MICROFOSSILS the ocean’s storytellers
Copyright © 2008 Consortium for Ocean Leadership
Note about size: These images have been enlarged using various magnifications. The microfos-sils range in actual size from less than 10 microns up to 2 millimeters. 1 micron = 1 x 10-6 meters.
Teaching for Science • Learning for LifeTM | www.oceanleadership.orgNannofossils Reveal Seafloor Spreading Truth!
2
Intr
od
uct
ion
fo
r Te
ach
erB
ackg
rou
nd
T
he g
oal o
f the
Dee
p S
ea D
rillin
g P
roje
ct
(DS
DP
) w
as to
inve
stig
ate
the
sedi
men
ts
and
rock
s be
neat
h th
e de
ep o
cean
s by
dr
illin
g an
d co
ring.
The
dat
a fe
atur
ed
in th
is e
xerc
ise
wer
e ta
ken
from
cor
es
colle
cted
by
the
Glo
mar
Cha
lleng
er d
rill
ship
, at s
even
site
s ea
st a
nd w
est o
f the
M
id-A
tlant
ic R
idge
dur
ing
DS
DP
Leg
3, i
n la
te 1
968
(see
Fig
ure
2). T
he h
oles
wer
e dr
illed
in th
e S
outh
Atla
ntic
bet
wee
n R
io
de J
anei
ro, B
razi
l and
Dak
ar, S
eneg
al.
The
age
of t
he c
onta
ct b
etw
een
the
sedi
men
t and
the
basa
lt of
the
ocea
n flo
or w
as d
eter
min
ed b
y id
entif
ying
the
nann
ofos
sils
foun
d at
eac
h co
ntac
t.
Ob
ject
ives
Stu
dent
s w
ill a
naly
ze r
eal d
ata
• co
llect
ed fr
om th
e D
eep
Sea
Dril
ling
Pro
ject
to d
isco
ver
evid
ence
of
seafl
oor
spre
adin
g.
Teaching for Science • Learning for LifeTM | www.oceanleadership.orgSecrets of the Sediments - Student Guide
2
Teaching for Science • Learning for LifeTM | www.deepearthacademy.org
Teaching for Science • Learning for LifeTM | www.deepearthacademy.org
Teaching for Science • Learning for LifeTM | www.oceanleadership.orgSmall Creatures, Big Science
2
Teaching for Science • Learning for LifeTM | www.deepearthacademy.org
Secr
ets o
f the
Sed
imen
ts - S
tude
nt G
uide
Using
Mar
ine S
edim
ents
to S
tudy
Glob
al Cl
imat
e Cha
nge
Bef
ore
Yo
u B
egin
1. T
hink
abo
ut th
ese
ques
tions
and
re
cord
you
r an
swer
s on
you
r ow
n pa
per
or
on th
e ba
ck o
f thi
s pa
ge.
a. W
hat i
s cl
imat
e?
b. H
ow w
ould
you
des
crib
e th
e cl
imat
e in
yo
ur c
ity, t
own
or v
illag
e?
c. D
oes
clim
ate
have
any
dire
ct e
ffect
s on
yo
ur li
fe?
Doe
s cl
imat
e ch
ange
? Ta
lk to
yo
ur p
aren
ts a
nd g
rand
pare
nts
abou
t any
cl
imat
e ch
ange
s th
ey r
ecal
l.
2. B
rain
stor
m a
nd r
ecor
d so
me
idea
s fo
r th
is e
ssen
tial q
uest
ion:
a.
How
can
we
stud
y gl
obal
clim
ate
chan
ges?
b. W
hat p
iece
s of
evi
denc
e ca
n w
e lo
ok
for
to s
ee h
ow th
e E
arth
’s c
limat
e ha
s ch
ange
d ov
er th
e pl
anet
’s lo
ng h
isto
ry?
Bac
kgro
un
dT
he J
OID
ES
Res
olut
ion
(JR
) is
a s
hip
that
trav
els
the
wor
ld c
orin
g ro
ck a
nd
sedi
men
ts fr
om th
e bo
ttom
of t
he o
cean
. W
hen
sedi
men
t cor
es a
re r
emov
ed fr
om
the
ocea
n flo
or, t
hey
unde
rgo
a va
riety
of
proc
esse
s in
clud
ing
visu
al d
escr
iptio
ns,
stud
ies
of th
e m
icro
foss
ils, a
naly
sis
for
pale
omag
netis
m, d
eter
min
atio
n of
se
dim
enta
tion
rate
s, a
nd c
hem
ical
stu
dies
of
the
sedi
men
ts in
clud
ing
stab
le o
xyge
n is
otop
es a
nd c
arbo
nate
s.
