Geologic Time Vocabulary

Trace or remains of an organism that lived long ago and is most commonly preserved in sedimentary rock.

• trace fossil

• fossil record

• fossil

A fossilized structure that formed in sedimentary rock by animal activity on or in soft sediment. Examples: tracks, burrows.

• trace fossil

• fossil

• fossil record

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

All the fossils that have been discovered on Earth.

• fossil

• trace fossil

• fossil record

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

_____ fossils indicate an aquatic environment.

• Trace

• Palm

• Fish

• Tree

_____ fronds indicate a tropical environment.

• Palm

• Tree

• Coconut

Any method of determining whether an event or object is older or younger than other events or objects.

• Law of Superposition

• absolute age

• relative age

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

In horizontal layers of undisturbed sedimentary rock the youngest rocks are on the top and the oldest are on the bottom.

• relative age

• absolute age

• Law of Superposition

• unconformity

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

Represents time during which no sediments were deposited and the local record for that time interval is missing.

• geological column

• unconformity

• Law of Superposition

• radioactive decay

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

An ordered arrangement of rock layers that is based on the relative age of the rocks and in which the oldest rocks are at the bottom.

• Law of Superposition

• absolute age

• unconformity

• geological column

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

Most accurate form of dating, also called radiometric dating.

• geological column

• absolute age

• radioactive decay

• half-life

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-8