How do scientists learn about prehistoric times?

Scientists have a variety of ways of learning about prehistory. Here are a couple:

1. Fossils. The remains of animals, plants, and other organisms tell us about the kinds of creatures that lived in a specific time period. Also, they can shed light on what the climate and even geography was like. For example, a large variety of fossilized peat moss and water loving vegetation can suggest a swamp. If a particular area has a lot of fossils of leaves with serrated edges, the average temperature was colder than a place where most plants had even edges.

Fossils can also tell us about the geography of a prehistoric time. For example, if two fossils of the same species are found, one in Africa and one in South America, and that species would be unable to cross a deep ocean, than those two continents were most likely close together or connected at that time.

2. Geology. The types of rocks can show scientists things about the landscape, too. For example, an area with limestone indicates that there was a shallow sea. A place with sandstone may have been a sandy plain. And igneous rocks may indicate volcanic activity.