Geologic Time and Fossils

How old do Paleontologists believe the Earth is?

• 2015 years old
• 3.6 billion years old
• 4.6 billion years old
• 4.6 million years old

Which of the following statements about the fossil record is true?

• all organisms become fossils
• organisms having soft body parts make up most of the fossils
• all organisms that have shells become fossils
• the fossil record is incomplete

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

• Extrusion
• Intrusion
• Fault
• Supposition

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 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

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

As ____ evolved, they changed Earth’s atmosphere by producing oxygen.

• cyanobacteria
• reptiles
• trilobites
• dinosaurs

Humans appeared in the ____ Era.

• Cenozoic
• Paleozoic
• Mesozoic
• Devonian