Age of Earth

Question 1

What allows scientists to compare rock layers with others in a sequence to determine their age?

Accepted Answer

relative dating

Question 2

A, B, C, D, and E most likely formed in which sequence? Answers written in order 1st to last.

Accepted Answer

D,C,B,E,A

Question 3

What is the term used for the original amount of the elemental isotopes being investigated?

Accepted Answer

parent isotopes

Question 4

Based on methods of radioactive dating, approximately how old is the Earth?

Accepted Answer

4–5 billion years old

Question 5

Why is a fossil more likely to form from the body of Fish A than from the body of Fish B?

Accepted Answer

Sediments in the water will quickly cover the fish.

Question 6

Which isotope is primarily used to calculate the absolute age of rocks and fossils?

Accepted Answer

carbon-14

Question 7

Which method can best be used by the students to determine the relative age of these layers?

Accepted Answer

the law of superposition

Question 8

Which is the best conclusion that can be made from comparing the diagrams?

Accepted Answer

Elephant species have changed over time.

Question 9

Tectonic plates are located within which layer of Earth?

Accepted Answer

crust

Question 10

The radioactive isotope content of a rock can be used to identify which property of the rock?

Accepted Answer

the amount of time passed since the rock formed

Question 11

The first horses were smaller than modern species. Horses have gradually changed

Accepted Answer

in response to an altering environment.

Question 12

Which type of rock is formed by the hardening and cementing of layers of weathered rock?

Accepted Answer

sedimentary

Question 13

A fossil from the Miocene Epoch based on radiometric dating. What is likely age of the fossil?

Accepted Answer

6.4 million yrs.

Question 14

Trophite fossils are found. In what era and period was this rock layer deposited?

Accepted Answer

Mesozoic Era; Triassic Period

Question 15

What evidence must be carefully examined to determine that organisms changed over time?

Accepted Answer

fossils

Question 16

Which conditions would most likely be shown in the fossil record as a reason for extinctions?

Accepted Answer

falling sea levels and global cooling

Question 17

Which of these provides the best evidence that an environmental change has occurred?

Accepted Answer

marine fossils in a freshwater lake

Question 18

Which best describes the fossil at Point 3 when compared with the fossils at Points 1 and 2

Accepted Answer

The fossil at Point 3 is older.

Question 19

Which environmental condition most likely existed at the time a fossil formed?

Accepted Answer

Organism remains were buried with little oxygen.

Questions 19