The Rock Record

When scientists are trying to compare things to see which geological artifacts are older or younger rather than find the actual age of something, this is called ____________.

• Relative aging

• Geologica aging

• approximate aging

• absolute aging

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-5

Scientific study of rock layers

• Archeology

• Stratigraphy

• Paleontology

• Geology

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

What scientific law tells us that in rock strata, the oldest layer is at the bottom and the youngest layer is at top?

• Cross-cutting

• Original Horizontality

• Superposition

• Unconformities

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

Fossils such as footprints, burrows or droppings.

• Index Fossils

• Unconformities

• Petrified Wood

• Trace fossils

A gap in the sequence of sedimentary rock layers caused by erosion.

• Inclusion

• Unconformity

• Cross-cutting

• Isotope

Fossils made from organisms that were fairly common and existed only during a certain span of time, used to determine the age of rock layers.

• Index Fossils

• Unconformities

• Inclusions

• Trace Fossils

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

What scientific law tells us that if one rock layer contains pieces or fragments of another rock layer, then the fragments will be older than the rock layer that surrounds it.

• Cross-cutting

• Original Horizontality

• Unconformities

• Inclusions

When determining absolute age, what is the term used for the amount of time it takes for half of the atoms in a sample of a radioactive element to decay into atoms of another element.

• Half-life

• Radioactive decay

• Radiometric dating

• Decomposition rate

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-8

When scientists used half-life, radiometric dating or carbon dating, what are they trying to determine about geological artifact?

• Relative age

• Sequential age

• Approximate age

• Absolute age

What scientific law tells us that if one rock layer crosses over other layers, then that layer of rock will be younger than any rock layers that it crosses?

• Cross-cutting

• Original Horizontality

• Unconformities

• Inclusions