Time Detectives at Buxton Museum and Art Gallery Cultural and Community Services

Time Detectives, are you ready for your mission? To find out about the objects in Buxton Museum

Museums help us find out about the past What will we see and touch?

How can we find out about the objects in the Museum?

Think of a question about this object?

Questions to ask… What is it made of? What else does it look like? What might it have been used for?

Get ready, Time Detectives, now it’s your turn!!

What is a fossil? A fossil is the remains of an animal or plant which lived in the past and is now found preserved in rocks.

How are fossils formed? A fish dies and sinks to the muddy seafloor. Hard bones are left as the soft parts of the fish rot away.

Time passes… Minerals seep into the skeleton of the fish The minerals harden into rock around the bones.

Even more time passes… Layers of sand and mud pile on top of the fish. The weight of these press down on the fish bones and they harden and stick together to form rock.

That’s how a fossil is formed! Plant fossil – seed fern leaves Animal fossil – gastropod