Ob
ject
ives
Dur
ing
this
act
ivity
, you
will
gra
ph a
nd
anal
yze
data
from
sed
imen
ts c
olle
cted
off
the
coas
t of S
anta
Bar
bara
, Cal
iforn
ia to
de
term
ine
whe
ther
this
info
rmat
ion
can
be
used
to s
tudy
his
toric
al c
limat
e ch
ange
.
Vo
cab
ula
ryst
able
isot
ope
sedi
men
t co
re
m
icro
foss
il
Mat
eria
ls1.
Gra
ph p
aper
2. R
uler
s
Act
ivit
ies
1. I
soto
pes
are
atom
s w
ith th
e sa
me
num
ber
of p
roto
ns, b
ut d
iffer
ent n
umbe
rs
of n
eutr
ons;
the
mor
e ne
utro
ns, t
he
heav
ier
the
isot
ope.
Uns
tabl
e is
otop
es,
like
uran
ium
, dec
ay o
ver
time
and
geol
ogis
ts c
an u
se th
em fo
r ag
e de
term
inat
ion
and
datin
g. S
tabl
e is
otop
es
do n
ot d
ecay
and
can
ther
efor
e pr
ovid
e in
dire
ct r
ecor
ds o
r pr
oxie
s of
pas
t clim
ate
chan
ge. O
xyge
n oc
curs
in th
ree
stab
le
isot
opes
: oxy
gen-
16 (
16O
), o
xyge
n-17
(17
O),
and
oxy
gen-
18 (
18O
). W
hich
isot
ope
is h
eavi
er?
2. W
ater
’s c
hem
ical
com
posi
tion
is H
2O.
The
oxy
gen
in w
ater
is u
sual
ly 16
O b
ut
som
etim
es 18
O. 17
O is
ver
y ra
re. I
n te
rms
of th
e hy
drol
ogic
al c
ycle
and
eva
pora
tion,
w
hich
oxy
gen
isot
ope
wou
ld e
vapo
rate
fir
st?
Why
?
3. C
alca
reou
s m
icro
foss
ils u
se o
xyge
n fr
om th
e w
ater
as
one
com
pone
nt o
f th
eir
carb
onat
e (C
aCO
3) s
hells
, and
are
a
good
indi
cato
r of
the
oxyg
en c
hem
istr
y of
the
wat
er w
hen
they
wer
e al
ive.
Tab
le
1 sh
ows
the
18O
:16O
rat
ios
and
the
ages
of
mar
ine
mic
rofo
ssils
foun
d in
the
San
ta
Bar
bara
sed
imen
t cor
e. P
lot t
he 18
O:16
O
ratio
vs.
sed
imen
t age
and
con
nect
the
poin
ts o
n a
shee
t of g
raph
pap
er.
4. A
naly
sis
a. L
ook
at th
e gr
aph
and
desc
ribe
wha
t yo
u se
e.
b. D
urin
g w
hat t
hree
age
s or
tim
e pe
riods
ca
n yo
u fin
d th
e hi
ghes
t 18O
:16O
rat
ios?
c. I
dent
ify a
nd li
st th
e tim
e pe
riods
with
th
e lo
wes
t 18O
rat
ios.
TAB
LE
1
Age
(in
thou
sand
s of
yea
rs)
2 6 8 11 13 15 16 18 20 21 30 42 50 57 58 62 68 74 82 94 102
109
124
131
136
144
149
150
157
18O
:16O
Rat
io
2.2
2.4
2.5
3.1
3.5
3.1
3.6
4.1
3.8
4.0
3.5
3.0
3.1
3.3
3.4
4.2
3.6
3.4
3.0
3.0
2.8
2.4
2.2
3.7
3.9
3.7
3.9
3.8
3.5
Tabl
e ad
apte
d fro
m K
enne
tt, 1
995
d. W
hy d
o yo
u th
ink
this
pat
tern
occ
urre
d?
Wha
t mig
ht h
ave
been
hap
peni
ng g
eolo
gica
lly?
Clim
atol
ogic
ally
? (T
hink
abo
ut th
e hy
drol
ogic
al c
ycle
, sno
w a
nd th
e fo
rmat
ion
of la
rge
ice
shee
ts li
ke th
ose
cove
ring
Gre
enla
nd a
nd th
e A
ntar
ctic
con
tinen
t.)
e. P
redi
ct a
nd e
xpla
in w
hat w
ill h
appe
n to
the
18O
:16O
rat
ios
as g
loba
l war
min
g co
ntin
ues.
