Earth History Vocab

Front

Ancient Life era after Pre-Cambrian; known for expansion of trilobites, insects, fish, amphibians.

Back

Paleozoic

Front

Rocks formed from various types under extreme heat and pressure.

Back

Metamorphic Rock

Front

Record of life forms and geological events in Earth's history.

Back

Geological Time Scale

Front

Time for half of a radioactive sample to decay.

Back

Half-life

Front

Rock formed by cooling and solidifying of molten materials.

Back

Igneous Rock

Front

A widely distributed fossil, of narrow time range, used to determine the age of related formations.

Back

Index Fossil

Front

Science of ordering past events by comparison, not actual age.

Back

Relative Dating

Front

Movement of continents from earth's crustal plate motion

Back

Continental Drift

Front

Rock formed from sand, dirt, and organic matter that compress and harden over time, often containing fossils.

Back

Sedimentary Rock

Front

Determine the actual age of an object (rock).

Back

Absolute Dating