Time Scale Vocab
Animal without a backbone
INVERTEBRATE
The remains of a prehistoric organism
FOSSIL
Weathered rock and soil particles are moved from place to place by water, wind, or ice
EROSION
Rock formed from sediment that are pressed or cemented together
SEDIMENTARY
Subdivision of Eons
ERA
Animal that lives on land and in water
AMPHIBIAN
Figuring out how old something is by looking at the atoms inside of it
RADIOACTIVE DATING
binding together of sediments
CEMENTATION
Rock changes due to intense heat and/or pressure
METAMORPHIC
Animal with back bone
VERTEBRATE
Subdivision of era, marked by distinct events
The age of something in comparison to another's age
RELATIVE AGE
Processes undergone by rocks in the Earth's crust
THE ROCK CYCLE
Rock formed from the cooling of lava or magma
IGNEOUS ROCK
The breaking down of Earth’s materials by natural processes into smaller pieces or sediments
WEATHERING
Representation of time based on the rock record of Earth
GEOLOGIC TIME SCALE
The numerical age of something
ABSOLUTE AGE
Small, solid pieces of material from rocks or organisms; earth materials deposited by erosion.
SEDIMENT
Formed from Lava cooling above the surface of the Earth
EXTRUSIVE
liquid, molten rock INSIDE the earth
Geologic period where large percent of species die in a short period of time
MASS EXTINCTION
Law that says the oldest rock layers are on the bottom, and the youngest are on the top
LAW OF SUPERPOSITION
Weathered sediments are laid down in a new location helping create new land forms or rocks
DEPOSITION
Formed from magma cooling inside the Earth
INTRUSIVE
Tiny parts of an atom break apart and change into something else over time.
RADIOACTIVE DECAY