Historical Geo_Geologic Time Flashcards
“The physical, chemical, and biological laws that operate today have also operated in the geologic past” is a statement of the doctrine of
uniformitarianism
The task of matching up rocks of similar ages in different regions is known as ____________
correlation
Fossils that are widespread geographically and are limited to a short span of time are referred to as _________ fossils.
relative?
A(n) ___________ in the rock record represents a long period during which deposition ceased, erosion removed previously formed rocks, and then deposition resumed.
unconformity
The process by which atomic nuclei spontaneously break apart (decay) is termed ______________
fission
The doctrine of ____________ implies that Earth’s landscape has been developed by worldwide disasters over a short time span.
catastrophism
The greatest expanses of geologic time are referred to as _______________.
eons
Nicolaus Steno proposed the most basic principle of relative dating, the law of __________________.
superposition
Which eon of the geologic time scale means “visible life”?
Phanerozoic
The doctrine of ___________ was put forth by James Hutton in his monumental work Theory of the Earth.
uniformitarianism
Rock layers that have been deposited essentially without interruption are said to be ____________ strata.
conformable
The major units of the geologic time scale were delineated during the __________.
1800s
The type of date that places events in proper sequence is referred to as a(n) ____________ date.
relative
The remains or traces of prehistoric life are known as _______________
fossils
A(n) _____________ consists of tilted rocks that are overlain by younger, more flat-flying strata.
angular unconformity
Atoms with the same atomic number but different mass numbers are called _________________.
isotopes
A break that separates older metamorphic rocks from younger sedimentary rocks immediately above them is a type of unconformity called a(n) _________________.
nonconformity
“Most layers of sediments are deposited in horizontal position” is a statement of the principle of ______________.
original horizontality
Which one of the following is NOT an era of the Phanerozoic eon?
-Proterozoic
-Mesozoic
-Paleozoic
-Cenozoic
Proterozoic
Pieces of one rock unit contained within another are called ________________.
inclusions
Which one of the following is NOT a common type of radioactive decay?
-alpha particle emission
-nuclei ionization
-beta particle emission
-electron capture
nuclei ionization
Earth is about _______________ years old.
4.5 billion
A date that pinpoints the time in history when something took place is known as a(n) ___________ date.
numerical
During radioactive decay, what will be the parent/daughter ratio after three half-lives?
1:7
The principle of fossil _________________ states that fossil organisms succeed one another in a definite and determinable order.
succession
