Earth's History Test Review

Which of the following is an example of relative dating?

• All the children are about the same age.

• Danny is 12 and his sister is 9.

• The children's ages are 11, 16, and 4

• Evelyn is older than her brother but younger than her sister.

When a rock changes over time

• parent isotopes decrease and daughter isotopes also decrease.

• parent isotopes increase and daughter isotopes decrease.

• parent isotopes don't change and daughter isotopes increase.

• parent isotopes decrease and daughter isotopes increase.

When rock layers are placed in order from youngest to oldest, we are making a

• geologic history.

• geologic record.

• geologic column.

• fossil record.

What type of physical evidence is shown?

• ice core

• fossil

• coprolite

• trilobite

When an organism moves through soft sediment, what type of fossil might be formed?

• trace fossil

• frozen fossil

• index fossil

• petrified fossil

Indicating the age of a rock in years can also be called

• the half-life of the rock.

• the absolute age of the rock.

• the radiocarbon age of the rock.

• the age of the fossils in the rock.

Which of the following is true about the picture?

• Intrusion D is the youngest event.

• Rock layer A is the oldest layer.

• Fault E is younger than intrusion D.

• Rock layer B is older than rock layer C.

Which statement best describes an index fossil?

• a fossil that can be used to establlish the absolute age of a rock layer

• a fossil which is formed in soft sediment by the movement of an animal

• a fossil of an insect captured in amber

• a fossil of an animal captured in ice

What is the law of superposition?

• Igneous rock is older than nearby sedimentary rock, which is older than nearby metamorphic rock.

• A sedimentary rock layer in its original position is older than the layers above it and younger than the layers below it.

• Metamorphic rock is older than nearby sedimentary rock because sedimentary rock is deposited before metamorphic rock forms.

• The exact age of a sedimentary rock layer can be found using the layers above and below it, even if the layers are not in their original positions.

Why can a sample of granite be more easily dated than a sample of sandstone?

• The granite is older.

• The granite is igneous.

• The granite is younger.

• The granite is sedimentary.