Taphonomy: Dead or Fossilized

Through competitive play, game players learn about taphonomy (i.e., processes that affect an organism as it fossilizes). They explore how the organism’s biology, the environment it was deposited in, the physical and chemical changes during burial and decomposition, as well as discovery biases, can influence whether or not an organism is collected. Players attempt to preserve the best fossil collection by “time traveling” to the Jurassic; there they protect their specimens from taphonomic factors (either from random environmental events or other players) and learn what processes enhance or diminish preservation. Players then return to the present to recover their specimens and learn that collection issues can also bias sample recovery.

Developed by former Ph.D. student, Anna Weiss, and Dr. Rowan Martindale at The Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin, play this educational board game at your favorite game night or as an educational tool in your classroom! The game can be played with 2-4 people (or more if you playing teams) and is fun for ages 12+!

Want to use this game in your high school or college classroom? Check out the Activity Description on the SERC "Teach The Earth" webpage; the board game is part of their "Exemplary Activities Collection".