Dating using radioactive isotopes that decay over time is called ________ dating.
answer
isotopic
question
Which are principles of relative dating?
answer
Original horizontality
Cross-cutting relations
Superposition
question
Match each geologic era with its meaning in the fossil record.
answer
Cenozoic - Recent life.
Mesozoic - Middle life.
Paleozoic - Ancient life.
question
Match the resulting fossil with its method of preservation.
answer
Petrified wood - Organic matter replaced by silica or pyrite.
Insect in amber - Organic matter trapped in tree sap.
Dinosaur bones - Hard parts buried and preserved.
Fish with fins and scales - Impressions on a lake bed.
Fossil fern - Thin films of carbon on a rock surface.
question
Buried erosion surfaces that represent large intervals of time are called ____________.
answer
uncomformities
question
Indicate the typical sequence of formation for sedimentary rock landscapes, beginning with the first even at the top and the last event at the bottom.
answer
Deposition of sediments in layers (first)
Lithification into sedimentary rocks
Erosion of rocks into a landscape
question
Which statements are true regarding the geologic timescale.
answer
It was first created using relative dating and correlation.
It is based on data from fossils.
question
Preserved trackways and worm burrows in rock are examples of __________.
answer
trace fossils
question
Uniformitariansim can be stated as __________.
answer
"the present is the key to the past"
question
How did Earth's oxygen-rich atmosphere develop from a carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere?
answer
Through photosynthesis by cyanobacteria.
question
Both _________ dating and ______ dating can be used for correlation of the rock units shown in the diagram.
answer
relative
isotopic
question
Which are important about fossils in the rock record?
answer
They are evidence of ancient life.
They document evolution of life.
They can be used to date rocks.
question
Match the age-dating term on the left with its correct definition on the right.
answer
Relative dating
Uses geologic principles and common sense.
Isotopic dating
Uses analytical methods and assigns numbers.
question
The oldest rocks and minerals on Earth's surface have been found in Canada, Greenland, and Australia and are from the _________.
answer
Precambrian
question
Fossils of species that lived on Earth for a long time period are often found in _________,
whereas fossils of species that lived for a shorter time are often found _________.
answer
many rock layers
in a layer or two
question
A _________ fossil is a very short-lived, geographically widespread fossil species known to exist during a specific period of geologic time.
answer
index
question
Use the mnemonic to place in order some of the periods of the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic Eras.
When a geologist attempts to match up two different sections of rock according to time, he or she is __________ the rocks.
answer
correlating
question
Isotopic dating is accomplished by assigning ages in years to rocks using __________ dating methods.
answer
analytical
question
The principle of ______________ tells geologists that the oldest rock layer in the diagram is on the bottom; therefore, it was deposited first.
answer
superposition
question
Match the principle of relative dating with its definition.
answer
Superposition - The oldest rock is at the bottom.
Cross-cutting relations - The fault is younger than the rocks is cuts across.
Original horizontality - Sediments and volcanic units are usually deposited in flat-lying layers.
Inclusions - Rocks may incorporate older pieces of rock.
question
Place the events that formed the landscape shown in the correct sequence, from the first event at the top to the last event at the bottom.
answer
Sedimentary layers are deposited horizontally.
Sedimentary layers are lithified.
The river cuts through the rock layers.
The canyons widen and tributaries form.
question
Which principle can be used to determine the relative age of an igneous intrusion called a dike?
answer
Cross-cutting relations.
question
Which materials can be dated with carbon-14 technology at archeology sites?
answer
Charcoal
Bones
Wood
question
Place the isotopes in order, from the system best for dating the youngest materials on the top to the system best for dating oldest materials on the bottom.
answer
Carbon-14 (best for young materials)
K-Ar
Rb-Sr (best for old materials)
question
Match the description of a group of dinosaurs with the correct examples.
Diverse group of carnivores and herbivores with hip structures similar to lizards.
answer
Tyrannosaurus rex and Apatosaurus.
question
Match the description of a group of dinosaurs with the correct examples.
