Chapter 1
The architecture of deep time
Chapter 2
Surviving the great dyings
Chapter 3
Ancient climates and changing worlds
Chapter 4
The library of 148 million secrets
YOUR GOAL
Master of Earth before us in the Smithsonian deep time vaults
Ch 3 · Ancient climates and changing worlds
streetspirit Towering fan palms and early crocodilians frame a calm Arctic freshwater lake.
streetspirit Ancient Climates and Changing Worlds
In the cold of Alaska, they found a fossil palm / Long before we were here, the frozen north was warm
streetspirit Fossilized leaves reveal historic carbon dioxide levels through their microscopic pores.
streetspirit Foraminifera fossils reveal millions of years of ocean temperature shifts.
BETA
streetspirit Sort fossil clues to discover how Earth survived extreme climate shifts before humans existed.
Fun Fact
Giant penguins: Fossil records at the Smithsonian show that 37 million years ago, giant penguins grew up to six feet tall.
Glossary
paleoclimatology (noun)
The scientific study of the climates of past geological periods. Smithsonian curator Scott Wing studied fossilized leaves in Wyoming to reconstruct global warming fifty-six million years ago.
The scientific study of the climates of past geological periods. Smithsonian curator Scott Wing studied fossilized leaves in Wyoming to reconstruct global warming fifty-six million years ago.
Quiz
What physical adaptation helped woolly mammoths survive the extreme cold of the Pleistocene ice ages?
Quiz
During which epoch, starting 56 million years ago, did the Arctic experience a warm, ice-free climate?
Quiz
What microscopic, single-celled organisms with shells are used by scientists to measure ancient ocean temperatures?
streetspirit Paleobotanists reconstruct Earth's ancient atmosphere using fossilized leaves.
Quiz
In what substance are the shells of foraminifera made, which preserves ancient chemical clues?
Quiz
How do plants respond to higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere over generations?
Quiz
From which regions does the Smithsonian's woolly mammoth collection primarily originate?
Quiz
Fossils of which plants found on Ellesmere Island prove the Arctic was once subtropical?
Quiz
What microscopic leaf structures do paleobotanists count to estimate ancient atmospheric carbon dioxide levels?