History of the Earth Review

The divisions on the geologic time scale are most like which of the following?

• a calendar with evenly divided weeks

• sand pouring steadily through an hourglass

• marking your life by the major events

• marking your life by years

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

A geologist is studying three layers of sedimentary rock in an area. The layers have not shifted from their original positions. The geologist records the relative ages of the rocks. The bottom layer is listed as the oldest. The top layer is listed as the youngest. What did the geologist use to determine the relative ages of the rocks?

• The Law of Superposition

• Mineral Content

• Radioactive Decay

• The Principle of Unconformity

The human skull is older than the fish fossil is a type of relative dating.

• True

• False

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

The boy is 12.5 years old is a type of relative dating.

• True

• False

The bone is 100 years old is a type of absolute dating.

• True

• False

Fossils of the same plants and animal species have been found on continents that are separated by the Atlantic Ocean. Which of the following statements does this observation support:

• These animals and plants crossed the Atlantic Ocean.

• The continents that are now separated by the Atlantic Ocean once formed a single landmass.

• The continents that are now separated by the Atlantic Ocean have the same kinds of organisms today as they did millions of years ago.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Which of these choices is the best definition of absolute dating?

• Determining the age of a rock layer by studying the fossils present.

• Measuring the age of an object in years.

• Finding the age of an object compared to other objects.

The hypothesis that continents have slowly moved to their current locations is called ____.

• continental slope

• magnetic reversal

• continental drift

• convection

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

The presence of the same ____ on several continents supports the hypothesis of continental drift.

• Fossils

• Rocks

• Neither Fossils nor Rocks

• Both Fossils and Rocks

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

In 1897, a British scientist proposed that Earth was between 20 and 400 million years old. Based on radiometric dating, scientists now propose a different age for earth. Based on the most current radiometric dating data, about how old is Earth

• 20 billion years old

• 40 billion years old

• 4.6 billion years old

• 2.5 billion years old

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-6