Geologic Time Scale Quiz

Who published the first laws of stratigraphy in 1669?

• Charles Darwin

• William Smith

• Giovanni Arduino

• Nicolas Steno

What is the name of the Eon that begins with the formation of the Earth around 4.6 billion years ago?

• Hadean

• Archean

• Proterozoic

• Phanerozoic

Which event marked the end of the Hadean Eon?

• Volcanic activity

• Appearance of the first life

• Cooling of the Earth's crust

• Formation of continents

What is the name of the era often called the Age of Reptiles?

• Paleozoic Era

• Mesozoic Era

• Cenozoic Era

• Proterozoic Era

What caused the Great Dying, the most severe extinction in Earth's history?

• Climate change

• Unknown causes

• Massive volcanic eruptions

• Gigantic asteroid impact

Which era marks the rise of mammals and the end of the Age of Reptiles?

• Proterozoic Era

• Mesozoic Era

• Paleozoic Era

• Cenozoic Era

What marked the end of the Mesozoic Era 66 million years ago?

• Ice Age

• Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction Event

• Formation of Pangea

• Rise of mammals

What event caused the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs and many other species?

• Gigantic asteroid impact

• Unknown causes

• Massive volcanic eruptions

• Climate change

What marked the end of the Ice Age and the extinction of many giant fauna?

• Unknown causes

• Climate change

• Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction Event

• Rise of mammals

What may be the index fossils of the epoch of humans in the future?

• Trilobites

• Birds

• Mammoths

• Human bodies