Life On Earth

Question 1

What was the earth called when it was one huge land mass

Answer 1

Pangaea

Question 2

What 2 parts did Pangaea break into

Answer 2

1. Laurasia
2. Gondwanaland

Question 3

Define paleontology

Answer 3

The study of plant and animal fossils

Question 4

What is a paleontologist

Answer 4

A scientist who studies fossils

Question 5

How old is earth

Answer 5

4,6 billion years old

Question 6

What are the 4 eras of earth

Answer 6

1. Precambrian era
2. Palaeozoic era
3. Mesozoic era
4. Cenozoic era

Question 7

What happened in the Precambrian era

Answer 7

• Friday unicellular prokaryotes
• unicellular and multicellular eukaryotes developed

Question 8

What happened in the Paleozoic era

Answer 8

There was a huge increase in biodiversity
- mosses, ferns, oral reefs
- Fish developed lungs and amphibians developed
- Reptiles arose after the amniotic egg

Question 9

What happened in the Mesozoic era

Answer 9

Dinosaurs were dominant
- Mammals developed
- Flowering plants developed

Question 10

What happens in the Cenozoic era

Answer 10

CURRENT ERA
- More diverse birds and mammals
- Hominids evolved

Question 11

What are transition fossils

Answer 11

Between dinosaurs and modern birds

Question 12

Give an example of a traditional fossil

Answer 12

Archaeopteryx

Question 13

What are trilobites

Answer 13

They have armoires plates and hard shells with segmented parts

Question 14

What do indicator species do

Answer 14

Help scientists to identify the age of sedimentary rock

Question 15

Define extinct

Answer 15

When the last living member of a species on earth dies

Question 16

What is a mass extinction

Answer 16

When more than 70% of all species become extinct around the world and very quickly

Question 17

What are the 2 most significant mass extinctions

Answer 17

1. 250 million years ago, the end of the Paleozoic era (96% became extinct)
2. 65 millions years ago, at the end of the Mesozoic era, Dinosaurs becoming extinct

Question 18

What are possible causes of mass extinctions

Answer 18

• Large meteorites from space
• Volcanic action
• Continental drifts
• Ice ages

Question 19

What type of rock are fossils formed in

Answer 19

Sedimentary rock

Question 20

Define fossilization

Answer 20

When plants and animals become trapped in the layers and become fossils

Question 21

What are trace fossils

Answer 21

Mark or footprint left in mug or wet sand by living organisms

Question 22

What is a body fossil

Answer 22

When minerals in hard parts of animals/plants become replaced by rock minerals

Question 23

What are unaltered fossils

Answer 23

When the entire body of an organism is preserved instantly

Question 24

What are mound fossils

Answer 24

When all organisms tissue break down, leaving the exact shape impression the the rock

Question 25

What is a cast fossil

Answer 25

When other substances fill the mound and form a 3D shape of the original organism

Question 26

What are 2 methods of dating fossils

Answer 26

1. Relative dating
2. Radiometer is dating

Question 27

Why do we need to study fossils

Answer 27

• Dating layers of the earth
• Evolution
• Fossile and oil