How Palaeontologists Work
Science · Dinosaurs & Paleontology · procedural
Describe how palaeontologists work in the field and lab: prospecting for exposed fossils, careful excavation with hand tools, plaster jacketing for transport, preparation in the lab, and scientific description and publication
What mastery looks like
- List the main stages: prospecting, excavation, jacketing, transport, preparation, study, display
- Explain why careful excavation with small tools is necessary to avoid damaging the fossil
- Describe plaster jacketing as wrapping fossils in plaster for safe transport to a lab
Check your understanding
Can How Palaeontologists Work describe the steps a palaeontologist goes through from first spotting a fossil in a cliff to it ending up on display in a museum?
Prerequisites
Required first
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