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Geology 1404 > Unit 6 Poss. Test Questions > Flashcards

Unit 6 Poss. Test Questions Flashcards

1
Q

What percentage of time is represented by the Paleozoic Era since the Precambrian?

A

The Precambrian (early life) Era of the Phanerozoic (visible life) Eon represents almost 50% of the time since the Precambrian (a total of 291 MY).

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2
Q

What type of fossil was used to redefine the Precambrian-Cambrian boundary in 1991?

A

First appearance of trace fossils.

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3
Q

Sort the seven (7) periods of the Paleozoic Era in order from oldest to youngest.

A
  • Cambrian (oldest)
  • Ordovician
  • Silurian
  • Devonian
  • Mississippi
  • Pennsylvania
  • Permian
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4
Q

How does the US subdivide the Carboniferous Period?

A

Mississippian and Pennsylvanian.

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5
Q

What was Laurentia?

A

Ancestral North America.

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6
Q

In the Early Paleozoic, where was Texas located (in reference to the equator)?

A

South of the equator.

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7
Q

What is the eustatic sea level?

A

World-wide sea levels.

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8
Q

Describe an epicontinental sea.

A

Widespread, shallow seas that transgress or regress over a craton.

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9
Q

What is a transgressive sea?

A

A rise in sea level, generally over a craton.

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10
Q

Describe (draw) a rock sequence associated with a transgressive sea.

A

Bottom to top: Sandstone, Shale, then Limestone.

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11
Q

What is a regressive sea?

A

A fall in sea level, generally off a craton.

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12
Q

Describe (draw) a rock sequence associated with a regressive sea.

A

Bottom to top: Limestone, Shale, then Sandstone.

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13
Q

In general, what can be said about average sea levels during the Cambrian as compared to today?

A

Epicontinental seas cover a large portion of the North American craton.

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14
Q

What was the transcontinental arch?

A

A series of large, late Cambrian island arcs that extended to southern New Mexico and West Texas

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15
Q

Where do we find Cambrian age rock in Texas?

A
  • Bliss Sandstone (El Paso area)
  • Enchanted Rock area (Central Texas)
  • Hickory Sandstone (Mason, Texas
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16
Q

What is the Cambrian explosion?

A

The sudden appearance of other diversified shelly metazoans.

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17
Q

Why would animals with protective shells be more likely to survive?

A

Having protective shells means they won’t get eaten.

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18
Q

What is meant by “unknown phyla” of the Cambrian?

A

Many animals of the Burgess shale are “unknown phyla” - have no living organisms with their basic body plan.

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19
Q

Which geologic period had the most diverse phyla?

A

The Cambrian Period.

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20
Q

What is the significance of the Cambrian Chinese fossil site and it’s fossils?

A
  • The fossils here are really complex considering that complex life is just beginning on Earth.
  • This implies that the Cambrian explosion may have occurred in as little as 10 MY.
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21
Q

Why are the Burgess shale and its fossils so important to understanding the Cambrian Period?

A

The Burgess shale contains some of the best period examples of soft bodied flora and fauna known.

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22
Q

What represents the first known vertebrate?

A

Fish.

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23
Q

What period is known as the Age of the Trilobites?

A

The Cambrian Period.

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24
Q

What marks the end of the Cambrian?

A

Colder temperatures and mass extinction of most of the trilobites.

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25
Q

What type of tectonic zone is associated with orogenies?

A

Convergent zones. {Colliding plates}

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26
Q

Which mountains were formed with the Taconic Orogeny?

A

The Appalachian Mountains.

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27
Q

Why do mountains persist for hundreds of millions of years despite erosion?

A

Isostasy: the concept of the Earth’s crust floating on a dense underlying layer.
-Can be illustrated by a cork in floating water.
Isostatic rebound: the phenomena in which unloading (erosion) of the crust (mountains) causes the crust to rise until it attains equilibrium.

28
Q

What do we call the deeper parts of mountains?

A

Mountain roots.

29
Q

Why is the Ordovician Ellenberger Formation important to Texas?

A

Oil and gas.

30
Q

When did plants become widespread in the seas?