Had birdlike hip structures and were herbivores.
answer
Stegosaurus and Triceratops.
question
An isotope refers to any element that has the same number of protons but a different number of ________.
answer
neutrons
question
Trilobites first appeared on Earth during the _________.
answer
Cambrian Period
question
What geologic features could cut across sedimentary rocks and therefore than the rocks they cut across?
answer
Fractures
Dikes
Veins
question
Groundwater can be dated using _________.
answer
isotopes
question
Observed changes (evolution)
answer
Development of stronger front fins in Paleozoic fish occurred, as compared to fish fossils found in older rock layers.
question
Evolutionary theory
answer
Favorable genetic mutations occurring in a species are more successful in small, isolated populations than in large populations.
question
Determine the sequence of events that created the rocks shown by putting the following in order, with the oldest (and first) event on the bottom and the most recent event on the top.
answer
Deposition of tan fossil-bearing layer.
Land surface eroded, forming igneous pebbles.
Cross-cutting dike intruded.
Green shale and gray limestone deposited horizontally.
question
Archaeology uses this specific isotope to determine the age of bones, wood, and charcoal, preserved at a site.
answer
Carbon-14
question
Which of the following types of data could be used by geologists to estimate the age of past Earth events?
answer
Tree rings
Ice cores
Lake varves
question
You can use both superposition and contact effects to determine that the light-colored volcanic rock is younger than the underlying unit.
answer
True
question
Choose the rock types that might exist immediately below a nonconformity.
answer
Granite
Nonlayered metamorphic rocks
question
Which principle of relative can be used to determine when the minerals associated with the granite intrusion in the diagram formed?
answer
Cross-cutting relations
question
The periods of the geologic timescale are named after regions in Europe. For example ___________ is derived from Cambria, and ________ is derived from the Jura Mountains.
answer
Cambrian
Jurassic
question
Before radioactive decay occurs, there exist 200 parent atoms. After one half-life, there would be _____ parent atoms and _____ daughter atoms.
answer
100
100
question
Which of the following statements about James Hutton are correct?
answer
Argued that the time required for geologic processes was much greater than currently perceived.
Reasoned that ancient geologic features can be explained by present geologic processes.
Considered to be the father of geology.
Realized that the layers of sedimentary rock are products of sediment removal and deposition.
Worked in Scotland.
question
Match the isotopic system elements that could be used for dating with the correct geologic example.
answer
Carbon-14
Charcoal incorporated into recent sediment.
K-Ar
A volcanic eruption.
U-Pb
A solidification of a granite.
question
Geologic events occurred to trap oil and gas in an anticline.
answer
Layers of sedimentary rocks are deposited horizontally. (first event)
Rocks are folded into an anticline.
Oil and gas are trapped by the fold. (last event)
question
Geologists can tell that folded sedimentary rocks have been deformed by the principle of _________ _________.
answer
original horizontality
question
Evidence for the cause of the dinosaurs' extinction at the end of the Mesozoic era can be found at _______.
answer
Chicxulub crater, Mexico
Deccan Traps, India
question
Select the correct eras that are used in the geologic time scale from the choices below.
answer
Mesozoic
Paleozoic
question
Stratigraphy is the ___________.
answer
study of sequences of rocks, including the rock types, fossils, and inferred environments
question
When several species of fossils are found in adjacent layers, the time of formation of each rock layer can be assigned to a ____________ span of time.
answer
narrow
question
The age of Earth is estimated to be 4.55 billion years. This is determined by dating ________.
answer
meteorites
the Moon
question
The principle of faunal succession states that fossils change systematically up through a section of sedimentary rocks.
answer
True
question
Match the time period within the Paleozoic Era with examples of the forms of life that existed on Earth.
answer
Early Paleozoic
An explosion of life with hard parts occurred.
Middle Paleozoic
Fish became abundant and diverse in the ocean.
Late Paleozoic
Amphibians and reptiles evolved on land.
question
Order the events that form an angular conformity from the first event at the top to the last event at the bottom.
answer
Rocks are deposited horizontally.
Rocks are folded.
Uplift occurs, and folded rocks are eroded.
Horizontal rocks are deposited over eroded tilt beds.
question
In geology, determining time equivalency in rocks is called ________.
answer
correlation
question
Geologists match rock units using rock types, isotopic ages, and fossils. This type of geologic matching is know as ___________.
answer
correlation
question
The sedimentary rocks numbered 4 to 7 can be ordered using the principle of ___________.
answer
superposition
question
Early Earth would have been inhospitable to many life-forms today because the _____________.
answer
atmosphere lacked oxygen
question
Match the type of geologic hazard with the method that can be used to date when it last occurred.
answer
Volcanic eruptions
Using isotopic methods, such as Ar-Ar dating.
