geologic time scale 2

Question 1

what are the 3 types of fossils we studied and their characteristics?

Answer 1

1. trace fossils (including footprints, coprolites, fossilized nests/burrows)
2. mold fossil (form when an organism gradually dissolves away, leaving behind impression of body, leaves flowers)
3. cast mold (same as mold, but filled with sediment)

Question 2

what are petrified fossils (word itself)?

Answer 2

PETRA = Latin for rock or stone
PETRIFIED = turned to stone/PETRIFICATION = to turn to stone!

Question 3

when does petrification occur?

Answer 3

when buried remains (e.g., WOOD)
are exposed to (ground)water rich in molecules/IONS that make up MINERALS (e.g., CaCO3, SiO2).

Question 4

what do minerals have to do in petrification?

Answer 4

MINERALS gradually deposit and in so doing, gradually replace original organic matter found in ORGANISM’S remains.

Question 5

are plants organisms?

Answer 5

yes

Question 6

what is an organism?

Answer 6

an individual animal, plant or single-celled life
form

Question 7

what occurs when a cast fossils forms?

Answer 7

-When dealing with PETRIFICATION/PETRIFIED FOSSILS, notice that MINERALS are NOT filling an empty space left behind after an organism decays.
-Instead, MINERALS are GRADUALLY replacing ORGANIC MATTER.
-Ultimately, can view PETRIFICATION as process by which remains of an ORGANISM gradually turn to stone!

Question 8

name example of preserved remains

Answer 8

1. BOG BODIES unlike with FOSSILS, here organism’s original organic matter (i.e., bones and soft tissue) is preserved/kept/left behind.
2. Another way for an ORGANISM’S remains to be preserved is within AMBER! AMBER itself is fossilized tree RESIN.

Question 9

what is resin?

Answer 9

a substance flowing beneath tree bark to protect in case of insects, disease or physical damage (e.g., breaks, cracks).

Question 10

what does resin covers?

Answer 10

breaks, cracks, injuries and hardens to form a
seal/barrier

Question 11

what is the resin process in becoming amber?

Answer 11

1. Some of the RESIN from trees may reach forest floor.
2. Since RESIN is sticky, it can entrap and subsequently engulf creatures (insects, arachnids, amphibians) and plant bits within!
3. Eventually RESIN is compressed by layers of sediment that form above it.
4. Overtime, chemical compounds within RESIN transform to form AMBER! We can often observe organism’s PRESERVED REMAINS within the amber.

Question 12

where is earth’s largest known deposits of amber? what is it refer to?

Answer 12

in Europe’s Baltic Region
This AMBER is referred to as Baltic AMBER.

Question 13

where does the majority of the amber comes from?

Answer 13

from Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia

Question 14

what was once referred to as the 8th wonder of the world?

Answer 14

the AMBER ROOM

Question 15

what are the theories about the amber room?

Answer 15

➢ crates containing AMBER ROOM
destroyed during bombing.
➢ AMBER room crates remain hidden
somewhere in Königsberg (which is now
Kaliningrad).
➢ AMBER ROOM crates are at bottom of
Baltic Sea as ship transporting it away
sunk.

Question 16

although the amber room moved around and grew with renovations, where did it ultimately found itself?

Answer 16

in the Catherine Palace, Pushkin Russia
(south of Saint Petersburg)

Question 17

how many tons of amber did the final/renovated amber room of 180 square feet contain?

Answer 17

6 tons

Question 18

what happened to the amber room during ww2?

Answer 18

-advancing Nazi forces tore down
AMBER ROOM and placed it in a castle museum in Königsberg, Germany on Baltic Coast.
-Fearing Allied advance and bombing, AMBER ROOM dismantled again.
-A 1944 Allied bombing raid on Königsberg turned museum to rubble. Rest is a mystery…
-In 1997, one panel of AMBER ROOM
recovered in Bremen, Germany when son of
dead German soldier tried to sell it, not
knowing what it was.

Question 19

what does finding specific fossils found in specific rock layers tell geologists?

Answer 19

finding specific FOSSILS in rock layer tells geologists how old rock is in relation to other rocks in area

Question 20

what is a fossil record?

Answer 20

➢ history of Earth as documented by FOSSILS.
➢ different periods of GEOLOGIC TIME /different layers of rock have different animal/plant/bacteria/fungi FOSSILS.

Question 21

what is the geologic time scale divided into (in order from longest to shortest subdivision)?

Answer 21

EONS: longest subdivision/amount of time
ERAS: next longest subdivision/amount of time
PERIODS: shorter subdivision/amount of time
EPOCHS: shortest subdivision/amount of time

Question 22

what are the 5 massive extinctions?

Answer 22

5 MASS EXTINCTIONS: (NOTE: mya = million years ago)
1.ORDOVICIAN-SILURIAN: 440 mya
2. DEVONIAN: 365 mya
3. PERMIAN-TRIASSIC: 250 mya
4. TRIASSIC-JURASSIC: 210 mya
5. CRETACEOUS-TERTIARY: 65 mya

Question 23

what are the longest subdivision in geologic time scale and how many have there been since the formation of our planet?

Answer 23

4 eons:
1. HADEAN: 4.6 billion to 4.0 billion years ago. Earth is forming during this time. No life – Earth way too hot and molten!
2. ARCHEAN: 4.0 billion to 2.5 billion years ago. Earth’s CRUST cooling down enough to allow for life to begin!
3. PROTEROZOIC: 2.5 billion to 541 million years ago. Life forms encountered include bacteria, algae, jellyfish!
(The “PRECAMBRIAN” is a term often used to refer to HADEAN, ARCHEAN and PROTEROZOIC EONS combined)
4. Final EON, which we are still in today, is PHANEROZOIC (it started 541 million years ago).

Question 24

when did the formation of the moon (when earth and the collided) occurred?

Answer 24

during HADEAN EON

Question 25

when do the STROMATOLITES/ CYANOBACTERIA MOUNDS, oldest fossils known date to?

Answer 25

back to ARCHEAN EON

Question 26

when was the dodo bird last seen in?

Answer 26

in 1662

Question 27

in which eon, era, period and epoch are we currently in?

Answer 27

PHANEROZOIC EON, CENOZOIC ERA, QUATERNARY PERIOD, HOLOCENE EPOCH

Question 28

what is the other name for holocene epoch?

Answer 28

ANTHROPOCENE