Earth History Assessment

Which two processes are required for the formation of a sedimentary rock?

i. cooling magma to form rock

ii. weathering to break the rock down into pieces

iii. heat and pressure to melt the rock back together

iv. compacting or cementation to combine the sediments to layers

What is the most common type of rock on Earth’s surface?

In the geologic history of the Earth, which time is characterized by the dominance of reptiles and the presence of small mammals, birds, and flowering plants?

In general, what kind of event marks the end of the Paleozoic and Mesozoic Eras?

Scientists have recently discovered a female woolly mammoth in Siberia that was frozen over 39,000 years ago. What kind of fossil is this mammoth?

Scientists know that trilobites lived in an era earlier than the one in which dinosaurs lived. What information helped the scientists infer this?

Geologists find a 40,000 year-old cave bear fossil. Which method should the geologists use to find the exact age of the fossil?

Which represents the correct sequence of the eras of geologic time from oldest to youngest?

By comparing the quantities of unstable and stable atoms in a fossil, what can a scientist conclude about the fossil?

How can geologists determine the absolute age of a rock sample?