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Earth's History
Earth's History
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1
The picture below illustrates _______.
faunal succession
cross cutting relationships
index fossils
the Cambrian Explosion
2
Which of the following is
not
an example of a trace fossil?
A fossilized footprint
A burrow preserved in sedimentary rock
A carbon film
Fossilized dinosaur feces
3
Earth is thought to be about ______ years old.
6.4 billion
14 billion
4.6 billion
4.6 million
4
The type of rock that is made of compacted and cemented sediment is called _______ rock.
compacted
metamorphic
sedimentary
igneous
5
Cambrian Explosion; warm, shallow seas; Age of fishes; first vertebrates; formation of Pangea.
Precambrian Time
Cenozoic Era
Mesozoic Era
Paleozoic Era
6
The age of a rock compared to the ages of other rocks is called ______.
absolute age
relative age
comparative age
exact age
7
Preserved remains usually result when the remains of an organism...
become trapped and preserved in sedimentary rock.
are cryogenically frozen by aliens.
become trapped in substances such as tar, amber, or ice.
become trapped and preserved in cooling lava or magma.
8
A petrified fossil forms when...
an organism is buried in sediment, dissolves, and leaves a hollow area.
an organism dies while extremely scared.
when minerals replace all or part of an existing remains of an organism.
dissolved minerals/sediments fill in a mold in sedimentary rock.
9
The fossil record indicates that life on Earth...
has become more complex
maintained a consistent level of complexity.
has become less complex
10
The breakdown of unstable elements by releasing particles and energy is called _______.
sedimentary disintegration
a psychotic breakdown
radioactive decay
half-life
11
Divisions in geologic time are based on...
equal units of time.
the Milankovitch Cycles.
geologic events and major changes in life forms.
the beginning and end of ice ages.
12
What two criteria must an index fossil meet to be useful to geologists in relative dating?
found in multiple sedimentary rock layers, existed in more than one era.
must be actual preserved remains, skeletons must be complete.
widely distributed, existed only briefly.
limited distribution, existed for a long period of time.
13
Earth's geologic time begins with _____, which covers 88% of Earth's history and ended 544 million years ago.
Cenozoic Era
Prehistoric Time
Paleozoic Era
Precambrian Time
14
The preserved remains or traces of living things are called _______.
fossils
intrusions
epochs
extrusions
15
The Principle of _______ states that layers of sediment are originally deposited horizontally due to gravity.
superposition
original horizontality
faunal succession
cross cutting relationships
16
The principle of _____ states that fossils found in different ages of sedimentary rock layers are also different.
embedded particles
cross cutting relationships
faunal succession
superposition
17
Geologists divide the time between Precambrian Time and the present into three long units of time called _______.
eras
periods
epochs
eons
18
All of the information gathered about past
life
on Earth is called the _______.
geologic superposition
geologic timeline
fossil record
faunal succession
19
A record of life forms and geologic events in Earth's history is called the ________.
biological evolution timeline
faunal succession scale
geologic time scale
fossil record
20
What is the most likely explanation for the absence of fossils in layers 6, 8, and 10?
These layers are igneous extrusions.
There were very few species on Earth due ot mass extinctions.
Only soft-bodied organisms lived during these times.
Earth was experiencing extreme ice ages.
21
Which of the following correctly lists the units of geological time from longest to shortest?
epoch, period, era
period, era, epoch
era, period, epoch
era, epoch, period
22
The time it takes for half of a radioactive element to decay into its stable form is called _______.
an isotope transition period
an epoch
a decay period
a half-life
23
Which fossil in the diagram would be useful as an index fossil?
C
B
D
A
24
Potassium-40 is radioactive. It has a half-life of 1.3 billion years. A rock contains 12.5% potassium-40. How old is it?
