Fossil Trail, Fossil Sorting and Dig Pits
Your students travel back through time as our guide slowly reveals how these karst limestone caves were formed, beginning with the coral reef deposits in ancient shallow seas, to tectonic upheaval, and ending with continual weathering which continues to shape the caverns today. At the Queensland Museum palaeontological dig site inside the spectacular Colosseum Cave, your students will learn how modern scientific research is unearthing evidence of past climate changes, and link this knowledge with current environmental predicaments. This tour is often paired with Fossil Sorting for a more comprehensive activity.
At the Visitor’s Centre Discovery Room, your students will enjoy a hands-on experience with real fossils, discovering how living organisms have adapted and evolved due to changing environmental conditions. They will put their observation skills to the test with a fossil-sorting activity. All students will then have an opportunity to dig for real fossils in the outdoor ‘Dig Pits’. Fossils are then collected and sent to the Queensland Museum for further research. Your students might even discover a new extinct species! A true citizen science experience.
About the Program
Your students travel back through time as our guide slowly reveals how these karst limestone caves were formed, beginning with the coral reef deposits in ancient shallow seas, to tectonic upheaval, and ending with continual weathering which continues to shape the caverns today. At the Queensland Museum palaeontological dig site inside the spectacular Colosseum Cave, your students will learn how modern scientific research is unearthing evidence of past climate changes, and link this knowledge with current environmental predicaments. This tour is often paired with Fossil Sorting for a more comprehensive activity.
At the Visitor’s Centre Discovery Room, your students will enjoy a hands-on experience with real fossils, discovering how living organisms have adapted and evolved due to changing environmental conditions. They will put their observation skills to the test with a fossil-sorting activity. All students will then have an opportunity to dig for real fossils in the outdoor ‘Dig Pits’. Fossils are then collected and sent to the Queensland Museum for further research. Your students might even discover a new extinct species! A true citizen science experience.