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E XC AVAT I O N   K I T

REAL

FOSSILS

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Contents

4th Edition 2017

© 2014, 2017 Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-

GmbH & Co. KG, Stuttgart

This work, including all its parts, is 

copyright protected. Any use outside the 

specific limits of the copyright law without 

the consent of the publisher is prohibited 

and punishable by law. This applies 

specifically to reproductions, translations, 

microfilming, and storage and processing 

in electronic systems and networks. We do 

not guarantee that all material in this work 

is free from copyright or other protection.

Project management: Dr. Mark Bachofer

Text: Ruth Schildhauer, Dr. Rainer Köthe, 

Mark Bachofer

Illustrations, layout, and typesetting: 

Frieder Werth, Horb

Photos: skilpad ©istockfoto.com (fossil 

background), creativ collection (meteorite), 

all other photos F. Werth, Horb.

2nd English Edition © 2017, 2019 Thames & 

Kosmos, LLC, Providence, RI, USA

Thames & Kosmos® is a registered 

trademark of Thames 

&

 Kosmos, LLC.

Editing: Camille Duhamel and Ted McGuire; 

Additional Graphics and Layout: Ashley 

Greenleaf and Dan Freitas; Translation: 

David Gamon; Copy editing: Dorothy M. 

Taguchi, PhD, of The Linguistic Edge

Distributed in North America by Thames 

& Kosmos, LLC. Providence, RI 02903; 

Phone: 800-587-2872; Web: www.

thamesandkosmos.com

Distributed in United Kingdom by Thames 

& Kosmos UK LP. Cranbrook, Kent TN17 

3HE; Phone: 01580 713000; Web: www.

thamesandkosmos.co.uk

We reserve the right to make technical 

changes.

Printed in Thailand / Imprimé en Thaïland

1.    Excavation block with fossils hidden 

inside

 

 

a. Atrypa shell 

 

 

b. Stony coral

 

 

c. Snail aggregate

 

 

d. Shark’s tooth

 

 

e. Fossilized resin

2.   Hammer

3.   Chisel

4.   Sponge 

You will also need newspaper, water, a 

small bowl, paper towels, and a small ruler. 

If any parts are missing or defective, please 

contact Thames & Kosmos customer service.

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Summary of Contents for IGIGIT Fossils

Page 1: ...Horb 2nd English Edition 2017 2019 Thames Kosmos LLC Providence RI USA Thames Kosmos is a registered trademark of Thames Kosmos LLC Editing Camille Duhamel and Ted McGuire Additional Graphics and Layout Ashley Greenleaf and Dan Freitas Translation David Gamon Copy editing Dorothy M Taguchi PhD of The Linguistic Edge Distributed in North America by Thames Kosmos LLC Providence RI 02903 Phone 800 58...

Page 2: ... experiment area Do not eat or drink at the experiment area Process the plaster block slowly and moisten it to prevent the formation of chips and dust Do not place the plaster material in mouth or eyes Clean all equipment and the work area after use Wash your hands after the experiment Keep the packaging and instructions as they contain important information Excavating 1 Start by looking for a sui...

Page 3: ...with a piece of paper towel 5 Next continue step by step in the same manner with the other squares until you have exposed all the fossils Note After excavating and cleaning your minerals wash your hands thoroughly and clean the work area Dispose of the newspaper along with any bits of plaster in the household trash 4 The water will turn the plaster in the square quite soft so you can easily scrape...

Page 4: ...mphibians that had developed from fish After that reptiles arose they were better adapted to life on land They in turn were the ancestors of dinosaurs and mammals with birds then developing out of a group of dinosaurs Over and over entire groups of animals became extinct again sometimes due to catastrophic events The dinosaurs and many other species living at the time were wiped out by a massive a...

Page 5: ...ith their correct names You can easily make boxes like these yourself You just need a sheet of heavy paper ideally 32 lb paper from the stationery store although printer paper works too scissors and a ruler 1 For each box cut a piece of paper 10 cm by 10 cm 4 in by 4 in in size 2 Fold the sheet diagonally or from one corner to the opposite corner and then fold the paper back again 3 Fold each corn...

Page 6: ...to of course you can apply an adhesive label later on 8 Lift the two triangular side pieces and fold the A sections inward with their tips meeting in the middle of the box 9 Then fold the B sections inward at a right angle and fold the C sections in over the B sections 10 This is how the box should look now If it is not stable enough you can help hold it together with a few drops of all purpose gl...

Page 7: ...RMINING THE AGE OF FOSSILS Of course you would want to know when a given animal species existed in other words how old a fossil is There are several methods for that For example you know that if layers of rock have been left undisturbed the ones on the bottom will be older just like a stack of newspapers in your living room So that gives you a relative sequence for the fossils embedded in the rock...

Page 8: ...mp that occasionally became preserved as a fossil Very old resin sometimes formed amber which can be up to 50 million years old Younger tree resin is called copal which you will find in your excavation block You can polish its dull surface to a bright shine with a piece of cotton cloth Use a drop of household vinegar to help it along Sometimes the resin became a deadly trap for smaller animals suc...

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