Earth Science Midterm quiz

Geologic Time

• A theoretical object that absorbs and emits all radiation perfectly.
• A major division of geologic time that contains two or more periods.
• A spectrum with dark lines caused by absorption of specific wavelengths.
• The interval of time since the formation of Earth.

Geologic Time Scale

• The reflectivity of a nonluminous object.
• All of space and everything in it.
• A division of geologic time based on evolutionary events of Earth's history.
• The energy transmitted through space by electric and magnetic fields.

Eon

• A layer in the Sun's atmosphere between the photosphere and the corona.
• The longest division of geologic time that contains two or more eras.
• The mass of a substance per unit volume.
• A period of colder than average climate with expanding glaciers.

Era

• A major division of geologic time that contains two or more periods.
• The distance between two successive crests of a wave.
• Electromagnetic radiation filling the universe.
• A theory proposing continuous creation of matter to maintain a constant density as the universe expands.

Period

• The force of attraction between two bodies due to their masses.
• A theory explaining the origin of the universe, proposing that it has expanded from a condition that existed at 'time zero.'
• A division of geologic time that contains two or more epochs.
• The energy transmitted through space by electric and magnetic fields.

Epoch

• The explosion of a massive star after its core has burned out.
• A scientist who studies Earth's past climate.
• The longest division of geologic time that contains two or more eras.
• A short division of geologic history that contains a notable event.

Relative Age

• A theoretical object that absorbs and emits all radiation perfectly.
• Electromagnetic radiation at wavelengths shorter than visible light.
• The age of a sample expressed as younger or older than another rock or fossil.
• The longest division of geologic time that contains two or more eras.

Absolute Age

• The collapsed core of a massive star resulting from a supernova explosion.
• Changes in an orbiting body's axis of rotation or orbit due to gravitational tugs by celestial bodies.
• The age of a sample expressed in years.
• The thin layer of gases surrounding planets and stars held by gravity.

Radioactive Decay

• A small planetary body in orbit around the Sun, larger than a meteoroid but smaller than a planet.
• A scientist who studies the origin and dynamics of the universe.
• The process by which an unstable atom loses particles from its nucleus.
• Single-celled organisms with calcium carbonate shells that live in marine and freshwater environments.

Parent Atom

• The collapsed core of a massive star resulting from a supernova explosion.
• A small planetary body in orbit around the Sun, larger than a meteoroid but smaller than a planet.
• The atom that undergoes radioactive decay in a nuclear reaction.
• An instrument used to view distant objects using lenses and/or mirrors.