant remains are buried in rock, mud, tar, volcanic ash or ice. They all take millions of years to form. Some fossils are actual remains found in ice, amber tar pits, or sedimentary rocks. http://starryskies.com/try_this/fossil2.html

17. 1.Sabre-toothed "tiger" Pogonodon 2. Oreodont Eporeodon 3. Three-toed "horse" Miohippus 4. Tortoise Stylemys 5. Mouse-deer Hypertragulus 6. "Dog" Mesocyon 7. Oreodont Promerycocherus 8. "Rhinoceros" Diceratherium 9. Chestnut oak Quercus 10. Hawthoren Crataegus 11. Fern Polypodium 12. Hackberry Celtis 13. "Maple" Acer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Pbjohnday-d.gif