(C
AU
TIO
N:
Oxy
gen
isot
opes
are
sim
ply
a re
cord
, no
t a c
ause
of c
limat
e ch
ange
.)
f. D
o yo
u th
ink
the
leve
ls o
f 18O
can
als
o in
dica
te
the
amou
nt o
f ice
foun
d on
land
? E
xpla
in.
Ext
ensi
on
s1.
Rea
d an
d di
scus
s “F
ossi
l The
rmom
eter
s fo
r E
arth
’s C
limat
e” b
y Le
ar e
t al.,
from
the
OD
P
Hig
hlig
hts
(ww
w.o
cean
drill
ing.
org/
grea
test
_hits
2/).
2. R
esea
rch
and
exam
ine
glob
al te
mpe
ratu
res
for
the
past
160
,000
yea
rs a
nd s
ee h
ow te
mpe
ratu
res
rela
te to
the
18O
:16O
rat
ios
for
the
glac
ial a
nd n
on-
glac
ial p
erio
ds.
3. R
esea
rch
and
desc
ribe
mod
ern
and/
or fo
ssil
fora
min
ifera
, the
org
anis
ms
used
in o
xyge
n is
otop
e st
udie
s.
4. W
ould
you
exp
ect h
igh
or lo
w 18
O:16
O r
atio
s in
ic
e co
res?
Inve
stig
ate
and
trac
k do
wn
an a
nsw
er.
Ref
eren
ces
Ken
nett,
Jam
es, 1
995.
Lat
est Q
uate
rnar
y B
enth
ic
Oxy
gen
and
Car
bon
Isot
ope
Str
atig
raph
y: H
ole
893A
, S
anta
Bar
bara
, Cal
iforn
ia. P
roce
edin
gs o
f the
Oce
an
Dril
ling
Pro
gram
Sci
entifi
c R
esul
ts, v
. 14
6, 1
6pp.
The
Sec
rets
of t
he S
edim
ents
- T
each
er’s
Gui
de is
av
aila
ble
for
dow
nloa
d at
ww
w.o
cean
lead
ersh
ip.o
rg/
mat
eria
ls/a
ctiv
ities
Act
ivity
writ
ten
on th
e S
choo
l of R
ock
Exp
editi
on b
y R
amon
a S
mith
, 11/
2005
( fo
r m
ore
info
rmat
ion
cont
act:
lear
ning
@oc
eanl
eade
rshi
p.or
g)
We’
d lik
e to
hea
r fr
om y
ou! P
leas
e co
ntac
t us
with
que
stio
ns o
r co
m-
men
ts. V
isit
ww
w.d
eepe
arth
acad
emy.
org
for
mor
e ed
ucat
ion
mat
eria
ls
and
reso
urce
s.
D
eep
Ear
th A
cad
emy,
120
1 N
ew Y
ork
Ave
nue,
NW
, Sui
te 4
00,
Was
hing
ton,
DC
200
05; l
earn
ing@
ocea
nlea
ders
hip.
org
Cre
dits
: Des
ign
- D
ylan
Sul
livan
, Mat
thew
Nie
mitz
; Writ
ing
- N
ancy
F
elix
, Les
lie P
eart
, Dr.
Mar
k Le
ckie
, Dr.
Kris
ten
St.
John
, Jer
ry C
ook,
V
irgin
ia J
ones
, and
Ram
ona
Sm
ith; *
Pho
tos
- S
mea
r sl
ides
- 2
005
Sch
ool o
f Roc
k P
artic
ipan
ts, T
hin
Sec
tions
- M
. Lec
kie
Cop
yrig
ht ©
200
8 C
onso
rtiu
m fo
r O
cean
Lea
ders
hip.
All
right
s re
-se
rved
. Edu
catio
nal i
nstit
utio
ns m
ay d
uplic
ate
port
ions
of t
his
post
er
for
use
with
thei
r st
uden
ts.
Intr
od
uct
ion
fo
r Te
ach
er
Thi
s po
ster
was
des
igne
d fo
r m
iddl
e an
d hi
gh s
choo
l Ear
th s
yste
ms,
life
sci
ence
, ch
emis
try,
and
/or
envi
ronm
enta
l sci
ence
stu
dent
s. W
hile
“M
icro
foss
ils R
evea
l Sea
floor
S
prea
ding
Tru
th!”
and
“S
ecre
ts o
f the
Sed
imen
ts”
are
a bi
t cha
lleng
ing,
the
activ
ities
in
“S
mal
l Cre
atur
es, B
ig S
cien
ce”
are
adap
tabl
e fo
r yo
unge
r au
dien
ces.
