This page contains the material submitted to the local paper - The Davis Enterprise - for Explorit Science Center's news column published in that paper on Fridays.

Article for: The Davis Enterprise
Date: September 30, 2005
Author: Pamela Emery

FOSSILS EXPLORED SATURDAY

Explorit's current exhibition "On Shaky Ground: Our Changing Planet" offers visitors a variety of opportunities to learn about the ground beneath their feet. This weekend is no exception. Tomorrow's special family program, "Fossils, Can You Dig It?" encourages people to think about life long ago, long before humans inhabited the earth.

Tomorrow between 1 and 4 p.m., Explorit visitors can take a walk through geologic time and, through experiential learning, learn how fossils tell about the past. The back sand pit will be turned into a mock archeological site and special hands-on activities will be set up, too.

Found in rock, a fossil is the remains of a once-living plant or animal. Although thousands of millions of living things have existed on Earth, only a small number of them ever become fossils. In order for the remains of a once-living creature to have been preserved as a fossil, it must have been buried quickly to avoid exposure to things such as rapidly moving water, oxygen and microorganisms.

Most fossils are turned into stone in a process called petrification where substances that make the bone or shell are replaced by the minerals in the surrounding rock. Less often this process can fossilize soft tissues such as animal skin and plants.

Explorit visitors will be able to view and touch some interesting fossils and fossil replicas of ancient sea-life-trilobites and ammonites. Replicas of a Tyrannosaurus Rex tooth and an eoraptor skull will also be on display.

Explorit visitors can learn how nature fossil castings are formed deep within the earth and can make a mock casting to take home. A sea scorpion activity will also be part of the program. As is the usual Explorit experience, youngsters will gain an appreciation of the world around them by doing these hands-on activities.

Dating fossil specimens is a complex topic and continues to be researched and explored. A simple way to get youngsters to think about the relative ages of fossils is to do this simple experiment: Give a child a clear unbreakable container and ask him or her to fill it with four different kinds of items such as sand, gravel grass clippings and soil. Care should be taken to prevent mixing of the layers. Now ask a few questions:
Which item was put in first? Last?
If the container were Earth, which item would be the oldest? Why do you think this? Which layer would be the youngest?
If one found two fossils in this sample, one on the top and one on the bottom, which is probably older? Why?

This simple experiment can then be related to a child's surroundings-roadside cuts, ocean cliffs, and mountains.

Fossils are fascinating. They open up a whole new way of looking at Earth, an ever-changing planet. Exploring and studying fossils answers some questions and stimulates others.

The public is encouraged to participate in this special Saturday event. "Fossils, Can You Dig It?" is sponsored by Davis Waste Removal and is free to Explorit members, teachers with identification and children under four. All others can participate in the program with paid admission to the museum.

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Explorit Science Center is at 3141 Fifth St. in East Davis. The current exhibition "On Shaky Ground: Our Changing Planet" runs through Dec. 11. Public hours are Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday from 2 to 4:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.explorit.org or call Explorit at (530) 756-0191.