Fossils and Geologic Time

Front

What can we conclude about sedimentary rock layers that contain ocean organisms found at a mountain top?

Back

The area was once underwater, indicating geological changes over time.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Front

Where in North America would you expect to find 100 million year old sedimentary rocks with fossils of microscopic ocean organisms?

Back

Western Interior Seaway.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

Front

What is the term for dating that uses the properties of atoms in rocks to determine their ages?

Back

Absolute dating.

Front

What does it indicate if the same sequence of rock layers is observed over a large area?

Back

A large deposit of rock formed over a large area.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

Front

What are rock layers correlated by?

Back

The presence of the same fossils.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Front

What type of rock is primarily associated with fossils?

Back

Sedimentary rock.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Front

What is the significance of fossils in understanding Earth's history?

Back

Fossils provide evidence of past life and environmental conditions.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Front

What is the principle of superposition in geology?

Back

In undisturbed sedimentary rock layers, the oldest layers are at the bottom and the youngest are at the top.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

Front

What is relative dating in geology?

Back

Determining the age of rocks and fossils in relation to one another, without exact dates.

Front

What is the role of the Western Interior Seaway in North American geology?

Back

It was a large inland sea that existed during the Late Cretaceous period.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3