The Fossil Record

Which of the following could form a fossil?

• Bone
• Shell
• Seeds
• All of the above

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Most fossils form when organisms that die become buried in sediments

• True
• False

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Which of the following is true about molds and casts

• A mold forms when hard parts of an organism buried by sediments are gradually dissolved
• A mold that becomes filled in with hardened materials forms a cast
• A cast is a copy of the shape of an organism
• All of the above

The formation of any fossil is a common event

• True
• False

By determining the age of fossils, scientists can reconstruct the history of life on Earth

• True
• False

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

In what way can scientists determine the ages of fossils?

• relative dating
• radioactive dating
• law of superposition
• All of the above

In layers of sedimentary rock, the _________ layer is usually at the bottom. Each higher layer is _________ than the layers below it.

• oldest, younger
• youngest, older
• youngest, younger
• oldest, older

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

Relative dating can only help scientists determine whether one fossil is older than another.

• True
• False

Scientists use unstable elements that decay, called _________ elements, to determine the actual age of a fossil.

• radioactive
• cation
• anion
• petrified 

What is the half-life of a radioactive element?

• How old it is when it is middle aged
• The time it takes for half of the atoms to decay
• The time it takes for half of the atom to form
• How old it is when the Earth is middle aged

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-8