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A scientist who studies the Earth’s crust as well as the processes and history that shaped it
Chemist
Geologist
Paleontologist
Biologist
A scientist that studies fossil remains found on the Earth’s surface in order to study primitive life forms such as: plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria
Chemist
Geologist
Paleontologist
Biologist
A branch of geology dealing with the arrangement of sedimentary rock layers or strata
Law of Superpositoin
Strata
Chronology
Stratigraphy
What are strata?
sedimentary rock layers
metamorphic rock layers
igneous rock layers
a special kind of fossil
Geologists assume the newest rock layers are on top of the older ones, unless some type of disturbance occurs.
Law of Relativity
Law of Superposition
Law of Stratigraphy
Law of Rock
Which layer is the oldest?
mudstone
siltstone
limestone
sandstone
conglomerate
Which layer is the youngest?
mudstone
siltstone
limestone
sandstone
conglomerate
Relative age determines exactly how old a rock layer is.
True
False
Preserved remains or traces of animals, plants, and other organisms from the distant past
Fossils
Skeletons
Extinct Organisms
This is not posible
History of life as documented by all fossils, preserved in sedimentary rock strata
Eon
Epoch
Era
Fossil Record
Indicate to geologists the boundaries in geological time
Index Fossils
Fossils
Rock strata
Law of Superposition
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of index fossils?
Easily recognizable
Abundant
Lived a long time
Wide geographic distribution
Lived a short time
_________________ is/are used to determine the age of the rock strata.
Index Fossils
Fossils
Rock strata
Law of Superposition
If two different rock strata in different areas on Earth contain the same index fossils, then the strata are probably the same age.
True
False
Most accurate form of dating rocks and fossils
Radiometric Dating
Relative Dating
Absolute Dating
Sedimentary Dating
Uses the decay of radioactive elements to find the exact age of a rock or fossil
Radiometric Dating
Relative Dating
Absolute Dating
Sedimentary Dating
Relies on the property of half life
Radiometric Dating
Relative Dating
Absolute Dating
Sedimentary Dating
The predictable time an element takes to decay
Radiometric Dating
Relative Dating
Absolute Dating
Half Life
Geologists tend to mix and match relative age and absolute age dates to piece together a geologic history
True
False
•All of Earth’s geological history represented on a chronological time chart
•Based on rock strata and the fossil record
Eon
Era
Period
Epoch
Geologic Time Scale
Which choice lists the geologic time chunks in order from largest to smallest?
Eon, Era, Period, Epoch
Epoch, Period, Era, Eon
Period, Eon, Era, Epoch
Eon, Epoch, Era, Period
The earliest eon of the earth's history. Makes up 88% of Earth's geologic time.
Precambrian
Paleozoic
Mesozoic
Cenozoic
•Broken into 3 parts Hadean, Archean, and Proterozoic
•Marks the beginning of Earth approximately 4.6 b.y.
•Oldest rock fragment on Earth contains a mineral, zircon, that is 4.4 m.y.(found in Australia)
Precambrian Eon
Paleozoic Era
Mesozoic Era
Cenozoic Era
•Marks the formation of the super continent, Pangaea
•Life developed rapidly
•Marine plants and invertebrates
•Fish and ferns
•Amphibians
•Mass extinction at the end
Precambrian Eon
Paleozoic Era
Mesozoic Era
Cenozoic Era
•Increased complex life forms including:
•Dinosaurs
•Small mammals
•Birds
•Conifers and flowering plants
•Rocks in the Petrified Forest in AZ were deposited during this time.
∙mass extinction at the end
Precambrian Eon
Paleozoic Era
Mesozoic Era
Cenozoic Era
•Currently in this Era
•Development of:
•Large mammals
•Human beings
•Periods of ice ages played a role in the formation of the geological features visible on Earth today.
Precambrian Eon
Paleozoic Era
Mesozoic Era
Cenozoic Era
Which Epoch do we live in?
Pliocene
Cretaceous
Holocene
Permian
During the Earth’s 4.6 billion years, it has suffered ___ major mass extinctions
3
4
5
6
A(n) ____________________ is the end of a group of organisms, usually a species
Eon
Era
Extinction
Epoch
Period
•Most recent extinction is called the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event.
•Happened 65.5 m.y. ago
•Climate and geologic changes are thought to have weakened the organisms.
•A meteor strike was probably the final blow.
Invertebrate Extinction
Vertebrate Extinction
Protozoa Extinction
Dinosaur Extinction
•Found in sedimentary rock layers
•Can be as small as bacteria or as giant as a dinosaur
Fossils
Skeletons
Extinct Organisms
Fossil Record
The study of fossils:
Chemistry
Geology
Paleontology
Biology
Which of the following are conditions needed for fossil formation?
Quick burial of organism
Layers of sediments build up over the organism
Slow burial of organism
Exposed to the elements (water, wind, ice, sun)
Left for a long period of time
Most fossilized structures are ______________________________.
Hard structures, such as bones and teeth.
