Unit 6 Fossils and Geologic Time

If a fossil is present in many rock layers and then suddenly disappears and is not found in younger layers, what can be determined

• the fossil evolved into something unrecognizable

• an extinction happened that wiped this organism out

• magma or lava has solidified over the top of the rock containing the fossils causing them to be hidden

• weathering and erosion smoothed the rocks and you cannot see the fossils

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NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

How have scientists determined the beginning and end of geologic eras?

• by the # of mass extinctions in each era

• by the life forms and fossils present during each era

• by the number of years in each

• by climate change

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NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Which description correctly describes the "relative age" of a layer of rock?

• the rock is 5.3 million years old

• radioactive isotopes decay and give us an exact age of rock

• older rock is on the bottom and younger rock is on the top

• all of these are relative age terms

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NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

What should be said about this picture?

• it is inaccurate because during this era there was an ice age

• it is inaccurate because humans evolved much earlier than dinosaurs

• it is an accurate depiction of geologic time

• it is inaccurate, dinosaurs and humans did not live in the same era

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NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

What was the Cambrian Explosion?

• The massive eruption from volcanoes during the Cambrian Era

• The explosion from the asteroid that hit during the Mesozoic Era

• the explosion of life from the high levels of oxygen after the Precambrian Era

• solar radiation that caused the Great Dying during the Paleozoic Era

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NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

which geologic era is shown here:

• Percambrian

• Paleozoic

• Mesozoic

• Cenozoic

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NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

Which of the following would describe an index fossil:

• geographically widespread

• lived a short specific period of time

• found all over the world (abundant)

• all of the above

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Words such as isotope, radioactive decay, 5.4 million years, are associated with:

• absolute age

• relative age

• epcohs

• periods

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NGSS.HS-PS1-8

A tropical fossil is found in Antarctica. What could this tell you?

• that tropical plants have adapted to grow in antarctica

• that the past environment of Antarctica was once warm

• that someone moved the fossil to Antarctica

• all of these make sense

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Which of the following is a trace fossil?

• wooly mammoth frozen in ice

• elephant preserved in tar

• corprolite, or feces fossil

• insect trapped in amber