Fossil record vocab

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 branch of science concerned with fossil animals and plants.

Question 4

relative dating

Answer 4

Relative dating is the science of determining the relative order of past events, without necessarily determining their absolute age.

Question 5

absolute dating

Answer 5

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

Question 6

superposition

Answer 6

the action of placing one thing on or above another, especially so that they coincide.

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

is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation.

Question 9

half-life

Answer 9

in radioactivity, the interval of time required for one-half of the atomic nuclei of a radioactive sample to decay (change spontaneously into other nuclear species by emitting particles and energy.

Question 10

fossil

Answer 10

the remains or impression of a prehistoric organism preserved in petrified form or as a mold or cast in rock.

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 hollow container used to give shape to molten or hot liquid material (such as wax or metal) when it cools and hardens.

Question 13

cast

Answer 13

cause (light or shadow) to appear on a surface.

Question 14

unconformity

Answer 14

a surface of contact between two groups of unconformable strata.

Question 15

mass extinction

Answer 15

An extinction event is a widespread and rapid decrease in the biodiversity on Earth.

Question 16

Jurassic period

Answer 16

relating to or denoting the second period of the Mesozoic era, between the Triassic and Cretaceous periods.

Question 17

Cretaceous period

Answer 17

The Cretaceous is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago.

Question 18

Devonian period

Answer 18

The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic, spanning 60 million years from the end of the Silurian, 419.2 million years ago, to the beginning of the Carboniferous, 358.9 Mya.

Question 19

Quaternary period

Answer 19

Quaternary is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy.

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.