The
text
and
ac
tiviti
es a
ddre
ss th
e fo
llow
ing
Nat
iona
l Sci
ence
Edu
catio
n C
onte
nt S
tand
ards
for
grad
es 5
-8 a
nd 9
-12:
Sta
ndar
d B
: Phy
sica
l Sci
ence
(st
ruct
ure
and
prop
ertie
s of
mat
ter)
, S
tand
ard
C: L
ife S
cien
ce (
dive
rsity
, bio
logi
cal e
volu
tion)
, Sta
ndar
d D
: Ear
th a
nd S
pace
S
cien
ce (
Ear
th’s
his
tory
), a
nd S
tand
ard
G: H
isto
ry a
nd N
atur
e of
Sci
ence
(na
ture
of
scie
ntifi
c kn
owle
dge
and
hist
oric
al p
ersp
ectiv
es).
Vis
it w
ww
.oce
anle
ader
ship
.org
/m
ater
ials
/act
iviti
es fo
r te
ache
r’s
guid
es a
nd a
nsw
er k
eys.
Dia
tom
s ar
e de
licat
e un
icel
lula
r al
gae
with
si
liceo
us w
alls
. The
re a
re tw
o di
ffere
nt g
roup
s,
the
pen-
shap
ed p
enna
te d
iato
ms
and
the
radi
al o
r cy
lindr
ical
spe
cies
kno
wn
as th
e ce
ntric
dia
tom
s.
In s
mea
r sl
ides
thei
r rim
s ap
pear
as
smal
l rin
gs
or h
alf r
ings
, litt
le “
C”
or “
O”
shap
ed s
truc
ture
s th
at lo
ok li
ke p
ores
.2, 5 L
ook
for
the
long
, thi
n an
d ci
rcul
ar-s
hape
d m
icro
foss
ils.
Rad
iola
rians
are
uni
cellu
lar
orga
nism
s th
at
abso
rb s
ilica
from
the
mar
ine
envi
ronm
ent.
The
re
are
two
grou
ps -
- th
e co
ne-s
hape
d na
ssel
laria
n ra
diol
aria
ns a
nd th
e la
ce-li
ke s
pum
ella
rian
radi
olar
ians
. The
y oc
cur
in s
pher
ical
, dis
coid
, co
nica
l, ra
dial
arm
-like
, or
ring-
like
form
s an
d ap
pear
to b
e he
avie
r th
an d
iato
ms.
In s
mea
r sl
ides
th
ey a
ppea
r as
hug
e op
en la
ttice
wor
k fr
agm
ents
at
tach
ed to
rid
ged
spin
es.3,
5 L
ook
for
the
cone
-sh
aped
and
lacy
arm
-like
mic
rofo
ssils
.
Sili
cofla
gella
tes
are
a gr
oup
of u
nice
llula
r al
gae
foun
d in
mar
ine
envi
ronm
ents
. In
one
stag
e of
th
eir
life
cycl
e, th
ey p
rodu
ce a
sili
ceou
s sk
elet
on,
com
pose
d of
a n
etw
ork
of b
ars
and
spik
es
arra
nged
to fo
rm a
n in
tern
al b
aske
t. In
sm
ear
slid
es th
ey h
ave
a di
stin
ctiv
e op
en la
ttice
; eve
n m
ore
open
than
mos
t rad
iola
rians
.4, 5 L
ook
for
the
mic
rofo
ssils
with
the
spik
es.
Par
t 1: T
he id
entifi
catio
n of
mic
rofo
ssils
is n
ot e
asy.
In
fact
, a m
icro
pale
onto
logi
st ty
pica
lly s
peci
aliz
es
in ju
st o
ne m
icro
foss
il gr
oup!
The
key
to id
entif
ying
m
icro
foss
ils li
es in
des
crib
ing
visu
al fe
atur
es
uniq
ue to
eac
h ty
pe o
f mic
rofo
ssil.
Loo
k at
the
smea
r sl
ides
and
thin
-sec
tions
pic
ture
d on
the
fron
t of
the
post
er. I
dent
ify a
nd la
bel e
ach
mic
rofo
ssil
usin
g th
e de
scrip
tions
pro
vide
d ab
ove.
How
man
y of
eac
h ki
nd o
f mic
rofo
ssil
did
you
iden
tify?
Whi
ch
is th
e m
ost c
omm
on?