Soft structures, such as skin and muscle.
Either hard or soft structures.
Able to be eaten by scavengers.
Fossils are found in _______________________ rock.
igenous
sedimentary
metamorphic
all kinds of
Fossils and the rock layer in which they are found are __________________________.
different ages
approximately the same age
This picture shows the _____________________________________.
Law of Relativity
Law of Superposition
Law of Stratigraphy
Law of Rock
•Tells us when organisms lived and how they changed over millions of years (evolved)
•Can also give us a clue as to the environment at that time
•Recorded on the Geologic Time Scale
Eon
Epoch
Era
Fossil Record
•Two types – Replacement and Permineralization
•Both result in organic material converting into stone or a similar substance
Petrification
Molds
Casts
Carbonization
•Happens when water dissolves the original solid material and replaces them with mineral matter such as calcite, silica, pyrite and hematite
•Happens slowly
•Bones, shells, and wood are often fossilized in this manner.
Permineralization
Replacement
Fossil Resin
Cast
Mold
This type of fossil forms when:
•Groundwater carries dissolved minerals into the pores and cavities of bone, wood, or shells.
•The original material is preserved rather than replaced.
⋅Bones, teeth, and shells can be preserved this way
Permineraliztion
Replacement
Fossil Resin
Cast
Mold
This type of fossil forms when an organism dies and there is no filling of the cavity with minerals.
Perimeineralization
Replacement
Fossil Resin
Cast
Mold
This type of fossil forms when an organism dies and the cavity fills with minerals, maybe sand or clay.
Perimeineralization
Replacement
Fossil Resin
Cast
Mold
•The process by which all substances of plants and animals decay, except carbon.
•This leaves a carbon film on the sedimentary rock.
•This process particularly occurs in plants and fish.
Carbonization
Replacement
Fossil Resin
Cast
Mold
The amber seen here is a type of fossil called ________________________.
Carbonization
Replacement
Fossil Resin
Cast
Mold
Whole body preservation can happen by which kind of fossil(s)?
Ice
Replacement
Tar
Cast
Mold
This type of fossil:
•Provides indirect evidence of life in the past rather than the body of the animal itself.
•Examples:
•Footprints
•Tracks
•Burrows
•Feces
•Borings
Carbonization
Replacement
Trace Fossils
Cast
Mold
•Rock like structures built by blue-green algae.
•First forms of life on Earth - oldest known fossils (3.5 b.y.)
•Still found in some remote areas of the world today
Amoebas
Stromatolites
Glossopteris
Stalagmites
By studying fossils, scientists theorize that changes in organisms happened over time.
True
False
Jesus loves you and made you fearfully and wonderfully.
True
False
In which time period are we currently living?
Precambrian Time
Paleozoic Era
Mesozoic Era
Cenozoic Era
Name the 4 characteristics of index fossils.
Which rock layer is the newest?
A
B
C
D
Which fossil is older than the fish fossil?
Fossil A
Fossil B
Fossil C
Fossil D
Approximately how old is the Earth?
7 Trillion Years Old
4.5 Million Years Old
18 Billion Years Old
4.6 Billion Years Old
Saying you are older than your sister is an example of:
Absolute Age
Relative Age
If the same index fossils are found in different rock strata miles apart, what is probably true about the rock layers?
What are the 4 requirements for a fossil to be an index fossil?
In the rock drawing shown, what is the order of rock layers from oldest to youngest?
E, C, B, A, D
D, A, B, C, E
D, E, C, B, A
A, B, C, E, D
What do geologists look for in order to correlate rocks in different locations?
different rock types and similar fossils
many rock types and many fossils
similar rock types and lack of fossils
similar rock types and similar fossils
Paleontologists have discovered a shark tooth that is 1.2 million years old. Which method of dating did they use?
relative-age dating
absolute age dating
In order for scientists to use absolute age dating, __________________________ must be present in the rock or fossil.
hydrogen
a radioactive isotope
minerals
Which increases the likelihood that a dead organism will be fossilized?
fast decay of bones
presence of few hard body parts
quick burial after death
vast amounts of skin
Which fossil type helps geologists infer that rock layers in different geographic locations are similar in age?
carbon film
index fossil
preserved remains
trace fossil
The units of the geologic time scale from longest to shortest are _______________________.
Eras, periods, epochs, eons
Eons, eras, periods, epochs
Epochs, periods, eras, eons
Periods, eras, eons, epochs
What are the many division in the geologic time scale based on?
gradual changes in the fossil record
sudden changes in the fossil record
changes in the fossil record every million years
Fossil of ferns and other tropical plants reveal that Earth was very __________ 100 million years ago.
cold
warm
dry
Fossils of organism like __________________ reveal that Earth was ______________ at during a certain time on the geologic time scale.
Trilobites; cold
Petrified wood; humid
Woolly mammoths; cold
The law of inclusion helps geologists understand that Rock B is ___________ than the sediment that it contains.
younger
older
the same age as
A
B
C
D
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