3. Sedimentology, Stratigraphy & Paleontology

Question 1

What is the law that states ‘in an undisturbed sequence, the oldest rocks are at the bottom’?

Answer 1

Law of Superposition

Question 2

What type of rock is most commonly associated with depositional environments?

Answer 2

Sedimentary Rock

Question 3

What is a turbidite?

Answer 3

A sedimentary deposit from underwater landslides, showing graded bedding.

Question 4

What is a key indicator of ancient wind-blown deposits?

Answer 4

Cross-bedding in sandstone.

Question 5

What does a fining-upward sequence in stratigraphy suggest?

Answer 5

A transition from high-energy to low-energy deposition (e.g., river to floodplain).

Question 6

What is an unconformity in stratigraphy?

Answer 6

A gap in the geologic record caused by erosion or non-deposition.

Question 7

What type of fossil is used to correlate rock layers across large distances?

Answer 7

Index Fossil

Question 8

What depositional environment is typically associated with coal formation?

Answer 8

Swamps and peat bogs.

Question 9

What is the term for the horizontal migration of shorelines due to sea level changes?

Answer 9

Transgression (rising sea level) and Regression (falling sea level).

Question 10

What principle states that sedimentary layers extend outward in all directions until they thin out or meet a barrier?

Answer 10

Principle of Lateral Continuity