Fossils and Earth's past

What is a fossil

• Fossils are the remains or traces of ancient living things preserved in rock or sediment.

• a rock

• a dead animal

• a cool song from the old days

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When scientists analyze the fossil record, they find organisms that are similar to some organisms of today with noticeable

changes. How does this help scientists to interpret the past?

• It doesn't help them at all.

  
  

• It allows them to see how organisms have changed over time.

  
  

• It allows them to see how organisms have remained the same over time.

  
  

• It allows them to see that there is no relationship between the past and today.

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How can fossils tell us about Earth's past?

• Fossils give clues about environmental changes where the organism lived.

• Fossils can be used to date the time period of rocks and rock layers when the organism lived

• Fossils can give clues of changes in the organism's body structure over time.

• All of the above are true.

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Scientists have found large groups of fossils of marine organisms on mountaintops. What does this tell scientists about the past?

• That these rocks were once below the surface of an ocean.

• That these organisms left the ocean and climbed to the top of an inland mountain to die.

• that these rocks were always above the surface of an ocean.

• That these rocks must have been moved there by some one else.

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Where can the oldest layer be found?

• The top layer
• The middle layer
• They are all the same age
• The bottom layer

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How are fossils created?

• Traces of organisms get turned into stone.
• Dead organisms are quickly buried for millions of years.
• Animals get trapped.
• All of the above

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Which layer formed first?

• Rock Layer W
• Rock Layer X
• Rock Layer Y
• Rock Layer Z

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Cavity in a rock made when an organism decayed

• cast
• mold 
• original remains

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Principle that states in a sequence of undisturbed rocks, the oldest rocks are on the bottom and the rocks become progressively younger toward the top 

• superposition 
• uniformitarianism
• half-life

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If scientists found this fossil, what could they infer?

• what fish are like today
• that this fish lacked oxygen
• what kind of animal ate this fish
• that water once covered the area

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