City Fossil Hunt

Sometimes sedimentary and metamorphic rocks are used to make buildings. A city fossil hunt is a fun way for kids to find fossils right in the middle of the city.

What You'll Need:

  • Magnifying glass
  • Notebook
  • Pen or pencil

city fossil hunt
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Explore building structures to find fossils in the middle of the city.

How to go on a City Fossil Hunt:

Step 1: Take a walk around the city and hunt for buildings built partly from rock. The rocks used most often are granite and marble. Granite was formed from hardened lava, so it won't have any fossils in it. It's rare to find fossils in metamorphic rock, but observe them closely anyway.

Step 2: There may be a few fossils of sea shells stretched and deformed along with the rock. Building that use sedimentary rocks are more likely to have fossils in them.

Step 3: Look carefully for the remains of ancient creatures. They may be small, so use a magnifying glass to hunt for tiny shells. Keep track of any findings.

Fossil Facts
Fossils are made when animals or plants are trapped in sediment (such as mud, wet sand, or river silt). This may happen when a leaf falls on a mud flat or even if a flood sweeps away a herd of animals. If conditions are right, minerals from the sediments slowly replace the material in the bones of the animals. Plant parts and animal parts can leave imprints in mud that dry and can be preserved for thousands of years. Eventually the sediments may turn to rock, such as sandstone, shale, limestone, or slate. Under heat and pressure, sedimentary rocks may change into metamorphic rocks such as marble.

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