Organizing Earth's History - vocabulary

The age of a rock compared to other rocks (e.g. younger, older) is called

• Extinctions

• Absolute Age

• Relative Age

• Strata

A fossil of an organism that was widely distributed and existed for only a short period of time is a(n)...

• Strata

• Index Fossil

• Law of Superposition

• Absolute Age

What are the layers of sedimentary rock called?

• Index Fossil

• Extinctions

• Law of Crosscutting

• Strata

What is a layer or fault that "cuts through" other layers is younger than those layers called?

• Law of Crosscutting

• Law of Superposition

• Extinctions

• Absolute Age

In undisturbed sedimentary rock layers, the oldest layer is at the bottom and the youngest layer is at the top. This is called the ______________.

• Relative Age

• Absolute Age

• Law of Superposition

• Law of Crosscutting

What do we call the actual age of a rock or fossil? (e.g. 13 million years old)

• Absolute Age

• Relative Age

• Extinctions

• Strata

What is the death of all members of a species of plants, animals or other organisms called?

• Index Fossil

• Law of Superposition

• Law of Crosscutting

• Extinctions

This disturbance happens when rock layers bend due to compression.

• Faulting

• Folding

• Unconformity

• Intrusion

Movement of rocks on either side of a fracture is this type of disturbance.

• Uplift

• Faulting

• Folding

• Intrusion

This disturbance happens when an igneous rock layer forms when magma hardens beneath Earths surface.

• Intrusion

• Folding

• Faulting

• Unconformity