5.7A Pre-Assessment

In addition to long periods of time, all of the following are necessary for the formation of fossil fuels EXCEPT –

• extreme heat
• organic matter
• fresh water
• intense pressure

Coal often forms where once there were swamps. What characteristic of swamps is important to the formation of coal?

• High temperature
• Abundant plant life
• Frequent rains
• Reptile predators

What changes buried organic matter into fossil fuels?

• Industrial pollution
• Ocean currents
• Volcanic activity
• heat and pressure
  Heat and pressure

A student creates a model of the formation of fossil fuels by first placing a layer of leaves, representing organic matter, in the bottom of a cup. What step will come next in the model?

• Pouring water over the leaves to model washing away by rivers
• Adding sand on top of the leaves to model burial in sediments
• Burning the leaves to model the decay of the organic matter
• Putting the leaves in the freezer to model conditions on top of mountains

Several layers of sedimentary rock are illustrated. They are in the same order as when they first formed.
Which layer formed first?

• W
• X
• Y
• Z