flashcards

Question 1

Uniformitarianism

Answer 1

a principle that states that geologic processes that occured in the past can be explained by curred geologic processes

Question 2

Catastrophism

Answer 2

the theory that changes in the earth’s crust during geological history have resulted chiefly from sudden violent and unusual events

Question 3

Paleontology

Answer 3

the branch of science concerned with fossil animals and plants.

Question 4

Relative dating

Answer 4

Any method of determinging whether an event or object is older or younger than other events or object

Question 5

Absolute dating

Answer 5

is the process of determining an age on a specified chronology in archaeology and geology.

Question 6

Superposition

Answer 6

a principle that states that younger rocks lie above older rocks if the layers have not been disturbed

Question 7

Isotope

Answer 7

an atom that has the same number of protons

Question 8

Radioactive decay

Answer 8

also known as nuclear decay, radioactivity or nuclear radiation

Question 9

half-life

Answer 9

the time taken for the radioactivity of a specified isotope to fall to half its original value

Question 10

Fossil

Answer 10

the remains or physical evidence of an organism preserved by geoloical processes

Question 11

trace fossil

Answer 11

A fossilized mark that is formed in soft sediment by the movment of an animal

Question 12

Mold

Answer 12

a mark or cavity made in a sedimentary surface

Question 13

cast

Answer 13

a type of fossil that forms when sediments

Question 14

unconformity

Answer 14

a break in the geologic record created when rock layers

Question 15

mass extinction

Answer 15

of a large number of species within a relatively short period of geological time

Question 16

Jurassic period

Answer 16

between the Triassic and Cretaceous periods, lasting for 55 million years during which dinosaurs and ammonites flourished.

Question 17

Cretaceous period

Answer 17

as the period between 145.5 and 65.5 million years ago,

Question 18

Devonian period

Answer 18

is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic,

Question 19

Quaternary period

Answer 19

is the name for the time in which we live. It spans the two most recent geologic epochs

Question 20

Permian period

Answer 20

lasted from 299 to 251 million years ago* and was the last period of the Paleozoic Era.