Paleontology Review Game

Chapters 8 & 9

Question #1

What is uniformitarianism?

A principle that Earth’s history can be explained by current geologic processes.

Question # 2

What does the law of superposition state?

Younger layers of sedimentary rock are above older layers, as long as they are undisturbed.

Question # 3

What laws states that a fault or body of rock is younger than any other rock it cuts through?

Law of cross-cutting relationships

Question # 4

What is the difference between relative age and absolute age?

Relative age is the age of an object in relation to the ages of other objects. While, absolute age is the numeric age of an object.

Question # 5

What is special about Carbon-14 as an isotope?

It can be used to date objects that are less than 70,000 years old.

Question # 6

Why would you not want to use rates of erosion to date geologic features?

Rates of erosion may vary greatly over a million years.

Question # 7

What does an index fossil found in different areas of the world indicate about the rock layers?

They formed during the same period of time.

Question # 8

What type of rock would you most likely find a fossil in?

Sedimentary rocks

Question # 9

What is the study of fossils called?

Paleontology

Question # 10

What are the 5 ways that a fossil can form?

Mummification, amber, tar seeps, freezing, and petrification

• Make sure you know what each one means… page 198 will help!

Question # 11

What is fossilized dung or waste called?

Coprolite

Question # 12

What do you call a layer of sediment that is deposited annually in lakes near glaciers?

A varve

Question # 13

What is a trace fossil?

A fossilized mark that formed by the movement of an animal

Question # 14

What’s an epoch?

Shorter time units of a period.. Division is Due to a detailed fossil record

Question # 15

How is a geologic time period named?

Named after the place where its characteristic fossils were first discovered

Question # 16

What division of geologic time makes up about 88% of Earth’s history?

Precambrian time

Question # 17

During what division of geologic time did Pangea occur?

Paleozoic era

Question # 18

What is the age of fishes also known as?

The Devonian Period

Question # 19

What is The cenozoic era also known as?

Age of mammals

Question # 20

First land plants developed during this geologic time era?

Paleozoic

Question # 21

What happened when temperatures decreased during the ice ages of the Cenozoic era?

New mammal species developed

Vocabulary to KnowDisconformityOriginal HorizontalityAngular conformityNonconformityPeriodEraepoch

Geologic columnGeologic time scalePrecambrian timeMass extinctionPaleozoic eraCenozoic era