Leas
t com
mon
?
The
org
anis
ms
you
just
labe
led
are
not o
nly
fun
and
inte
rest
ing
to lo
ok a
t, th
ey c
an te
ll sc
ient
ists
im
port
ant i
nfor
mat
ion
abou
t Ear
th’s
con
ditio
ns
at th
e tim
e of
thei
r de
posi
tion
on th
e se
afloo
r. A
s fo
ssil
plan
kton
com
mun
ities
evo
lve
thro
ugh
time,
mic
rofo
ssil
grou
ping
s or
ass
embl
ages
fo
und
in m
arin
e se
dim
ents
bec
ome
uniq
ue to
a
part
icul
ar in
terv
al o
f geo
logi
c tim
e. B
y st
udyi
ng
the
sedi
men
tary
laye
rs b
ased
on
the
foss
il co
nten
t
Tab
le 1
Dis
tan
ces
and
Ag
es o
f M
id-A
tlan
tic
Rid
ge
Sit
es f
rom
th
e A
xis
Sit
e N
um
ber
16 15 18 17 14 19 20 21
Adap
ted
from
Tab
le 5
a , fro
m In
itial
Rep
orts
of D
SDP,
Vol
ume
3
Pal
eon
tolo
gic
al A
ge
of
Sed
imen
t (
m.y
.)
11 24 26 33 40 49 67 76
Dis
tan
ce F
rom
R
idg
e A
xis
(km
)
221
422
506
718
745
1010
1303
1686
Figu
re 2
. Loc
atio
n of
DSD
P Le
g 3
drills
ites
rela
tive
to th
e ax
is o
f the
Mid
-Atla
ntic
R
idge
in th
e So
uth
Atla
ntic
. Lin
es o
f lat
itude
are
in d
egre
es S
outh
(i.e
., 20
° to
39°
S)
5. C
alcu
late
the
rate
of s
eaflo
or s
prea
ding
eas
t of
the
Mid
-Atla
ntic
Rid
ge in
km
/m.y
., th
en c
onve
rt
your
ans
wer
to c
m/y
ear.
Don
’t fo
rget
to s
how
you
r w
ork!
6. If
you
cou
ld a
cqui
re d
ata
of a
diff
eren
t typ
e fr
om
thes
e sa
me
site
s, w
hat o
ther
dat
a m
ight
be
used
to
stu
dy s
eaflo
or s
prea
ding
? E
xpla
in h
ow th
is d
ata
wou
ld b
e us
eful
.
Ext
ensi
ons
1. T
o le
arn
mor
e ab
out t
he G
lom
ar C
halle
nger
, re
ad th
e ar
ticle
foun
d on
the
follo
win
g w
eb p
age:
io
dp.ta
mu.
edu/
publ
icin
fo/g
lom
ar_c
halle
nger
.htm
l
2. L
ocat
e th
e D
SD
P L
eg 3
dril
l si
tes
on th
e D
SD
P d
rill s
ite m
ap a
t: io
dp.ta
mu.
edu/
scie
nceo
ps/m
aps/
dsdp
map
.gif
Usi
ng a
map
of t
he
seafl
oor,
loca
te th
e M
id-A
tlant
ic
Rid
ge.
3. F
ind
out h
ow c
ore
sam
ples
are
dr
illed
and
pro
cess
ed b
y re
adin
g,
“One
Cor
e at
a T
ime”
(w
ww
.oc
eanl
eade
rshi
p.or
g/cl
assr
oom
/on
e_co
re.h
tml),
and
“Li
fe o
f a
Cor
e” (
ww
w.o
cean
lead
ersh
ip.o
rg/
clas
sroo
m/L
ife_o
f_a_
core
.htm
l).
4. S
ee w
ww
.oce
anle
ader
ship
.org
/cl
assr
oom
/pla
te_t
ecto
nics
_DS
DP
3 fo
r re
late
d, b
ut m
ore
chal
leng
ing,
ac
tiviti
es a
bout
DS
DP
3 a
nd p
late
te
cton
ics.
N
Nann
ofos
sils R
evea
l Sea
floor
Sp
read
ing T
ruth
!S
tude
nts
will
use
gra
phin
g an
d sl
ope
• an
alys
is to
det
erm
ine
the
rela
tions
hip
betw
een
dist
ance
from
the
spre
adin
g ce
nter
and
age
of t
he s
edim
ents
. S
tude
nts
will
gai
n an
his
toric
al
pers
pect
ive
of s
cien
tific
rese
arch
.
