Earth Science - Chapter 5 - The Changing Earth

Name:

The earliest human records date back to about _____ years ago.

• 3000
• 5000
• 7000
• 12,000

Which of the following features that exist today do secular scientists believe formed first?

• atmospheric oxygen
• continents
• moon
• oceans

According to most secular geologists, which of these was caused by a collision?

• the earth
• the moon
• both the earth and the moon
• neither the earth nor the moon

The order of events in the Genesis Creation account is _____ the order in which secular scientists believe things have evolved.

• different from
• identical to
• the exact opposite of
• somewhat similar to

Geologically, the term stratum refers to

• a long period of time.
• a rare fossil.
• a large plate of the earth's crust.
• a layer of rock.

Geologists estimate an absolute age for a rock by using

• the principle of superposition.
• radiometric dating.
• its composition.
• tectonic dating.

Scientists who study layers of rocks and their relationships are working in a field called

• tectonics.
• paleontology.
• stratigraphy.
• radiometry.

Which one of the following four terms does not belong with the other three?

• span
• eon
• epoch
• age

Which of these has been used to hypothesize which continents were at one time joined?

• climates
• magnetic crystals
• glaciers
• mountains