Name______________________________ Period _________ Date____________

Law of Superposition

Directions: Cut and glue the organisms in the proper sedimentary layer. Label
each layer according to period (use the geological time scale diagram for
assistance)

Dinosaur

Echinoderm

Tiranasaurou
s

Star Fish

Trilobite

Flowerin
g plant

Large
Running
Mammal
Horse

Coal
forming
forests

Early
Amphibian
Frog

Hum

Name:____________________________Period:________ Date:______________

Petrified Wood and Superposition

Part 1:
An underground Fossil Forest Offers Clues on Climate Change, New York Times

Instructions: Read the article and answer the following questions.

1. How old is the ecosystem being mapped out? __________________________________
2. What geologic period would the ecosystem be based on #1? (Hint: use geologic time scale
attached)? __________________________________________________________________
3. How long and wide is the fossilized forest?
4. Why is this fossilized forest so important to Illinois? Hint: What important resource does it
supply?
5. Describe the environment that used to exist (include climate and organisms). Provide a
minimum of three things.

6. Do we still have the same kinds of plants now that existed 300 million years ago? Why or
why not?

Part 2:
Use the Superposition activity/diagram and Geologic Time Scale to answer the following questions.
1. According to the diagram, all of geologic time is divided into four large units called eras.
List the four eras in order from most recent to the one that occurred farthest back in time.
_______________________________________________________ (most recent)
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________ (Farthest back in time)
2. Which of the eras lasted for the longest period of time?______________________________
How long did it last? _________________________________________________________
3. Which era covers the shortest length of geological time? ____________________________
4. What time era do we live in? __________________ When did it start? __________________
5. What era would the fossilized forest in Springfield IL be in? ___________________________
How long between the fossilized forest existed and humans? __________________________
6. Complete the following chart by identifying the era and the period when the life forms first
appeared.
Life Forms
Earliest Fishes
Earliest mammals
Earliest reptiles
Earliest flowering plants
Earliest humans
Earliest dinosaurs
Earliest Coal forming forest

Era

Period