Vo
cab
ula
ryba
sem
ent r
ock
nann
ofos
sil
core
sam
ple
oc
ean
sedi
men
tD
eep
Sea
Dril
ling
Pro
gram
Nan
nonf
ossi
ls R
evea
l Sea
floor
Spr
eadi
ng
Tru
th! w
as a
dapt
ed b
y S
choo
l of R
ock
Exp
edi-
tion
part
icip
ants
Jer
ry C
ook
and
Virg
inia
Jon
es
from
“P
late
Tec
toni
cs a
nd C
ontr
ibut
ions
from
S
cien
tific
Oce
an D
rillin
g” (
ww
w.o
cean
lead
er-
ship
.org
/cla
ssro
om/p
late
_tec
toni
cs_D
SD
P3)
an
und
ergr
adua
te-le
vel a
ctiv
ity w
ritte
n by
Dr.
Kris
ten
St.
John
and
Dr.
Mar
k Le
ckie
, 11/
2005
(le
arni
ng@
ocea
nlea
ders
hip.
org)
Small
Cre
atur
es, B
ig Sc
ience
chai
ns. T
he ti
ny s
hells
of m
icro
foss
ils a
re
the
sedi
men
ts th
at c
over
vas
t are
as o
f the
se
afloo
r. In
som
e ar
eas
of th
e se
afloo
r, th
ey a
re m
ixed
with
mud
or
sand
. T
he fo
llow
ing
mic
rofo
ssils
app
ear
in th
e sm
ear
slid
es a
nd th
in-s
ectio
ns p
ictu
red
on
the
fron
t of t
he p
oste
r:
Cal
care
ous
nann
ofos
sils
are
a ty
pe o
f ve
ry s
mal
l (sm
alle
r th
an d
ust)
mic
rofo
ssil
alga
e. T
hey’
re m
uch
smal
ler
than
mos
t ot
her
mic
rofo
ssils
. It i
s of
ten
easi
er to
vi
ew th
ese
tiny
mic
rofo
ssils
aga
inst
a
blac
k ba
ckgr
ound
usi
ng c
ross
-pol
ariz
ed
light
and
hig
h m
agni
ficat
ion.
Dis
coas
ters
ar
e a
grou
p of
cal
care
ous
nann
ofos
sils
di
stin
guis
hed
by th
eir
5- o
r 6-
poin
ted
star
sha
pe. T
hey
have
two
face
s; o
ne is
co
ncav
e an
d th
e ot
her
conv
ex. I
n sm
ear
slid
es th
ey a
ppea
r as
col
orle
ss, b
right
di
sks
or p
ustu
les.
5, 6 L
ook
for
the
star
-sh
aped
mic
rofo
ssils
. F
oram
inife
ra, o
r “f
oram
s” fo
r sh
ort,
are
sand
-siz
ed u
nice
llula
r or
gani
sms
with
ca
lciu
m c
arbo
nate
(C
aCO
3) s
hells
. Dur
ing
grow
th, a
ser
ies
of c
ham
bers
are
add
ed,
incr
easi
ng in
num
ber
as th
e ce
ll gr
ows.
In
sm
ear
slid
es a
nd th
in-s
ectio
ns, s
ome
plan
kton
ic fo
ram
s ar
e gl
obul
ar o
r gl
obe-
like
with
infla
ted
cham
bers
(th
at lo
ok
like
fish
eggs
) an
d a
roun
ded
outli
ne,
whi
le o
ther
s ha
ve fl
atte
ned,
com
pres
sed,
le
ss g
lobu
lar
test
s (s
hells
). L
ook
for
the
mic
rofo
ssils
with
cha
mbe
red
shel
ls.
(bio
stra
tigra
phy)
sci
entis
ts c
an d
eter
min
e th
e re
lativ
e ag
e of
oce
an s
edim
ent a
nd g
athe
r in
sigh
t ab
out t
he E
arth
’s p
ast c
limat
e.
