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Believe it or not, sedimentary rocks can tell tales. Really, they can.
Ripples in sandstone show which way the wind was blowing
or water was flowing when the sediments were deposited. The
colorful walls of the Grand Canyon hold clues about how the
temperature and climate of the area have changed over time.
And that’s only the beginning. Many sedimentary rocks
contain fossils—evidence of past life. Dinosaur bones, shark
teeth, and leaf imprints are
body fossils
. They show us what life
was like millions of years ago.
Ancient
footprints,
coprolites
(fossilized animal dung? ew! gross!),
and unhatched eggs are
trace fossils
.
They tells us how ancient creatures
lived. Studying body fossils and trace
fossils together gives scientists the
clearest view of the ancient world.
Grand Canyon
Sedimentary
Stories