A

The Ordovician Period.

31
Q

Which plants may have invaded land during the Ordovician?

A

Primitive algae and lichens.

32
Q

Why is the Silurian Period Fusselman Dolostone important to Texas?

A

The Fusselman Dolomite is a major oil and gas producer.

33
Q

What major evolutionary step did fish undergo during the Silurian?

A

The first fish with jaws would develop during the Silurian Period.

34
Q

Which was the first life form that moved onto land?

A

Algae and vascular plants. [Earliest known: Psilopsids]

35
Q

What was the first animal life form that moved onto land?

A

The earliest animals on land would be insects.

36
Q

During what period did this land invasion take place?

A

Silurian.

37
Q

At the end of the Devonian, Laurentia is now called _______.

A

Laurasia (?)

38
Q

What state contains a large portion of the mini-continent Antler Highlands?

A

Nevada

39
Q

What mineral is associated with the Antler Highlands?

A

Gold mining.

40
Q

What period is called the Age of Fish?

A

The Devonian Period.

41
Q

What is a tetrapod?

A

Vertebrate animals having 4 feet or leg-like appendages (excludes fish)

42
Q

What advantage might a lobe-fin give to a fish?

A

Able to move to more places in order to feed.

43
Q

Besides insects, which was the second group of animals to invade the land?

A

Fish.

44
Q

When did Earth’s second mass extinction occur?

A

At the end of the Devonian.

45
Q

Name an important Mississippian Period formation found in Texas and why is it important?

A

The Barnett Formation has oil and gas wells, contributes +$100 to the Texas economy.

46
Q

What type of eggs had to evolve for animals to advance to other environments?

A

Amniotic eggs.

47
Q

Which Period is known as the Age of the Insects?

A

The Pennsylvanian Period.

48
Q

How long has cockroaches been around?

A

The Pennsylvanian Period.

49
Q

Which Texas uplift is associated with the Ouachita Orogeny?

A

Llano Uplift.

50
Q

Which widespread energy “mineral” was formed in the Pennsylvanian Period?

A

Major swamps are located along the equator, which will become vast coal deposits.

51
Q

Where are Pennsylvanian Period age rocks found in Texas?

A

Pennsylvanian limestone.

52
Q

Name the three orogenies associated with the Appalachian Mountains?

A

Taconic, Alleghanian, _________

53
Q

How long will Earth’s fourth ice age last in the Permian?

A

For half of the Permian Period.

54
Q

Which thick evaporate deposit was formed in the Texas Permian basin?

A

Castile Gypsum.

55
Q

Which Texas mountain cliff is an ancient Permian reef?

A

El Capitan in the Guadalupe Mountains.

56
Q

What valuable resource is found in the Texas Permian basin?

A

The Permian Basin is famous for its huge oil and gas deposits.

57
Q

What do Seymouria, Eryops, and Diplocaulus have in common?

A

Large primitive amphibians living along the shorelines of Texas.

58
Q

Which carnivorous mammal-like reptiles occurred in the Permian Period and also in Texas?

A

Dimetrodons.

59
Q

Where have Dimetrodons been found in Texas?

A

Dimetrodon skeletons have been found in Archer County, North Texas.

60
Q

What can be considered mammal-like?

A

Primitive differentiation of teeth.

61
Q

What happened at the end of the Permian (life forms)?

A

The end of the Permian Period results in the largest mass extinction event ever recorded on Earth.

62
Q

During which three Paleozoic Periods did Earth suffer major extinctions?

A

Ordovician, Devonian, Permian

63
Q

Which of the three Paleozoic Periods were the worst?

A

Permian.

64
Q

What is the probable cause of this [worst Paleozoic Period] extinction?

A

We do not know for certain. [heat/deserts everywhere]

65
Q

What defines a mass extinction?

A

The planet-wide disappearance of a species or higher taxonomic group, twice the background rate.

66
Q

What is the effect of extinction of a major dominant species?

A

The extinction of a large number of dominant species is instrumental in the expansion of “minor” species to fill the niche left open.

Geology 1404 (7 decks)

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