Ans
wer
s (f
rom
top
dow
n, le
ft to
rig
ht):
1st
Row
: dis
coas
ters
(ca
lcar
eous
nan
nofo
ssils
),
cent
ric d
iato
m, p
lank
tic fo
ram
inife
r, pl
ankt
ic
fora
min
ifer,
nass
ella
rian
radi
olar
ian
and
cent
ric
diat
om
2nd R
ow: n
asse
llaria
n ra
diol
aria
n, p
lank
tic
fora
min
ifer,
cent
ric d
iato
ms,
nas
sella
rian
radi
olar
ian,
nas
sella
rian
radi
olar
ian
3rd R
ow: c
entr
ic d
iato
m, p
enna
te d
iato
ms,
ca
lcar
eous
nan
nofo
ssils
, pen
nate
and
cen
tric
di
atom
s, c
entr
ic d
iato
ms
4th R
ow: s
ilico
flage
llate
, pen
nate
and
cen
tric
di
atom
s, n
asse
llaria
n ra
diol
aria
n, p
lank
tic
fora
min
ifer,
nass
ella
rian
radi
olar
ian
5th R
ow: p
lank
tic fo
ram
inife
r, ca
lcar
eous
na
nnof
ossi
ls, s
ilico
flage
llate
, dis
coas
ters
and
oth
er
calc
areo
us n
anno
foss
ils, s
pum
ella
rian
radi
olar
ian
Par
t 2: N
ow th
at y
ou’re
an
expe
rt a
t ide
ntify
ing
mic
rofo
ssils
, put
you
rsel
f to
the
test
! Mak
e tw
o ph
otoc
opie
s of
the
fron
t of t
he p
oste
r. C
ut o
ut
each
indi
vidu
al s
mea
r sl
ide
and
thin
-sec
tion
phot
omic
rogr
aph
(squ
ares
). P
lace
eac
h sq
uare
fa
ce d
own,
so
that
you
can
’t se
e th
e im
age.
Pla
y a
mat
chin
g ga
me
to te
st y
our
mem
ory.
How
long
di
d it
take
you
to m
atch
up
the
mic
rofo
ssils
? H
ow
muc
h tim
e do
you
thin
k sc
ient
ists
spe
nd in
the
lab
mat
chin
g an
d id
entif
ying
mic
rofo
ssils
?
Ext
ensi
on
s 1.
Wan
t to
see
mic
rofo
ssils
in m
otio
n? C
heck
out
nh
m.a
c.uk
/hos
ted_
site
s/in
a/ro
tatin
gnan
nos/
inde
x.ht
ml f
or c
ool 3
-dim
ensi
onal
mic
rofo
ssil
imag
es.
Wha
t kin
d of
mic
rofo
ssils
are
on
this
web
site
?
2. T
our
the
pale
onto
logy
and
oth
er la
bs (
iodp
.ta
mu.
edu/
publ
icin
fo/d
rills
hip.
htm
l) w
here
sc
ient
ists
abo
ard
the
JOID
ES
Res
olut
ion
iden
tify
mic
rofo
ssils
. R
efer
ence
s 1 h
ttp://
ww
w.u
cmp.
berk
eley
.edu
/fora
m/fo
ram
intr
o.ht
ml;
2 http
://w
ww
.m
icro
scop
y-uk
.org
.uk/
mag
/inde
xmag
.htm
l?ht
tp://
ww
w.m
icro
scop
y-uk
.org
.uk/
mag
/wim
smal
l/dia
dr.h
tml;
3 http
://ra
dpag
e.un
iv-ly
on1.
fr/
rad_
en.h
tml;
4 http
://w
ww
.ans
wer
s.co
m/to
pic/
silic
oflag
ella
te;
5 http
://gc
.ucs
d.ed
u/P
roc/
foss
ilsP
RO
C2h
tm.h
tml;
6 http
://w
ww
.nhm
.ac.
uk/
host
ed_s
ites/
ina/
term
inol
ogy/
disc
oast
ers.
htm
Alfre
d W
egen
er fi
rst p
ropo
sed
the
theo
ry o
f con
tinen
tal d
rift b
ut c
ould
no
t exp
lain
how
it h
appe
ned.
(pho
to fr
om U
SGS,
http
://pu
bs.u
sgs.
gov/
publ
icat
ios/
text
/weg
ener
.htm
l)
Bac
kgro
un
d
Wha
t’s in
a s
mea
r sl
ide
of s
edim
ent?
Tin
y fo
ssili
zed
crea
ture
s fil
led
with
big
sci
ence
! A
sm
ear
slid
e is
a c
lear
gla
ss s
lide
with
a
tiny
amou
nt o
f sed
imen
t spr
ead
into
a
very
thin
laye
r an
d pr
otec
ted
by a
cov
er
slip
. Abo
ard
the
JOID
ES
Res
olut
ion,
sm
ear
slid
es a
re m
ade
from
sed
imen
t co
res
in o
rder
to c
hara
cter
ize
the
type
s of
m
iner
als
and
foss
ils th
at m
ake
up o
cean
se
dim
ents
. If t
he d
eepl
y bu
ried
sedi
men
t ha
s ha
rden
ed in
to r
ock,
then
a v
ery
thin
sl
ice
of th
e ro
ck is
cut
and
mou
nted
ont
o a
glas
s sl
ide;
this
is c
alle
d a
thin
-sec
tion.
