Relative Dating & Vocabulary Terms

A long and distinct period of history with a particular feature or characteristics—subdivision of the Eon of the geologic time scale--there are 4 of these

• Eon

• Era

• Period

• Epoch

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

The largest division of the geologic time scale---there is only 1 of these

• Eon

• Era

• Period

• Epoch

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

Subdivisions of the era of the geologic time scale--there are 13 of these

• Eon

• Era

• Period

• Epoch

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

Subdivision of the periods of the geological time scale--there are 7 of these

• Eon

• Era

• Period

• Epoch

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

This is the part of Earth’s history that spans approximately 541 million years ago to 252 million

years ago. This era began with an explosion of new life

• Pre Cambrian Era

• Paleozoic Era

• Cenozoic Era

• Mesozoic Era

This was the part of Earth’s history that spanned approximately 252 million years ago to 66 million. This period of

“middle animal life” is sometimes also referred to as the “Age of Reptiles”. This is due to the many types of

ocean and land reptiles, including the dinosaurs, which evolved during this time.

years ago.

• Pre Cambrian Era

• Mesozoic Era

• Paleozoic Era

• Cenozoic Era

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

This is the part of Earth’s history which spans from 66 million years ago to the present. It began began after the extinction of the dinosaurs, This is referred to as r the “Age of Mammals”. This is due to the variety of mammals which evolved during this time.

• Mesozoic Era

• Pre Cambrian Era

• Cenozoic Era

• Paleozoic Era

The "Age of Early Life." continents formed and our modern atmosphere developed, while early life evolved and flourished. Soft-bodied creatures like worms and jellyfish lived in the world's oceans, but the land remained barren.

• Paleozoic Era

• Cenozoic Era

• Pre Cambrian Era

• Mesozoic Era

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

A piece of an older rock that becomes part of a new rock--made of magma that has hardened and cooled into the sedimentary layer---it is younger that the layer it cuts into

• Intrusion

• Rock Strata

• Fault

• Paleontologist

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

A break in the earth’s crust--causes the rock layers to slide up or down or past one another

• Rock Strata

• Fault

• Paleontologist

• Intrusion