Fossil Record

Question 1

Uniformitarianism

Answer 1

Principle that states that geologic processes that occured in the past can be explained by current geologic processes

Question 2

Catastrophism

Answer 2

Principle that states that geologic change occurs suddenly

Question 3

Paleontology

Answer 3

Scientific study of Fossils

Question 4

Relative dating

Answer 4

Any method of determining whether an event or object is older or older than other events or objects

Question 5

Superposition

Answer 5

Principle that states that younger rocks lie above older rocks if thelayers have not been disturbed

Question 6

Absolute dating

Answer 6

Any method of measuring the age of an event or object in years

Question 7

Isotope

Answer 7

Atom that has same amount of protons as other atoms of the same element

Question 8

Radioactive Decay

Answer 8

The process in which a radioactive isotope tends to break down

Question 9

Radiometric dating

Answer 9

a method of dating geological or archeological specimens by determining the relative proportions of particular radioactive isotopes present in a sample

Question 10

Half-Life

Answer 10

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

Question 11

Fossil

Answer 11

Remains of an organism

Question 12

Trace Fossil

Answer 12

Fossilized mark that is formed in soft sediment

Question 13

Mold

Answer 13

A fossil formed when an animal, plant, or other organism dies and is covered by sediment, its flesh decays and bones deteriorate due to chemical reactions, and a cavity remains below the ground surface.

Question 14

Unconformity

Answer 14

a surface of contact between two groups of unconformable strata

Question 15

Mass Extinction

Answer 15

a widespread and rapid decrease in the biodiversity on Earth. Such an event is identified by a sharp change in the diversity and abundance of multicellular organisms.

Question 16

Jurassic period

Answer 16

The Jurassic was a geologic period and system that spanned 56 million years from the end of the Triassic Period 201.3 million years ago to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period 145 Mya. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic Era, also known as the Age of Reptiles.

Question 17

Cretaceous Period

Answer 17

was the last and longest segment of the Mesozoic Era. It lasted approximately 79 million years, from the minor extinction event that closed the Jurassic Period about 145.5 million years ago to the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction event dated at 65.5 million years ago.

Question 18

Devonian Period

Answer 18

a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic, spanning 60 million years from the end of the Silurian, 419.2 million years ago (Mya), 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 Quaternary Period is divided into two epochs: the Pleistocene (2.588 million years ago to 11.7 thousand years ago) and the Holocene (11.7 thousand years ago to today). The informal term “Late Quaternary” refers to the past 0.5–1.0 million years.

Question 20

Permian Period

Answer 20

The Permian is a geologic period and 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 251.902 Mya. It is the last period of the Paleozoic era; the following Triassic period belongs to the Mesozoic era