Rocks and Fossils

According to the law of superposition, the oldest fossils are found 

• At the top of the rock layers
• Near the bottom of the rock layers
• In the middle of the rock layers
• Somewhat near the surface

According to the law of superposition, which layer is the youngest?

• A
• B
• C

Which rock layer or intrusion is the youngest?

• A
• B
• C
• D

The time required for half of a sample of a radioactive isotope to break down by radioactive decay to form a daughter isotope is called what?

• uniformitarianism
• relative age
• half-life
• radioactive dating

The trace or remains of an organism that lived long ago, most commonly preserved in sedimentary rock

• varve
• index fossil
• trace fossil
• fossil

Which of the following is a method of determining the absolute age of an object by comparing the relative percentages of a radioactive (parent) isotope and a stable (daughter) isotope?

• radiometric dating
• uniformitarionism
• law of superposition
• paleontology

A principle that geologic processes that occurred in the past can be explained by current geologic processes is called...

• paleontology
• law of superposition
• relative age
• uniformitarianism

The age of an object in relation to the ages of other objects is known as what?

• relative age
• absolute age
• half-life
• unconformity

The numeric age of an object or event, often stated in years before the present, as established by an absolute-dating process such as radiometric dating is known as what?

• half-life
• varve
• relative age
• absolute age

A pair of sedimentary layers (one coarse, one fine) that is deposited in an annual cycle, commonly in glacial lakes, and that can be used to determine absolute age is called what?

• trace fossil
• index fossil
• varve
• fossil