3.9 billion years
2.6 billion years
5.2 billion years
1.3 billion years
25
The type of fossil that forms when an very thin coating of carbon is left on sedimentary rocks is called a ____ fossil.
cast
trace
imprint
carbon film
26
Cooling magma would form...
an igneous intrusion.
cast fossils.
an igneous extrusion.
an unconformity.
27
According to the principle of cross cutting relationships, which feature in the diagram is the youngest?
The basalt dike
The shale layer
The sandstone layer
The mudstone layer
28
Type of fossil that forms when an organism is buried by sediment, dissolves, and leaves a hollow area in the sediment.
Petrified
Cast
Carbon film
Mold
29
A rock contains 12 mg of a radioactive element. After 100 years, only .75 mg remains. What is the half-life?
100 years
25 years
75 years
50 years
30
The type of fossil that forms when minerals or sediments fill in a mold is called a ______ fossil.
mold
carbon film
cast
petrified
31
Most
fossils form when the remains of living things...
become hardened by igneous intrusions.
become trapped in lava which cools and hardens.
are buried by sediments that harden into rock.
become trapped in substances such as tar or ice.
32
Place the layers and intrusions in order from oldest to youngest.
F, A, B, C, G, D, E
G, A, B, C, F, D, E
E, D, G, C, B, A, F
E, D, F, C, B, A, G
33
Why are
index
fossils useful to paleontologists?
They tell the relative ages of rock layers in which they occur.
They tell the absolute age of the rock layers in which they occur.
They tell what types of organisms lived on Earth during that time period.
They show how life on Earth has changed over time.
34
Most scientists believe that the mass extinction that killed the dinosaurs was caused by...
an asteroid strike.
climate change resulting from the formation of Pangea.
an extreme ice age.
vaping.
35
The Age of Reptiles, dominance of dinosaurs, beginning of Pangea's break up, and a mass extinction due to an asteroid.
Precambrian Time
Mesozoic Era
Paleozoic Era
Cenozoic Era
36
The image below illustrates the formation of a/an _______.
unconformity
fault
intrusion
extrusion
37
Which of the following correctly lists eras in order from oldest to youngest?
Mesozoic, Cenozoic, Paleozoic
Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic
Cenozoic, Mesozoic, Paleozoic
Paleozoic, Cenozoic, Mesozoic
38
During the Cambrian Explosion...
Earth became molten.
many dinosaurs had explosive, projectile diarrhea.
a large number of new species evolved in a relatively short period of time.
volcanic activity significantly increased on Earth.
39
Radioactive dating is useful for determining...
the absolute age of sedimentary rock.
the half-life of elements.
the relative ages of rocks.
the absolute ages of igneous rocks and the remains of living things.
40
Most fossils are found in _______.
lava extrusions
sedimentary rock
metamorphic rock
igneous rock
41
H is younger than M. This is an example of the principle of _______.
original horizontality
cross cutting relationships
superposition
faunal succession
42
Age of mammals, appearance of humans, movement of Earth's continents into their present positions, frequent ice ages.
Mesozoic Era
Cenozoic Era
Post-Cambrian Time
Paleozoic Era
43
The number of years since a rock formed is that rocks _______.
intrusive age
exact age
relative age
absolute age
44
During radioactive decay, the atoms of an unstable element break down into...
another, stable element.
a stable form of the same element.
another, more stable radioactive element.
Carbon-14
45
According to the Law of Superposition, which layer in the diagram is youngest?
1
4
2
3
46
The formation of Earth, its atmosphere and oceans, and the appearance of the first life forms occurred during...
the Paleozoic Era.
the Cenozoic Era.
the Mesozoic Era.
Precambrian Time.
47
A/an _______ is a gap in the geological record.
extrusion
period
intrusion
unconformity
48
Eras are subdivided into smaller units of time called _______.
periods
epochs
morons
eons
49
Cooling lava would form _______.
sedimentary rock layers
a sedimentary extrusion
an igneous extrusion
an igneous intrusion
50
Which organism would be most likely to leave a fossil?
A worm
A sponge
A jellyfish
A fish
