Mesozoic Era
The Dominant species during this time period
What are Reptiles
The first period in Earth’s history, characterized by hellish landscapes and the formation of the Moon.
What is the Hadean?
When fossils are found in layers, the topmost is the…
Youngest
What does element does Carbon-14 decay into?
Nitrogen-14.
Geological line that separates this era from the current one
What is the KT line
Life first emerged in this era.
What is the Archean?
Solidified tree sap which preserves an organism.
What is amber?
What function must be used to solve for the age of a fossil?
log or ln
What periods made up the Mesozoic era
What are the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods
Largely considered the first mass extinction, this event radically altered the composition of the atmosphere.
What is the Great Oxidation Event?
Gaps in the fossil record indicate…
Mass extinctions
If a sample has 1:5 potassium to argon, what fraction is potassium?
1/6
What tectonic event occurred during this period
What is the super continent Pangaea began to break apart into separate landmasses
The first major ice age, lasting around 300 million years.
What is the Huronian Glaciation?
The process by which organic material is replaced with rock.
What is mineralization?
This crystal is useful for dating because it contains large amounts of uranium, thorium, and other radioactive elements.
What is zircon?
The meaning of the name Mesozoic
What is 'Middle life’
Earth’s crust solidified after this amount of time.
150 million years after formation, or 4.4 billion years ago.
What is the name for fossilized excretions?
Coprolites
Which fundamental force causes radioactive decay?
Weak nuclear force