Geologic Time

Geologic Time

How can we relate rocks to time?

Multiple Choice

The earth is ______________of years old

• Hundreds

• Millions

• Billions

• Trillions

Multiple Choice

The Geologic Time Scale is a record of what?

• old geologists
• sweet geology music
• the known history of rocks and fossils
• a list of every living thing ever

Multiple Choice

Which of the following statements about the fossil record is true?

• all organisms become fossils
• organisms having soft body parts make up most of the fossils
• all organisms that have shells become fossils
• the fossil record is incomplete

Multiple Choice

Why is the fossil record incomplete?

• fossils get eroded away over time
• most organisms never became fossils
• scavengers and decomposers eat them too quickly
• all of the above

Multiple Choice

Which of the following orders the rock layers accurately from oldest to youngest?

• A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H
• B, F, G, C, D, H, A, E
• B, G, C, D, E, H, A, F
• F, A, H, E, D, C, G, B

Multiple Choice

Put the layers in order from oldest to youngest.

• a, b, c, d, e
• b, c, d, a, e
• b, c, d, e, a 
• e, d, c, b, a

Multiple Choice

In this rock layer diagram there are two unconformities, a fault at E and an intrusion at D. Which unconformity occurred first?  How do you know?

• Intrusion D occurred first because the instrusion has been moved by the fault.
• The fault occurred first because it has moved the intrusion D.
• Intrusion D occurred first because it can be seen in all of the rock layers.
• Fault E occurred first because it is a normal fault.

Multiple Choice

Trilobites came before dinosaurs because they were found in a lower rock layer

• absolute dating

• relative dating

Multiple Choice

The earth is 4.6 billion years old

• absolute dating

• relative dating

Multiple Choice

Which type of dating method can be used on rock layers by applying the Law of Superposition?

• relative dating

• absolute dating

• radioactive dating

• radiometric dating

Multiple Choice

Which type of dating method can be used on rock layers by applying the Law of Superposition?

• relative dating
• absolute dating
• radioactive dating
• radiometric dating