Fossils and Geologic Time

How do most fossils form?

• A living thing dies and is buried under sediment
• The sediment is compressed and compacted 
• They are formed in sedimentary rock
• All of these answers

What is it called when the organic matter that makes up a deposited organism decomposes and leaves a cavity?

• cast
• trace
• petrified
• mold

What is it called when water that contains a lot of minerals enters the pores of an object. Over time, the water evaporates leaving behind mineral crystals in the shape of the object.

• A petrified fossil
• A cast fossil
• A mold fossil
• A trace fossil

What is a trail, track or burrow left behind by an animal that later fossilized?

• A trace fossil
• A carbon film
• A petrified fossil
• An extrusion

What is a fossil that is useful for dating and correlating the strata in which it is found?

• a petrified fossil
• a trace fossil
• a cast fossil
• an index fossil

What is the Law of Superposition?

• The oldest rocks are at the top of the sequence and the youngest are at the bottom
• The rocks at the bottom of the sequence must be super strong to support those above
• The youngest rocks are at the top of the sequence and the oldest are at the bottom
• The forcing of molten rock into an earlier formation

What things can fossils reveal about Earth?

• How life has changed over time
• All of these answers
• How Earth's climate has changed over time
• How Earth's features have changed over time

What is relative age?

• The geologic age of a fossil, rock or geologic feature defined relative to other fossils, rocks or features
• The geologic age of a fossil based on when the relatives of that fossil died
• The geologic age of a fossil, or geologic event expressed in units of time
• How old your mom is

What is a rock mass formed by molten rock being forced into an earlier formation of rock layers?

• Extrusion
• Intrusion
• Fault
• Supposition

This palm tree fossil was found in Alaska. What can you conclude?

• Alaska used to be under water
• Alaska once had a much warmer climate
• Alaska was once an island
• This fossil washed up on the Alaskan shore