Evolution

Using Tennessee Fossils to Teach Evolution

Paleontologists believe that sedimentary rocks have been deposited over billions of years during repeated periods, whien what is now dry land was under water. the strata that ey fhey form record the history of life on earty. Over this long period, the forms of life on earth have changed, leaving a unique collection of fossils in different strata. By studying these strata we can reconstruct this history.

Critics of this use of the fossil record argue that scientists are misinterpreting the data.

Traditional Geology	Creationist Geology
Sedimentary rock was formed over billions of years during periods in which what is now on land was under water.	The earth is young, approximately 10,000 years old. All sedimentary rock was deposited during Noah's flood.
Organisms have changed over time, and as they died, they left remains as fossils in the sediment that was being deposited at the time of their deaths.	Organisms have not changed significantly over time. Fossils found in sedimentary rock are the remains of organisms which died during the flood
Fossils deposited at a single time are similar to each other and different from fossils of other periods. The process of identifying contemporary strata is called correlation.	Studies that claim that contemporary strata have similar fossils are the result of circular reasoning. Scientists are using the fossils to define the strata as contemporary, so it's not surprising that they find that contemporary strata have similar fossils
Except where they are overturned by tectonic forces, lower strata are older than higher ones, and the history of life on earth can be read from the bottom to the top.	Any differences in the fossils found in different strata are caused by the effects of currents, differential settling or the attempts of animals to flee to high ground to escape the flood. The fossil record is fundamentally random and of little use in understanding the history of life on earth.

The three exercises which follow allow you to look at the evidence and make up your own mind.

Exercise One: introduces the students to fossils found in three counties of middle or west Tennessee. Students compare and contrast the fossils, and try to develop explanations for their similarities and differences.
Exercise Two: Using volcanic ash from a series of huge volcanic eruptions, it is possible to identify locations and strata which were deposited at the same time as the fossils in Davidson County. Students will compare and contrast fossils from our three sites with fossils from these locations. How do these comparisons impact our explanations?
Exercise Three: Using the Smithsonian Institution's Brachiopod Database it is possible to compile genus histories of the brachiopods which we find in Tennessee. How do these histories impact our explanations?