Geologic Time Scale Quiz

In what geological era are we currently living?

• Precambrian Time

• Paleozoic Era

• Mesozoic Era

• Cenozoic Era

Dinosaurs ruled the Earth in what period?

• Precambrian Time

• Paleozoic Era

• Mesozoic Era

• Cenozoic Era

Which of these time periods lasted the longest?

• Precambrian Time

• Paleozoic Era

• Mesozoic Era

• Cenozoic Era

Saying you are older than a baby is an example of_______?

• Absolute Age

• Relative Age

• The Law of Superposition

• Principle of Original Horizontality

What evidence do scientists use to determine the age of the Earth

• Index fossils

• Stratigraphy (looking at Earth's layers)

• Radioactive dating

• All of the above

About how old is the Earth

• 5 billion years old

• 4.9 billion years old

• 4.6 billion years old

• 4.6 million years old

When an entire species dies all at once it is called extinction

• True

• False

If the same index fossils are found in different rock strata miles apart, what is probably true about the rock layers?

• The strata occurred at different periods

• they are not both index fossils

• the fossils are from different creatures

• the strata are from the same relative time period

Which is true about absolute dating?

• It uses the half -life of isotopes to get the exact age of a rock or mineral

• The law of Superposition is used to determine the absolute date of rocks

• Index fossils are compared to like fossils in other strata to determine absolute age

• It uses half life to determine the length of time an organism lived in various time periods

Explanation of why layers of the Earth might be altered include:

• Law of Superposition

• Law of Gravity and Motion

• Principle of Cross Cutting Relationships

• Radioactive Isotopes