In the Mind of a Stratigrapher
Exploring the Upper Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation, Montana

This page was written by Jen Aschoff as part of the DLESE Community Services Project: Integrating Research in Education.

Part 2: Generating and Testing Hypotheses

Hell Creek Formation, Eastern Montana.
Hell Creek Formation, Eastern Montana. Details

1. What is a hypothesis?

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2. List the data (i.e. observations you made) and possible interpretations.

  • Compile a short list of characteristics for each unique-looking layer of rock.
  • Write possible depositional environment interpretations for each unique-looking layer of rock, or lithofacies.

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3. Re-write this list of "possible depositional environments" as a list of hypotheses.

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4. How could you discern between possible depositional environments?

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5. Are there additional data (observations) that could have helped discern the depositional environments recorded by these strata? What are these data, and how could you acquire them?

6. List final depositional environment interpretations for each lithofacies. For units that require further inspection, generate some new hypotheses and methods for testing each hypothesis.


Finished with Part 2?
Proceed to Part 3: Making Connections