This upcoming week, North Daviess 7th graders will begin working on analyzing sediments excavated from a paleontological dig in Hyde Park, New York.
The Mastodon Matrix project is organized by Dr. Carlyn Buckler of the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI), and is an amazing opportunity for students to participate in a real-life science project. We have received 8 bags of matrix (the rocks, dirt, clay, and plant/animal remains) excavated from the
Hyde Park Mastodon dig. In the coming weeks, we will be combing through the materials in search of fossils, interesting rocks, and other interesting materials. Students will utilize the skills they have been learning all year to create a catalog of the plants and animals that lived during the Pleistocene Epoch. The results will be sent back to PRI and become part of a large-scale project trying to reconstruct what Earth looked like 12,000 years ago when the mastodons roamed the Earth. We are very excited to start examining the matrix and making our own discoveries.
