From May through mid-November (with typical weather and river levels), your group can experience an outdoor fossil lab or hike on the wondrous fossil beds. Programs run about 50 minutes and labs are included in student admission to the Interpretive Center. For more information on these labs please contact Alan Goldstein, Interpretive Naturalist at the Falls of the Ohio State Park, agoldstein@dnr.in.gov or via telephone at 812-280-9970 Ext. 0.
Investigating the Devonian Coral Sea Floor
Ages: Grades 3 and Up
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
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…
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!
Mapping the Devonian Sea Floor
Ages: Grades 4 and Up
Lab Length: 45 – 50 minutes
Maximum capacity per lab: 30 students
Maximum number per school: 90 students
Brief Description:
Students 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…
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.
Drop-in Visits to the Fossil Beds
If you want to bring your class to the fossil beds on your own, you are urged to call us (812-280-9970) to ensure 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. You can also view our webcam to get real-time views of the fossil beds 24/7.
Marine Fossils on a Hilltop
A Lab at Charlestown State Park
Lab length: About 45 minutes
Maximum number per lab: 30 students
Cost: $ 4 per student
Brief Description:
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 with weathering from air and rain rather than river currents. The fossils are loose and can be picked up, however, collecting is not permitted. 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…
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 where the activity is repeated in a different setting.
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