Evidence and Fossils
This is the name for preserved remains or traces of plants and animals found in rock.
Fossil
Sedimentary rock forms from bits of rock, sand, or shells that are pressed together and form layers called this.
Older
Wind, water, ice, and plants cause the wearing away of rock and soil; this process is called what?
Weathering (and/or erosion)
A scientist who studies rocks and fossils is called a _____.
Geologist (or paleontologist if focused on fossils)
Which tool do scientists use to find tiny clues in rock and fossils (starts with "m")?
What is a magnifying glass (or microscope)?
If many similar sea fossils are found high in the mountains, this suggests the area was once this.
It was once underwater / a sea or ocean
The bottom layer of undisturbed sedimentary rock is generally which—older or younger—than the layers above it?
Unconformity
Over long time periods, the movement of Earth's plates or erosion can change a flat plain into hills and mountains; this is an example of landscape _______. (complete the sentence)
Change / change over time / transformation (landscape change)
This simple tool helps geologists see small layers and grains in rocks in the field (it has a small mirror and lens).
Hand lens (or pocket microscope / hand lens)
Fossils of a soft-bodied animal are rare because soft parts usually do not do this over time.
Fossilize / turn into rock (soft parts decay and are rarely preserved)
Geologists use this term for a rock layer that is missing because erosion removed it before new layers formed on top.
Unconformity
When a river cuts downward into rock and removes sediment, forming a deep valley, the river is doing this process.
Erode / erosion
Recording where fossils and rock layers are found on a map helps scientists study patterns; this type of map is called a ____ map.
Geological map (or stratigraphic map)
When two different fossils are found in the same rock layer, scientists infer they lived during the same what?
Time period / same time (they lived during the same time period)
When magma pushes through rock and cools into a layer cutting across other layers, this is called an igneous intrusion and it is generally ______ than the layers it cuts. (fill in: older/younger)
Younger
A beach made mainly of tiny broken shells and sand formed when older rocks and shells were broken up by waves; this is an example of what type of deposit?
Sedimentary deposit (or coastal deposit / beach deposit)
Scientists sometimes use the ages of volcanic ash layers above or below sedimentary layers to determine age. This method uses known ages of the volcanic layers to give a ______ age to the sedimentary rocks (two words).
Relative age (or provides a relative age) — (the volcanic layer gives an absolute age if dated radiometrically; using it gives a relative placement or can give an absolute age if radiometric dating is done)
This kind of fossil forms when an organism leaves an impression that later fills with minerals, creating a copy of the original shape.
Cast fossil (or cast)
Matching rock layers separated by distance by using similar fossils to show they formed at the same time is called this method (two words).
Correlation (or stratigraphic correlation)
The presence of rounded pebbles in a rock layer suggests that the pebbles were transported by what kind of agent (water, wind, or ice)?
Water
To explain how a landscape formed, scientists create a simplified representation or drawing called a ______.
Model