Geologic Time Table Flashcards

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1
Q

Involves vast amounts of times - millions or billions of years

A

Magnitude of geologic time

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2
Q

Describes the processes in the geologic time

A

Gradual

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3
Q

The basis of the division of the time scale

A

Life-forms

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4
Q

Geologic time divisions called

A

Geochronological units

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5
Q

Most life-forms found as

A

Fossils

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6
Q

Divisions in the geologic time scale

A

Eons, eras, periods, epochs

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7
Q

Longest subdivision; based on the abundance of certain fossils

A

Eons

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8
Q

The four geologic eons

A

Phanerozoic, Proterozoic, Archaean, Hadean

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9
Q

The four geologic eons collectively called

A

Precambrian

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10
Q

Percentage that the Precambrian encompasses in the geologic time

A

about 88%

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11
Q

Next to the longest subdivision; marked by major changes in the fossil record

A

Eras

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12
Q

Three geologic eras

A

Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic

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13
Q

The basic unit of geologic time

A

Period

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14
Q

Large interval units of time that encompasses smaller intervals of time

A

Periods

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15
Q

Paleozoic meaning

A

Old Life

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16
Q

Mesozoic meaning

A

Middle Life

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17
Q

Cenozoic meaning

A

New Life

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18
Q

Began with the breakup of one supercontinent and the formation of another; plants became widespread; vertebrate animals colonized the land; abundant ocean-dwelling organisms that required oxygen to live

A

Paleozoic era

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19
Q

Six divisions of the Paleozoic era

A

Permian, Carboniferous, Devonian, Silurian, Ordovician, and Cambrian

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20
Q

Major extinction; reptiles diversify

A

Permian period

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21
Q

First reptiles, trees, seed ferns

A

Carboniferous period

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22
Q

First amphibians; fish diversify

A

Devonian

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23
Q

First vascular plants

A

Silurian

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24
Q

Major diversification of animal life

A

Ordovician

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25
Q

First fish, first chordates (animal with backbone)

A

Cambrian

26
Q

Pangaea stars to separate into

A

Laurasia and Gondwana

27
Q

Began approximately 250 million years ago after a major mass extinction

A

Mesozoic era

28
Q

3 subdivisions of the Mesozoic era

A

Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous

29
Q

Major event of the Mesozoic era

A

Breakup of Pangaea

30
Q

When Mesozoic era ended with a major mass extinction

A

66 million years ago

31
Q

Life forms that dominated the Triassic

A

Gymnosperms and ferns

32
Q

Seed-bearing plant that bears its seeds on the surface of cones

A

Gymnosperm

33
Q

Conifers and cycad forests dominate such as

A

Mosses and liverworts, gingkoes, palm-like cycads

34
Q

Reptiles in the Triassic

A

Icthyosaurs (4.5-9 m); Plesiosaurs (15 m); Pliosaurs (4-15 m)

35
Q

Dinosaurs dominate such as

A

Allosaurs, Diplodocus, Brachiosaurus, Stegasaurus

36
Q

Tiny animal of the mid-Jurassic; ancestor of placental mammals

A

Juramia

37
Q

Indicates that mammals evolved much earlier than previously thought

A

Juramia

38
Q

The breakup of Pangaea into separate continents was underway.

A

Cretaceous period

39
Q

The Cretaceous period dated back

A

135 million years ago

40
Q

Complete separation of Laurasia and Gondwana

A

Cretaceous period

41
Q

In the first half of the Cretaceous,

A

warm temperatures, low seasonality, and high global sea levels

42
Q

At the end of the Cretaceous,

A

severe climate changes, lowered sea levels, and high volcanic activity

43
Q

Dinosaurs that dominated in the Cretaceous

A

T.rex (carnivore), Triceratops (horned); Trachadon (duck-billed)

44
Q

Plants in the Triassic

A

Gingko, cycad, and conifer

45
Q

66 million years ago, a 10-km wide meteorite struct the Earth near what is now Mexico.

A

Meteorite impact theory

46
Q

The impact caused

A

Shock waves, tidal waves, a tremendous amount of dust into the atmosphere

47
Q

As the dust re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere, it would have instantly heated the atmosphere which caused

A

forest fires

48
Q

Age of the mammals

A

Cenozoic era

49
Q

Cenozoic era dated when

A

65,000,000 years ago until the present

50
Q

Two periods of the Cenozoic era

A

Tertiary, quaternary

51
Q

The other term used to refer to the Cenozoic era

A

“Era of recent life”

52
Q

The time that the world took on its modern form

A

Cenozoic era

53
Q

Reptiles in the Cenozoic era

A

Rattlesnake, chameleon, desert tortoise, turtle, American alligator

54
Q

The epoch determined by its warm climate

A

Eocene epoch

55
Q

The oldest known fossils of the modern order of mammals appeared during this time period.

A

Eocene epoch

56
Q

Types of plants that became dominant in the Eocene epoch

A

Gymnosperms and angiosperms

57
Q

Major boundaries between geological divisions corresponded to

A

Extinction events in the fossil record

58
Q

O2 began accumulating in the atmosphere and rusting iron-rich terrestrial rocks.

A

2.7 billion years ago

59
Q

From 2.7 to 2.3 billion years ago, caused the extinction of many prokaryotic groups

A

:“Oxygen revolution”

60
Q

Groups adapted using

A

Cellular respiration