Labs are included in student admission to the Interpretive Center
May 1 to November 17, 2017
Extent of lab depends on river levels on the day of your visit.
Investigating the Devonian Coral Sea Floor: Grades 3 and Up
Brief Description:
Students are introduced to fossils and how to identify them when they clean a small sample of the fossil beds.
Objectives:
Students will understand…
1.) … that limestone forms in tropical, shallow seas.
2.) … that environments on a sea floor change over time and distance.
3.) … that it is possible to interpret an ancient ecosystem.
4.) … fossils may record storms like hurricanes.
5.) … river sediment makes view fossils more difficult, but it can be easily remedied.
The lab begins with an overview of the history of the Falls of the Ohio from the deck. The group then moves down to the lower fossil beds (coral beds).
Working in small groups (of 4 – 6 students), they are issued brushes and water cups to clean the beds. Students clean an area within a three foot diameter circle. Once cleaned, they have fossil identification materials and try to identify horn corals, branching corals, honeycomb corals, sponges and other less common fossils.
Groups circulate to observe what each group has exposed by scrubbing the limestone, and then are guided to other areas on the lower fossil beds to examine three-dimensionally exposed fossils.
If time allows, the group is guided to the three collecting piles near the parking lot where they can find (and keep) Silurian and Devonian fossils or minerals.
Please note: This lab is only available when the lower fossil beds are exposed, and are subject to change without notice if the river rises and covers them. We have NO control over the river level!
Lab length: 35 or 45 minutes (dependent on size of group)
Maximum number per lab: 30 students
Maximum number per school: 90 – 30 minute lab, 60 – 45 minute lab
For a more rigorous educational opportunity for your class…
In development – Mapping the Devonian Sea Floor: Grades 4 and up
Brief Description:
Students are explore the world-renown fossil beds and are introduced to fossils, how to identify them and make a map to determine what fossils are preserved.
Objectives:
Students will understand…
1.) … that limestone forms in tropical, shallow seas.
2.) … that environments on a sea floor change over time and distance.
3.) … that it is possible to interpret an ancient ecosystem.
4.) … fossils may record evidence of storms like hurricanes.
5.) … some fossils record cyclical growth in their skeletal structure, like the rings of a tree.
6.) … it is possible to interpret the distribution of the organisms by mapping their positions.
7.) … dominant current flow can be plotted by the noting the alignment of elongated or tapered fossils.
8.) … paleontologists employ different tools and techniques to prepare fossil deposits in order to expose them for detailed study.
The lab begins with an overview of the history of the Falls of the Ohio from the deck. The group then moves down to the lower fossil beds (coral beds).
The focus of this outdoor lab is interpreting the origin of the fossil beds and mapping a small portion of the bed.
The primary activity breaks the group into teams of 4 – 6 students. Each group studies an area defined with a 3’ diameter hoop. The students receive a mapping board, sheets to identify the fossils and a water bottle to bring out the contrast to allow more fossils to be observed.
Working as a team, they plot and identify as many fossils as possible, especially those that show diversity within their study area. Each group tallies how many and the types of fossils they encountered.
The activity concludes by having each group show their map to the other groups and indicating the three most common types of fossils they mapped. The lab concludes with a discussion about the similarities and differences of a modern coral reef ecosystem.
Lab Length: 45 – 50 minutes
Maximum capacity per lab: 30 students
Maximum number per school: 90 students
If you wish to do this lab, please request ‘Mapping Fossil Beds” lab.
If you have a special request, please contact us.
Drop-in Visits to the Fossil Beds
If you want to bring your class to the fossil beds on your own are urged to call us (812-280-9970) to insure that you will not be there with another large group.
Please note: The fossil beds are only intermittently well-exposed in the spring due to seasonal river levels. The upper fossil beds may be exposed, but swift water hazards exist along the edge of the rocks. Close supervision of students is required.
Marine Fossils on a Hilltop
A Lab at Charlestown State Park
The same formation that has Devonian marine fossils at the Falls of the Ohio is found on the uplands at Charlestown State Park. Fossil preservation is much different (see photo below) with weathering from air and rain rather than river currents. The fossils are loose and can be picked up. (Collecting is not permitted.)
Brief Description:
Students are introduced to fossils and will exhibit Devonian fossil beds exposed in a limestone glade. Observations include the types of fossils found and how they differ as we move into older rock layers.
Objectives:
Students will understand…
1.) … that limestone forms in tropical, shallow seas.
2.) … that environments on a sea floor change over time.
3.) … that it is possible to interpret an ancient ecosystem.
4.) … fossils may record storms like hurricanes.
5.) … glades are unusual ecosystems with plants growing in very thin soil.
Working in groups of 4 to 6, students will be guided through a series of natural exposures that are rich in fossils.
Specimens will be placed in a box and examined by everyone in the group. Investigations will include the fossil types found, type of preservation, what that tells us about the ancient sea floor. Specimens are returned to the outcrops before we move to a new location.
Activity is repeated in a different setting.
Meet at the Cedar Grove Picnic Area.
Lab length: About 45 minutes
Maximum number per lab: 30 students
Cost is $4 per student.
Contact the Interpreter’s at the Falls of the Ohio to book your Charlestown lab.