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Chapter 4 Flashcards | StudBud
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Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Earth's history
Flashcards
30 cards
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Practice quiz
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Questions
30
Answers
1
The number of years that have passed since a rock formed is the rock's
absolute age
law of superposition
index fossil
relative age
2
The time it takes for half of the radioactive atoms of a radioactive element to decay is it's
half-life
absolute age
potassium-argon date
relative age
3
A solid copy of the shape of an organism is a
mold
cast
fossil record
carbon film
4
A break in Earth's crust is called
an intrusion
a fault
a layer
an index fossil
5
Which method led scientists to infer that Earth is about 4.6 billion years old?
using radioactive dating on moon rocks
studying index fossils
studying fault lines
applying the law of superposition
6
What do scientists use to show Earth's history?
geologic time scale
clock
meter stick
calendar
7
What states that the geologic processes that change Earth today also changed Earth in the past?
superposition
uniformitarianism
erosion
evolution
8
A leaf falls into a lake and is buried in sediment. Which fossil type would most likely form?
carbon film
preserved remains
trace fossil
cast
9
In which geologic period did Pangaea form?
Jurassic
Silurian
Cambrian
Triassic
10
Life on Earth has changed over time. Paleontologists found that older rocks contain fossils of
both simple and complex organisms
only organisms that are alive today
organisms that are more complex than those alive today
simpler organisms
11
Which of the following processes did NOT help shape Earth's surface in the past?
Plate tectonics
Dinosaurs
Weathering
Erosion
12
Which of the following substances is NOT able to preserve entire organisms?
ice
amber
sticky tar
water
13
Scientists chose where units of geologic time began and ended based on major changes in ____?
atmosphere
temperature
life forms
continents
14
Earth's earliest atmosphere lacked which gas that is necessary for life to exist?
carbon dioxide
nitrogen
oxygen
argon
15
A formation of igneous rock on Earth's surface is known as
a fault
a gap
an intrusion
an extrusion
16
The climate in the center of Pangaea was probably a(n)
hot, dry desert climate
extremely cold, polar climate
wet tropical climate
warm, mild climate
17
The Law of Superposition states that
geologic processes that operate today, operated in the past
radioactive dating can detect certain elements
all plants that existed during the same time looked the same
the higher a rock layer is, the younger it is
18
A gap in the geologic records that occurs when sedimentary rocks cover an eroded surface is:
fault
extrusion
unconformity
intrusion
19
Geologists divided the time from Precambrian to the present into 3 long units of time called
periods
sections
units
eras
20
Sometimes forces inside Earth turn rock layers over completely. This is called
a fault
an intrusion
folding
an unconformity
21
Geologists use radioactive dating to
tell where one soil horizon ends and the next one begins
tell the difference between molds and casts
determine the absolute ages of rocks
determine the relative ages of rock layers
22
A type of organism that no longer exists on Earth is said to be
petrified
sedimentary
extinct
fossilized
23
A geologist finds an area of undisturbed sedimentary rock. Which layer is the oldest?
lowest
middle
highest
nobody knows
24
The long time span that covers about 88% of Earth's history and ended 542 million years ago is
Mesozoic Era
Precambrian Time
Cenozoic Era
Paleozoic Era
25
A fossil formed when minerals replace all or part of an organism is called a
trace fossil
cast
petrified fossil
mold
26
What has the study of fossils allowed scientists to do?
predict which organisms will become extinct in the future
analyze the chemical composition of sedimentary rocks
describe past environments and the history of life
study present ocean temperatures at different depths
27
The relative age of a rock is
the number of years since the rock formed
its age compared with the ages of other rocks
its age based on how much carbon-14 the rock contains
less than the age of the fossils the rock contains
28
What type of fossils provide evidence of the activities of ancient organisms?
molds and casts
carbon films
petrified fossils
trace fossils
29
A hollow area in sediment in the shape of an organism or part of an organism is a
cast
trace fossil
mold
petrified fossil
30
What are fossils?
molds and casts of organisms that live today
footprints or burrows of small animals that live today
drawings of ancient animals and other organisms
preserved remains/traces of organisms that lived in the past
