OLogy: Buried Bones
Bury chicken bones in plaster of Paris to see the challenges paleontologists face when excavating fossils.
Fossilized bones are usually very delicate and deeply buried in rocks. Removing them in a lab takes skill, patience, and the right tools.
In this activity, you and a friend will create two make-believe dig sites by burying chicken bones in plaster of Paris – a powder that hardens when wet. Then you’ll try to excavate (dig out) the “fossils.”
What are you looking for?
Organization
Website URL
Type of Resource
Assigned Categories
Resource k12
Bury chicken bones in plaster of Paris to see the challenges paleontologists face when excavating fossils.
Fossilized bones are usually very delicate and deeply buried in rocks. Removing them in a lab takes skill, patience, and the right tools.
In this activity, you and a friend will create two make-believe dig sites by burying chicken bones in plaster of Paris – a powder that hardens when wet. Then you’ll try to excavate (dig out) the “fossils.”