Fossils
The preserved remains of ancient organisms.
What are fossils?
The method of determining the age of a fossil by comparing its placement with that of other fossils in rock layers.
What is relative dating?
A timeline of the Earth's history developed by geologists and paleontologists.
What is the geological time scale?
Most of the periods in the geologic time scale are named for these types of events.
What are Catastrophic events? (Asteroid/Meteor hitting the earth, climate change, continents shifting, mass extinction)
The continuous changing of rocks from one form to another.
What is the rock cycle?
The type of rock most likely to contain fossils.
What is sedimentary rock?
Distinctive fossils used to establish and compare the relative age of rock layers and other fossils found in the same layer.
What are index fossils?
The largest divisions of time on the geological time scale including Hadean, Archean, Proterozoic and Phanerozoic.
What are eons?
Human beings evolved during this geologic era.
What is the cenozoic era?
The type of eclipse we witnessed here is Aurora, CO yesterday.
What is a partial solar eclipse?
These replace or saturate hard structures during fossil formation.
What are minerals?
A large, distinctive group of marine organisms often used as index fossils.
What are trilobites?
Subdivisions of eons on the geological time scale including Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic.
What are eras?
Large reptiles became abundant during this Era.
What is the Mesozoic Era?
The rising of a heated substance and the sinking of a cooler substance. (such as magma in the mantle)
What are convection currents?
If a fossil is found in a layer below another layer, it is likely (older / younger) than the layer above it.
What is older?
This Law states the oldest rocks are found on the bottom and the youngest rocks are found on top.
What is the Law of Superposition?
What are the smaller time spans that Periods are subdivided into?
What are Epoch?
Mammals became abundant during this era.
What is the Cenozoic Era?
The landforms typically formed at divergent boundaries.
What are valleys and ridges?
A scientist who studies the history of life on Earth through the fossil record.
What is a paleontologist?
This is a process that Geologists use to find the exact age of a rock.
What is absolute dating?
The approximate age of the Earth based on scientific evidence.
What is 4.6 billion years old?
Land plants appeared during this Era.
What is the paleozoic era?
Earthquakes occur as a result of movement these plate boundaries.
What are transform, divergent AND convergent boundaries? (ALL of them)