brenns10 wrote:Hey guys I'm a newbie at the Fossils realm. I took an invitational test and there were a few questions on major fossil fields (eg the Burgess Shale etc). Does anyone have a list of some important ones to study and know for the tests?
And while I'm at it, what is the most important thing to know beyond fossil identification?
Sorry if my questions seem a little stupid...
I am more comfortable with things like Astronomy and Rocks and Minerals.
The Burgess Shale was really important because it had a lot of soft bodied organisms, preserved in what's called a laderstatten (I think, not sure of the name). That means that it was an area of very low oxygen that the dead organisms somehow ended up in, so they didnt decompose and they preserved very well. It is one of the most complete fossil records for the Cambrian Explosion, showing us dozens of new genuses (geni, whatever) that we would have never seen because of their soft bodies.
Other areas to know include the Green River formation (in Wyoming, very well preserved bony fish), that place in China with the feathered dinosaurs, the Edicarian fauna....that's all I know off the top of my head. I'm sure you'll find more if you search.
And besides ID, you're gonna need to be able to answer questions about an organism's diet, mode of life (was it stationary, did it swim, did it drift, etc), what time range was it found in, where was it found geographically, and some miscellaneous stuff, like the origin of its name, or an interesting feature. Basically put down any information you can, while keeping it all organized and succinct enough so you can understand it when you read it.
I hope that helped.
But to answer your question, yes, I have seen that. For organization, I have large headings, try to go in order of the rules (like have fossil conditions first, because it's the first topic on the rule page), and spend a lot of time with my binder. I treat it like my best friend: know it inside and out.
