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40 questions
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
Which layer is the oldest?
mudstone
siltstone
limestone
sandstone
conglomerate
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
Uses the decay of radioactive elements to find the exact age of a rock or fossil
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
Always
Sometimes
Never
•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
The earliest eon of the earth's history. Makes up 88% of Earth's geologic time.
Precambrian
Paleozoic
Mesozoic
Cenozoic
•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
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
•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
Which rock layer is the newest?
A
B
C
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
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
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
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
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
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
Mason and Clara are geologists who are digging for fossils. As they locate fossils, they map the location of them to help other geologists understand Earth’s history and how life on Earth has changed over time. Mason locates a gastropod and makes the claim, “ Gastropods are index fossils”. Clara disagrees with Mason.
Which of the following best supports Clara’s disagreement?
If a fossil is to be considered an index fossil, the organism must have lived only a short period of time. Since the Gastropod lived a long period of time it is not an index fossil.
To be an index fossil, the fossil of the organism must be found in many rock layers. Since the Gastropod is not found in every layer, it cannot be an index fossil.
An index fossil must be found over a wide area of the earth. Since the Gastropod is widely spread, it cannot be an index fossil.
To be classified an index fossil, the fossil must be unique. Since the Gastropod is not unique, it cannot be an index fossil.
If the same index fossils are found in different rock strata miles apart, what is probably true about the rock layers?
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