Observations:

1. Cut the straws so the straw is inch higher than the cake
2. Each students needs a straw, a bamboo skewer and a napkin
3. Insert an open end of the ticker straw into a part of the cake
4. Pull the straw out of the cake
5. Place the straws over a paper plate or napkin and push the flat end of the skewer down to extract your cake core sample onto the plate
6. Draw and describe the cake layers - series of stripes of different colored cake
7. using your straw set up, extract at least three samples from different parts of the cake
8. Draw and describe each core sample label where each was found on the cake- tilted layers and one with sprinkles or poppy seeds

Analysis:

1. Using the Law of Superposition label the layers in the core samples form youngest to oldest. Youngest layer at the top and the oldest at the bottom
2. Which layers contained fossils? The rainbow sprinkles( or poppy seeds) are Trilobite fossils and the chocolate sprinkles (or sesame seeds) are shell fossils.

(These 85 million year old shells remain in almost their original condition)

3. Using the Law of Fossil succession, which fossil layer is older? Fossils are “the remains or traces of prehistoric life.” Shells can be preserved without being petrified for millions of years. The fossils found in the lowest level would be older and precede fossils of species in higher levels. The Law of Fossils succession states “fossil organisms succeed one another in a definite and determinable order and therefore, any time period can be recognized by its fossil content.” For example the Trilobite is an index fossil of the Paleozoic Era. They are found in rocks from dating from 490 million years ago to 248 million years ago. Knowing the species of trilobites would help a paleontologist determine in what geologic period the rocks with the rainbow sprinkles were formed. Explain why. Paleontologists have collected fossils from layers of rock around the world to establish the geologic time scale.
4. What do the Trilobite fossils found on the island tell you about the geologic past history of this island? Since trilobites were ocean creatures that burrowed in the mud this island was probably under the sea in the Paleozoic Era. The Cambrian period is called the “golden age of the trilobite since over 600 different types are found in rocks of this time. Perhaps the rocks that form this island are 500 million years old.
5. Compare your samples do any of them show unconformities? Unconformities are deformations in the layers of rocks deposited on earth. There are angular unconformities where layers have been titled, folded or even overturned. The rocks do not exhibit the Law of Succession in that older rocks have been moved above younger ones. Disconformities are an unconformity where a missing layer in the rock strata. The layer may be missing due to erosion or perhaps the lack of deposition of sediments at that time. Disconformities are often only identified when the missing layers are observed in another location. Explain why? Student's results may vary but they should be able to identify tilted layers and missing layers if they compare samples from different parts of the cake.

Cut open the cake and look at the layers. Describe what might have been happening during the geologic past in your piece of cake. Note any intrusions, missing layers and tilting.
Enjoy eating your cake.