Which represents the correct sequence from oldest to most recent or current eras on the Geologic Time Scale?
answer
Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic
question
Which eon translates to "visible life" from the Greek?
answer
Phanerozoic
question
Which is the shortest interval of geologic time?
answer
epoch
question
The subdivisions of the Geologic Time Scale were based on which criteria or characteristics?
answer
types of fossils within the units
question
Which principle or law of geology states that in a sequence of undeformed sedimentary rocks, each bed is older than the one above?
answer
superposition
question
What term describes an erosional surface bounded above by flat-lying sedimentary rocks and below by igneous or metamorphic rocks?
answer
nonconformity
question
The fact that sedimentary rocks are almost always deposited in a horizontal position reflects which law or principle of geology?
answer
original horizontality
question
While working in the field, you encounter an outcrop in which sandstone, shale, and limestone have been intruded by a basaltic dike. You know that the basaltic dike is younger than the sedimentary rock by applying which law or principle?
answer
the principle of cross-cutting relationships
question
What "law" of relative dating did you apply to determine the relative ages of the rocks here?
answer
law of superposition: in most sedimentary sequences, the oldest rocks will be on the bottom
question
What is the best definition of fossil range?
answer
The period of time when an organism first and last appears in the sedimentary record.
question
Which of the following characteristics is the most desirable for constraining the relative age of rocks?
answer
organisms with overlapping ranges and geologically short lifespans
question
If a rock contains ten different kinds of fossils, which of the following must be true?
answer
All of the organisms had to be alive when the rock was deposited.
question
How is the geologic time scale related to the fossil record?
answer
The periods of the time scale were constructed based on ranges of fossil organisms.
question
What happens during radioactive decay?
answer
Parent isotopes turn into daughter isotopes.
question
What is the scientific definition of half-life?
answer
the amount of time over which the number of parent isotopes decreases by half
question
Two containers hold the same radioactive isotope. Container A contains 1000 atoms, and container B contains 500 atoms. Which of the following statements about containers A and B is true?
answer
The rate of decay of atoms in container A is greater than the rate of decay of atoms in container B.
question
A container holds 100 atoms of an isotope. This isotope has a half-life of 1.5 months. How many total atoms will be in the container after 3 months?
answer
atoms
question
Which of the following statements about relative and absolute age dating is correct?
answer
Relative age dating places rocks and events in chronological order, but does not provide information about absolute age.
question
What is the Principle of Original Horizontality?
answer
Sedimentary rocks are close to horizontal when deposited.
question
What is the Principle of Superposition?
answer
Within a sequence of rock layers formed at Earth's surface, rock layers lower in the sequence are older.
question
What is the Principle of Cross-Cutting Relationships?
answer
Geologic features that cut through rocks must form after the rocks that they cut through.
question
Which principle of relative age dating is important for determining the relative age of igneous rock that has intruded into overlying rock?
answer
the Principle of Cross-Cutting Relationships
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