Fossils Flashcards
What are fossils?
The remains or evidence of prehistoric plants and animals
What are scientists who study fossils called?
Paleontologists
What is the geological time scale based on?
Fossils
What are sedimentary rocks?
The most common rocks at the Earth’s surface
What are sedimentary rocks made up of?
Pieces of other rocks, and matter like sand, clay, and mud
How do sedimentary rocks form?
By settling in layers at the bottom of bodies of water, and then compacting and hardening over time
What are some examples of sedimentary rocks?
Limestone, shale, and sandstone
Why is the Law of Superposition important?
It is fundamental to the interpretation of the Earth’s history, because it indicates the relative ages of rock layers and the fossils in them
What is relative dating?
A technique used to find a fossil’s approximate age based on its location in rock layers
What is absolute dating?
A technique used to find the exact age of a fossil through measuring its carbon-14 levels (rate of decay)
What is the Law of Superposition?
In any sequence of layered rocks, the lower bed is older than any bed on top of it
