The preserved remains or evidence of ancient living things.
100
List three types of preservation.
Answers may vary, but should include two of the following: "Preserved Remains," "Carbon Films," "Mineral Replacement," "Molds," "Casts," and "Trace Fossils."
100
What are the three parts of an atom?
The three parts of an atom are: Protons, Neutrons, and Electrons.
100
What is radioactive decay?
Radioactive decay is the break down of one atom into another atom.
100
What is "Relative Dating?"
"Relative Dating" is the process of comparing one item to another to find out its age (older,younger, etc...).
200
What is "Correlation?"
Correlation is the matching of rocks and fossils from seperate locations.
200
Give an example of a Trace Fossil.
Trace fossils include footprints, tracks, nests, etc...
200
What is the charge of each part of the atom? (tell me the part of the atom and the electrical charge)
The proton has a positive charge, the neutron has no or neutral charge, and an electron has a negative charge.
200
What does radioactive dating tell us about a fossil?
Radioactive dating is used to find the absolute age of a fossil.
200
What is "Superpostion?"
Superposition is the principle that in undisturbed rock layers, the oldest rocks are on the bottom.
300
Write a definition for "absolute age."
The Absolute age of an item is the numerical age, in years, of a rock or object.
300
What is the difference between a mold and a cast?
A mold is the impression in a rock left by an ancient organism, while a cast is a copy of the organism made when the mold fills with sediment or minerals. There cannot be a cast without a mold.
300
What parts of the atom are found in the nucleus?
The protons and neutrons are found in the nucleus.
300
What is a "Half-life?"
A "Half-life" is the amount of time it takes one half of the radioactive parent isotope to decay into the daughter isotope.
300
What does it mean if a fossil stops showing up in layers of rock?
If a fossil stops showing up in the layers of rock, it usually means that the organism went extinct.
400
What is an "Isotope?"
An atom of the same element that has a different number of neutrons.
400
Describe the processes that lead to "Preserved Remains."
To get "preserved remains," the organism must be completely encased in a substance soon after it died. Common substances are ice, amber, or tar. The substance must completely cover the organism so that no air or bacteria may cause it to rot.
400
What does the atomic number tell us about an atom?
The atomic number tells us the number of protons in the nucleus.
400
Explain two limitations of Carbon-14 dating.
Answers will vary, but should include: Carbon-14 dating cannot be used on items that were never alive (ie: rocks, ice, minerals) & Carbon-14 dating is only accurate if the item is less than 50,000 years old.
400
What does relative dating tell us about a fossil?
Answers will vary, but should include information about comparing one item to another, use words like "older, younger, oldest, youngest, etc...", or talk about showing an order of the items.
500
What is an "Index Fossil?"
A species that existed on Earth for a short length of time, was abundant, and inhabited many locations.
500
Explain the processes that create a Mineral Replacement.
Over long periods of time, minerals find their way inside the remains. The minerals take the place of the material and create a copy as the original item breaks down.
500
How is a Carbon-14 isotope different from a Carbon-12 isotope? Carbon's atomic number is 6.
Both Carbon isotopes have 6 protons in the nucleus, but the Carbon-14 isotope has 8 neutrons (6+8=14) while the Carbon-12 isotope has 6 neutrons (6+6=12).
500
What isotope is used for radioactive dating of very old rocks?
The isotope Uranium-235 is used to date very old rocks.
500
How can an index fossil help a paleontologist date a fossil they found below the index fossil?
Answers will vary, but should include something about: the index fossil helping the scientist find a relative age of the new fossil. We know the ages of index fossils and if the new fossil was found below the index fossil, then the new fossil must be older than the index fossil.