Rock Layers and Fossils
Type of rock formed from squeezed layers of sediment where almost all fossils are found
Sedimentary rock
A physical feature or behavior that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its environment
Adaptation
The preserved remains, traces, or impressions of ancient organisms found in rock
Fossils
Theory that Earth's outer shell is broken into giant pieces that slowly move over time
Plate tectonics
Specific organism that lived for a brief time over a wide geographic area and is used to date rock layers
Index fossil
The naturalist that developed the theory of evolution by natural selection after observing finches on the Galapagos islands
The complete collection of all fossils found on Earth that provides a timeline of life's history
Fossil record
Subduction zones under water are likely to create...
Age of a rock compared to the age of other rocks
Relative age
Process where environmental pressures select which organisms survive to pass on their traits
Natural selection
Scientists compare sequences of this molecule across different species to determine how closely related they are genetically
DNA
The type of stress that creates mountains or valleys
Compression and tension
Method that gives rocks an exact numerical age using radioactive decay
Absolute dating
Natural selection cannot happen without this within a population, which comes from genetic differences and mutations
Genetic variation
Similar limb structures in different species that suggest a common ancestor
Homologous structures
Drives plate movement where hot, less dense magma rises and cooler denser magma sinks
Rule that states in undisturbed rock layers, the oldest is on the bottom and youngest is at top
Law of superposition
When organisms produce more offspring than an environment can support, leading to a fight for resources
Overproduction
Traces of organs or structures that had a function in an ancestor but no longer serve a clear purpose
Vestigial structures
What is unique about the rock cycle and makes it difficult to be expressed in a graph?
It doesn't follow one set path