Fossil Records and Index Fossils

The millions of fossils that scientists have collected are called

• The Geologic Time Scale

• The Origin of Species

• The Fossil Record

• A really neat fossil collection

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How do fossils provide evidence that evolution has happened on Earth?

• Fossils show how the sizes of certain animals has changed drastically over millions of years

• Fossils show that some species have gone extinct

• Fossils show how life forms present today are different than those from the past

• Different sedimentary rock layers provide evidence for how the environment has changed over time

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According to the law of superposition, the oldest fossils are found

• At the top of the rock layers

• Near the bottom of the rock layers

• Somewhat near the surface

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Which rock layer contains the newest fossils?

• B

• C

• D

• E

• F

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True or False: Evidence from the fossil record shows that species change gradually over time.

• True

• False

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How do most fossils form?

• An insect becomes trapped in amber.

• An entire organism becomes frozen in ice.

• A dead organism becomes buried in sediment.

• A dead organism becomes buried in tar.

What evidence is most important when using relative dating?

• the half-life of a radioactive element

• the position of sediment in petrified rock

• the types of minerals in a petrified fossil

• the position of fossils in sedimentary rock layers

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How does the fossil record help to support the theory of evolution?

• the fossil record shows that organisms slowly change over time

• The fossil record shows that species evolve very quickly

• The fossil record does not support the theory of evolution

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What can scientists learn from studying the relationships between fossils?

• how old all rock layers are

• how life changed over time

• how many relatives fossils had

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Which rock layer most likely contains fossils of the oldest organisms?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

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