U
sing
a m
icro
scop
e, s
cien
tists
on
boar
d th
e sh
ip a
re a
ble
to e
xam
ine
smea
r sl
ides
an
d th
in-s
ectio
ns a
nd s
ee s
ome
of th
e w
orld
’s s
mal
lest
foss
ilize
d cr
eatu
res
(not
vi
sibl
e to
the
nake
d ey
e). T
hese
tiny
or
gani
sms
are
calle
d m
icro
foss
ils. W
hen
a co
re is
bro
ught
up
on d
eck,
sci
entis
ts lo
ok
at th
ese
slid
es to
iden
tify
the
mic
rofo
ssils
fo
und
in c
ores
and
det
erm
ine
the
age
of
the
sedi
men
t, as
wel
l as
som
ethi
ng a
bout
E
arth
’s p
ast c
limat
e.
Mic
rofo
ssils
are
mic
rosc
opic
sin
gle-
celle
d or
gani
sms
that
bel
ong
to th
e K
ingd
om
Pro
tista
(or
Pro
toct
ista
). E
xam
ples
incl
ude
calc
areo
us n
anno
foss
ils, f
oram
inife
ra,
diat
oms,
rad
iola
rians
, and
sili
cofla
gella
tes;
pl
ankt
onic
org
anis
ms
that
inha
bit t
he s
unlit
su
rfac
e w
ater
s of
the
wor
ld o
cean
. The
ca
lcar
eous
nan
nofo
ssils
and
dia
tom
s ar
e ty
pes
of a
lgae
at t
he b
ase
of o
cean
ic fo
od
are
the
youn
gest
sam
ples
? W
here
are
the
olde
st
sam
ples
? W
hat d
o yo
u th
ink
mig
ht h
ave
caus
ed
this
rel
atio
nshi
p? D
oes
this
rel
atio
nshi
p su
ppor
t the
th
eory
of s
eaflo
or s
prea
ding
?
2. T
hese
dat
a sh
ow a
str
aigh
t-lin
e re
latio
nshi
p be
twee
n ag
e an
d di
stan
ce. W
hat d
oes
this
tell
us
abou
t the
rat
e of
sea
floor
spr
eadi
ng?
3. S
houl
d yo
ur li
nes
of b
est fi
t pas
s th
roug
h (0
, 0)?
W
hat d
oes
this
mea
n?
4. C
alcu
late
the
rate
of s
eaflo
or s
prea
ding
wes
t of
the
Mid
-Atla
ntic
Rid
ge in
km
/m.y
., th
en c
onve
rt y
our
answ
er to
cm
/yea
r. B
e su
re to
sho
w y
our
wor
k!
Mat
eria
ls1.
Gra
ph P
aper
2. P
enci
l
Met
ho
ds
1. U
sing
dat
a fr
om T
able
1 (f
rom
DS
DP
Initi
al R
epor
ts, V
ol. 3
), p
lot c
oord
inat
es
repr
esen
ting
the
age
and
dist
ance
from
th
e rid
ge a
t eac
h si
te. F
or ti
me
valu
es,
use
the
colu
mn
labe
led
Pal
eont
olog
ical
A
ge o
f Sed
imen
t (in
mill
ions
of y
ears
).
For
dis
tanc
e us
e th
e co
lum
n la
bele
d D
ista
nce
from
Rid
ge A
xis.
Cho
ose
a sc
ale
that
allo
ws
you
to p
lot d
ista
nce
on th
e Y
-axi
s an
d ag
e on
the
X-
axis
. Lab
el e
ach
coor
dina
te w
ith th
e si
te n
umbe
r.
2. L
ocat
e th
e po
sitio
n of
the
core
sam
ples
re
lativ
e to
the
Mid
-Atla
ntic
Rid
ge b
y lo
okin
g at
Fig
ure
2 (a
lso
from
Initi
al
Rep
orts
of D
SD
P, V
olum
e 3)
. (H
int -
they
ar
e no
t in
orde
r.)
An
alys
is
(Ans
wer
thes
e qu
estio
ns o
n yo
ur o
wn
shee
t of p
aper
.)1.
The
se D
SD
P L
eg 3
obs
erva
tions
w
ere
the
grou
nd tr
uth
need
ed to
test
the
seafl
oor
spre
adin
g hy
poth
esis
. Whe
re
