MASS EXTINCTIONS
Extinction and the Earth
DA HISTORY OF TIME
Terms & People
Craters
100
Define "mass extinction."
The sudden loss of 30% of species over a broad range of ecosystems.
100
How does an Ice Age affect the Earth's climate?
Intervals of extreme cold and extreme warmth alternate due to glacial ice sheets changing the sea level.
100
How much of the Earth's history is Precambrian?
87%
100
How did James Usher perceive Earth's history?
He believed that Earth was 6000 years old, created in 4004 BC.
100
What is the difference between simple and complex craters? BONUS points for naming the process that creates a complex crater's shape.
Simple craters are formed by smaller meteorites & have raised rims and concave bottoms, while complex craters, formed by larger meteorites, have central uplifts and collapsed rims. Central uplifts are formed by release waves.
200
Which event wiped out the dinosaurs? What percentage of species were lost?
The Cretaceous/Paleogene (KP or KT), 50%
200
Why did the spreading of Pangea contribute to species diversity?
Large combined land masses have less distinct species diversity than smaller, isolated land masses.
200
The Phanerozoic time period is divided into what 3 sub-periods? BONUS points for identifying their chronology.
Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic (from oldest to most recent)
200
What is the Cambrian Explosion?
A 40 million year long burst of evolutionary change starting with the Cambrian era.
200
What is the relevance of the Haughton impact crater?
Nicknamed "Mars on Earth" for its cold, dry, and windy temperament, the crater is the site of experimentation in projected inter-planetary agriculture.
300
Which was the largest of the Big 5 mass extinctions? BONUS points for also stating where it falls chronologically (1st, 4th, last)
Permo-Triassic. It was the 3rd.
300
Name 3 long term effects of meteor impacts.
Nuclear winter (due to dust blocking the sun), rise in temperature of up to 10 degrees (due to the Greenhouse effect), acidification of oceans/soil (due to acid rain), salt flats (due to precipitation of large bodies)
300
Dinosaurs existed during the Mesozoic era. What 3 sub-periods are within this era? BONUS points if you can also state the time period
Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous. 250 to 65 million years ago.
300
What is the Torino Scale?
A 0-10 system of assessing the risk of Near Earth Objects.
300
List 2 of the reasons we recognize the Arizona Meteor Crater as formed by meteorite impact.
Presence of shatter cones, the crater is steep sided with a rim tilted away from its center, hills of rock exist outside the crater composed of inverse rock sequence from within the crater, blocks of limestone are strewn about the premises.
400
List 2 potential biological causes of extinction.
Reduced geographic area, competition with another species, predation past population viability level, epidemic disease, low population size (leading to a narrowed range of environmental tolerance)
400
What is a species fossil range? In terms of biostratigraphy, is it better that a range be long or short?
The amount of time between evolution and extinction. A short range provides better resolution.
400
What changes occurred on Earth during the period of seafloor spreading in the mid-Cretaceous time?
Magmic rock mass entered ocean basins and displaced water, which spilled onto land to create shallow seas. This caused emergence of more marine species and a warmer climate.
400
What is William Smith's principle of faunal succession?
Fossils succeed each other vertically, in a specific order that can be identified over wide horizontal distances. Therefore, strata of like age can be dated and correlated based on fossils.
400
What 2 qualities unite the Manicouagan, Saint Martin, and Rochechouart craters?
Time and latitude.
500
List 3 forms of evidence that point to meteor impact as the reason for the KP/KT extinction.
High iridium content in the late Cretaceous layer, fern spores in sediment, soot layers (evidence of massive fires), presence of tektites (natural glass formed on impact), corresponding global tsunami activity, the Chicxulub impact crater.
500
How do tropical reefs exemplify the extinction/diversification process?
Reefs are created by organisms to house and protect them, and change over time to reflect the changing species makeup of the ocean. They wax and wane with species appearance and extinction.
500
When did the Cambrian era start?
543 million years ago.
500
Name & explain Nicholas Steno's principles of stratigraphy.
Superposition (in layered strata, what's on top is youngest) and original horizontality (if it's tilted, it was originally flat).
500
What is unique about the crater at Pingualuit?
A lake sits on top of it. BONUS: It's one of the deepest freshwater lakes in the world & only one species of cannibalistic fish lives there.
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