8th Grade Chapter 6 Test

If a trilobite was buried by ocean sediment, it would leave a cavity, or a(n)

• trace fossil
• mold
• cast
• index fossil

What process involves the comparison of rock layers with others in a sequence to determine its age?

• radioactive decay
• radiometric dating
• relative dating
• absolute dating

Which of the following is the largest division of geologic time?

• eon
• epoch
• era
• period

Erosion is one of the major causes of the missing rock layers, known as

• superposition
• unconformities
• the geologic column
• tilting

A fossil used to date surrounding rock layers is called a(n)

• index fossil
• mold
• cast
• trace fossil

To determine the most accurate and precise age of Earth's oldest rocks, geologists would use

• relative dating
• the uranium-lead method
• the carbon-14 method
• index fossils

Which of the following is a trace fossil?

• a mark left by a dinosaur's tail
• a mosquito trapped in amber
• a mummified plant seed
• a frozen wooly mammoth

How many years of the history of Earth do geologists study?

• 5000 years
• 1000 years
• 2.5 million years
• 4.6 billion years

Which of the following processes always occurs at a steady rate?

• erosion
• decay of organic matter
• sediment deposition
• radioactive decay

The phrase "younger over older" could be used to remember the principle of

• absolute dating
• geologic columns
• unconformities
• superposition