Earthquakes
Using cross-cutting relations to determine the age of the fault.
Flooding
Using the amount of soil development and carbon-14 dating on terraces.
question
Identify possible causes of the great dying, the great extinction at the end of the Paleozoic.
answer
Large meteorite impact
Outpouring of lava
Formation of the supercontinent Pangea
question
In a desert environment, desert _______ and desert __________ can be used to determine the relative age of the land surface because they become more developed with time.
answer
varnish
pavement
question
Because all the rock layers in the photograph are horizontal sedimentary rocks, this unconformity is called a _____________.
answer
disconformity
question
The instrument that is used to measure the ratios of parent to daughter products in a rock or mineral is called a _______.
answer
mass spectrometer
question
The principle of inclusion states that the clasts within a conglomerate are __________ than the conglomerate.
answer
older
question
When a geologist attempts to match up two different sections of rock according to time, he or she is __________ the rocks.
answer
correlating
question
An igneous dike will bake the surrounding rock, indicating that the dike is older than the surrounding rock.
answer
True
question
Match the geologic term related to lateral changes in rock type with its meaning in the list shown
answer
Facies change
Different sediments are desposited due to a change in the environment.
Erosion
Missing rocks are marked by an unconformity.
Restricted event
A deposit is of limited aerial extent.
Change in thickness
River deposits become thinner at the edge of a valley.
question
The Cenozoic Era is called the age of __________ because of their abundance and diversity during this time.
answer
mammals
question
Organisms with soft body parts only are rarely preserved as fossils; they may leave behind indirect evidence of their existence as _____ fossils.
answer
trace
question
_____ may form as erosion by a river further downcuts and widens a canyon, making a more intricate canyon formation.
answer
Tributaries
question
The geologic contact observed by James Hutton at Siccar Point is now called a(n) _____ by geologists because it represents an ancient erosion surface.
answer
unconformity
question
Place the isotopic systems in order, from the system best for dating the youngest materials on the top to the system best dating hte oldest materials on the bottom.
answer
1. Carbon-14 (best at dating youngest materials)
2. K-Ar
3. Rb-Sr (best at dating oldest materials)
question
The oldest known rock found on Earth is dated at _____ years old
answer
over 4 billion
question
The discovery of radioactivity in the early 1900s allowed geologists to determine the age of Earth to be approximately 4.6 _____ years.
answer
billion
question
Which events occurred at the beginning of the Cambrian Period, approximately 542 million years ago? (Select all that apply.)
answer
Rapid evolutionary change
Explosion in the amount of diversity of life
Evolution of more organisms with hard parts
question
Which unconformity is produced when an eroded surface of an igneous or metamorphic rock is buried by layers of sandstone and conglomerate?
answer
Nonconformity
question
If has hard parts and is rapidly buried after death it is more likely to become a _____
answer
fossil
question
Which of the principles of relative dating would be useful in determining the age of the orange granite?
answer
Contact effects
Cross-cutting relations
question
Where are the oldest rocks in the column of sedimentary rocks normally found?
answer
at the bottom
question
True/False: Cross-cutting relations can be used to determine that the Colorado River cut through the Grand Canyon after sedimentary rocks formed.
answer
true
question
Baking of rocks surrounding an igneous intrusion is called _____ effects.
answer
contact
question
River terraces are _____ than the age of the modern river channel.
answer
older
question
isotopes that decay slowly are used to date
answer
ancient rocks
question
Dinosaurs are the best-known creatures of the _____ Era.
answer
Mesozoic
question
True/False: A disconformity occurs above tilted rock layers.
answer
False; an angular unconformity occurs above tilted rock layers.
question
Isotopes are different forms of an element that have different _____ (check all that apply)
answer
Number of neutrons
Atomic Weights
question
isotopes can be used to date _____, which can be found in fractures in granite.
answer
water
question
The mineralized granite intrusion shown can be dated by its relative age using the principle of _____-_____ relations
answer
cross, cutting
question
The tree eras of the geologic timesale are divided into units called _____
answer
periods
question
Which principle of relative dating can be used at Siccar Point in Scotland to determine that the rocks below the unconformity were tilted to vertical before erosion occurred?
answer
Original horizontality
question
When an igneous dike cuts across sedimentary strata, the principle of cross-cutting relations can be used to determine the relative age. When an igneous dike cuts across sedimentary strata, the principle of __________ relations can be used to
determine the relative age.
answer
cross-cutting
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