Fossil Record & Evidence Exam Study Guide

What are volcanic ash deposits and index fossils considered?

• show when an unconformity occurred

• date catastrophic geologic events

• geologic time markers

• indicator of mass extinctions

What layer of rock is the oldest?

• D

• C

• B

• E

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

Trilobite fossils are found in rock layers below the rock layers containing T-rex fossils. What can be inferred from this?

• T-rex have evolved into trilobites.

• T-rex preyed on trilobites.

• The T-rex population was larger than the trilobite population.

• Trilobites and T-rex lived in different eras.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

A fossil that has ben trapped in ice is called a trace fossil?

• true

• false

Answer explanation

It is preserved.

What is considered evidence of change over the years?

• older rock lacks fossils of mammals

• rock layers are organized from older to younger

• fossils are distributed among different rock layers

• rock layers are formed by the deposition of sediments

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

The mass extinction of which of these animals marked the end of the Mesozoic era?

• amphibians

• dinosaurs

• marine invertebrates

• woolly mammoths

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

If fossil A is found in rock layers below fossil B, which inference is the best?

• Fossil A must have evolved from Fossil B

• Fossils A and B lived during different periods of geologic time

• Fossils A and B lived during the same period of geologic time

• Fossil B existed in greater numbers

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

What explains the reason for the lack of fossil formation in the first 15 millions years of the Carboniferous Period?

• most organisms lived in water, where fossilization cannot occur

• no organisms on land

• remains of organisms were disturbed, which did not allow fossils to form

• remains of organisms were too large, which did not allow fossils to form

A researcher determines the age of a fossil using radioactive carbon dating. What should the researcher do before publishing the findings?

• Repeat the investigation multiple times for confirmation

• List the methods in a journal

• Share the results with other researchers

• Compare the age of the fossil with another fossil of the same period

What is the most recent change that happened in the rock layers?

• fault

• fold

• intrusion

• deposition

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2