Landscape Changes Over Time

Fossils can give us information about the history of life on Earth. Which statements are true about fossils? Check all correct answers.

• Fossils are found in sedimentary rocks.

• Only animals with skeletons can be fossilized.

• Fossils can tell us what the past environment was like.

• Fossils can tell us which organisms lived in certain places.

• The oldest fossils are found in the top layers of rock.

Fossils found in the lowest layers of sedimentary rock are usually ______ compared to those found in the upper layers.

• in better condition

• older

• harder to identify

• younger

The Grand Canyon was formed by ______.

• bulldozers mining for minerals

• volcanic activity

• erosion from the flow of a river

• an earthquake that divided Earth’s crust

A fossil’s age can be determined by ______.

• using the age of the rock layer it was found in

• counting the number of rock layers on top of it

• its color

• identifying if it lived on land or the ocean

If rock layers found in the desert contain marine fossils, what does that tell us happened over time? Use scientific reasoning to explain your answer.

• The land started out as land and became water covered

• The land started out as water and became land only.

• The land has both water and land and always has.

• The land has always been a cold environment with lots of snow.

Describe how mountains can form. Use scientific reasoning to explain your answer.

• By earthquakes

• By weathering

• By erosion

• All of these choices are correct

Use the diagram provided to answer the question: Which layer is the oldest?

• A

• B

• C

• D

• E

Based on the fossil evidence, the area was above water when layers E and ______ were formed.

• A
• B

• C

• D

During the formation of layer A, the area was probably ______.

• mountain

• desert

• ocean

• jungle

What is the definition of landscape?

• all the visible features of an area

• natural features on the surface of Earth

• having to do with the ocean

• remains of once living organisms

• stone made from minerals