Brainspace – July 2019

brainspace SUMMER 2019 17

You will need: Tupperware Modelling clay Plaster of Paris Water Small plastic toys

Cover the bottom of the Tupperware with the modelling clay. Make sure the layer of clay is smooth,

and about 2 cm thick. This is like the soft sea floor on which the Ediacarans lived.

Press the plastic toys into the clay, then take them out. Try to get deep imprints with clean edges. There

were lots of different kinds of Ediacarans, so create many different shapes with other small toys or small

objects. You could try using a plastic plant for Fractofusus, or a coin to look like Aspidella.

Mix ¼ cup of plaster of Paris with a few teaspoons of water, until it has the consistency of pancake batter.

Pour the plaster over the imprints in the clay, then let it dry for 24 hours.

Remove the plaster from the Tupperware, and remove the clay from

the plaster. You now have your very own bed of Ediacaran fossils!

Make your

own fossils

If you want a better idea of
what the Ediacaran fossils in
Newfoundland look like, you
can try making your own bed
of fossils. Here’s how:

1 2 3 4 5 6

Use Zappar. Scan the fossil image for a video on how to make your own!