Kiln Trail Fossils

This video shows the Kiln Trail in Floyd County, Iowa, including the fossils that can be found there. This is one of the most abundant places in Iowa to find and collect fossils. The features of the fossils tell us about the ocean environment in which they lived.

Video

Rockford

Iowa Core Standard

3-LS4-1

Analyze and interpret data from fossils to provide evidence of the organisms and the environments in which they lived long ago

Driving Question

Why are there so many fossils in one place?

Probing Questions

Why aren't there fossils in all layers of rock in Iowa?
What kind of environment could the fossils have lived in?

Classroom Suggestions

Students could:

Move through stations with different fossil types comparing and recording their observations.
Discuss the features of the fossils found and hypothesize what type of environment they lived in.
Match up a fossil with a photo of its modern counterpart.
Identify the nearest location from their home to collect fossils.

Resources

Floyd County Conservation | Fossil and Prairie Center: Describes the fossils that can be found off of Kiln Trail.
Iowa Geological Survey | Paleontology: Provides a background on fossils specifically found in Iowa.
Britannica Kids: Fossils: Kid-friendly resource for fossil formation information.

Contributors

Media produced for Iowa Outdoors by Iowa PBS.
Submitted by Dan Voss and Madison Beeler as part of their Iowa STEM Teacher Externship experience at Iowa PBS.