fossil

Question 1

uniformitarianism

Answer 1

the theory that changes in the earth’s crust during geological history have resulted from the action of continuous and uniform 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 scientific study of life in the geologic past, based on examination of fossilized remains of once living organisms, such as tracks, bones, teeth, plants, and shells.

Question 4

relative dating

Answer 4

the process of determining if one rock or geologic event is older or younger than another, without knowing their specific ages

Question 5

absolute dating

Answer 5

measure the physical properties of an object itself and use these measurements to calculate its age.

Question 6

superposition

Answer 6

the ability of a quantum system to be in multiple states at the same time until it is measured

Question 7

isotope

Answer 7

each of two or more forms of the same element that contain equal numbers of protons but different numbers of neutrons in their nuclei, and hence differ in relative atomic mass but not in chemical properties; in particular, a radioactive form of an element.

Question 8

radioactive decay

Answer 8

the process in which a radioactive atom spontaneously gives off radiation in the form of energy or particles to reach a more stable state.

Question 9

half-life

Answer 9

the time required for a quantity (of substance) to reduce to half of its initial value.

Question 10

fossil

Answer 10

the preserved remains of plants and animals whose bodies were buried in sediments, such as sand and mud, under ancient seas, lakes and rivers

Question 11

trace fossil

Answer 11

a fossil of a footprint, trail, burrow, or other trace of an animal rather than of the animal itself.

Question 12

mold

Answer 12

A mold or mould is one of the structures certain fungi can form. The dust-like, colored appearance of molds is due to the formation of spores containing fungal secondary metabolites.

Question 13

cast

Answer 13

part of California’s system of assessments called the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress

Question 14

unconformity

Answer 14

An unconformity is a buried erosional or non-depositional surface separating two rock masses or strata of different ages, indicating that sediment deposition was not continuous

Question 15

mass extinction

Answer 15

the big death

Question 16

Jurassic period

Answer 16

The Jurassic is a geologic period and stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period 201.3 million years ago to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately 145 Mya.

Question 17

Cretaceous period

Answer 17

The Cretaceous is defined as the period between 145.5 and 65.5 million years ago,* the last period of the Mesozoic Era, following the Jurassic and ending with the extinction of the dinosaurs

Question 18

Devonian period

Answer 18

The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, 419.2 million years ago, to the beginning of the Carboniferous, 358.9 Mya. It is named after Devon, England, where rocks from this period were first studied

Question 19

Quaternary period

Answer 19

the third and last of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era. You and I are living in this period, which began only 2.58 million years ago. This is less than 0.1% of all of geologic time! A thin layer of sediments deposited during the Quaternary covers much of the Earth’s land surface.

Question 20

Permian period

Answer 20

The Permian is a geologic period and stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years from the end of the Carboniferous Period 298.9 million years ago, to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.9 Mya. It is the last period of the Paleozoic Era; the following Triassic Period belongs to the Mesozoic Era.