Vocabulary
Relative Dating
Determining/estimating the approximate age of a rock/fossil by looking at the rocks/fossils around it.
Fossils are extinct animals
True
What is the fossil record?
The complete collection of fossils that have been found worldwide and the history of life documented by these fossils.
How old is the Earth?
4.5 billion years old.
What is the name of the prehistoric whale species discovered in Egypt from 37 million years ago?
Basilosaurus or Dorudon
Absolute Dating
Determining the exact age of a rock/fossil.
Rock layers show how old the Earth is.
True
What is fossilization?
The process where a dead organism is preserved in a hard form, such as rock.
Which type of fossil makes the best index fossil?
Ammonite
What trait did the prehistoric whale fossils have that they eventually lost over millions of years of evolution?
Legs & feet
Principle of Superposition
The deeper you go into the Earth, the hotter the temperature.
True
What can plate tectonics cause?
Earthquakes
What are the two ways paleontologists learn about extinct creatures?
1. Analysis of the shape, structure, and character of the fossil
2. Compare fossils to existing animals
What is the name of the dig site in Egypt where the whale fossils were discovered?
Wadi El Hitan
Principle of Original Horizontality
Layers of sediment are originally deposited horizontally because of gravity. Only a disturbance/unconformity can disrupt the rock layers.
Index fossils all have a letter "I" on them.
False
What is the difference between a geologist and a paleontologist?
Geologist: someone who studies rocks.
Paleontologist: someone who studies fossils.
What is Pangea?
The mega continent that split up over millions of years to make the seven continents we have today.
What is the name of the first mega continent?
Rodinia
Geologic Column
Disturbances in rock layers only come from human interaction.
False
Name three types of disturbances to rock layers
Faults, Tilts, Folds, Erosion
What are the three criteria of an index fossil?
1. Easily recognizable
2. Widespread
3. Short existence
What are the 6 pieces of evidence that continental drift has occured?
Continents fit together
Fossil evidence across landmasses
Rock/mountain evidence across landmasses
Glacier evidence
Paleo-climate coal data
Sea-floor spreading