The Kirkdale Cave

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The Kirkdale Cave

• Ideas and Evidence

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What is a theory.

• and why do people believe some theories more
  than others?

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We are learning to.

• Use evidence to help the Yorkshire Museum with a
  problem.
• Use evidence to prove or disprove a theory
• Answer the questions Have we got enough evidence
  to make a decision? and What further evidence
  could we look for?

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What Im looking for.

• You have used the evidence to decide how good
  your theory is.
• You have explained how the evidence supports or
  goes against your theory.
• You have decided if the evidence presented to you
  is good enough to make a decision about your
  theory and have made a list of further evidence
  needed if it isnt.

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The problem.

• In 1821 quarrymen in Kirby Moorside, North
  Yorkshire, uncovered a cave called the Kirkdale
  Cave. This cave contained a number of bones,
  some of which were fossilised.
• The Yorkshire Museum is due to put these bones
  on show to visitors. The museum is currently
  researching the Kirkdale Cave, and needs to know
  how the bones got into the cave.

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• You can help the museum decide how the bones got
  into the cave.
• Five theories have been suggested.you will use
  key pieces of evidence provided by the museum
  will they be enough to help you decide if your
  theory is correct?

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THEORY 1 Caveman Theory

• A group of cavemen lived in the cave around
  100,000 years ago.
• They hunted animals to feed on and regularly
  brought their kill back to the cave to feast on.
• When they had finished eating they threw the
  bones that were left to the cave floor.
• As time passed, the bones became buried in cave
  earth.

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THEORY 2 Hyenas Den Theory

• The cave was once home to a pack of hyena, who
  hunted a variety of animals and dragged their
  kill back to the cave.
• Once in the cave, the hyenas would devour their
  kill, leaving the remaining bones to be covered
  in cave earth.

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THEORY 3 Elephants Graveyard Theory

• Elderly elephants are known to find a special
  place to go and die.
• It is thought that elephants used Kirkdale Cave
  as a graveyard.
• They would go there to die, leaving their bodies
  to be buried in cave earth.

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THEORY 4 The Great Flood Theory

• The bible says that when terrible floods came,
  Noah collected up a pair of each type of animal.
• He put the pairs of animals on his Ark.
• The animals that werent saved were washed away
  by the flood waters.
• Some of their bodies were deposited in Kirkdale
  Cave.

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THEORY 5 Mini-earthquake Theory

• Around 100,000 years ago Britains landscape and
  climate was similar to that of the African
  Savannah.
• A variety of animals roamed the plains.
• One day a mini earthquake affected the area
  surrounding the cave, causing the land above the
  cave to collapse taking any animals that were
  on the land with it!
• The animals were buried.
• Thousands of years later sediments from river
  water helped the cave to reform.