Module 13 Vocabulary

Any preserved evidence of an organism

• fossil

• relic

• paleontologist

• artifact

A scientist who studies fossils and attempts to read the record of life left in the rocks.

• archeologist

• palentologist

• botanist

• biologist

A method used to determine the age of rocks by comparing them with those in other layers.

• relative dating

• radioactive dating

• law of superposition

• radiometric dating

Younger layers of rock are deposited on top of older layers.

• law of superposition

• law of relativity

• law of underposition

• half-life

Uses the decay of radioactive isotopes to measure the age of a rock

• radiometric dating

• radioactive dating

• relative dating

• none of these

The amount of time it takes for half of the original isotope to decay.

• half-life

• whole-life

• mega-life

• quarter-life

A record of Earth's history.

• geologic time scale

• meteorlogic time scale

• fossil time scale

• all of these

Smallest units of geological time

• epochs

• periods

• eras

• eons

Consists of two or more epochs.

• periods

• eons

• eras

• epochs

Consists of two or more periods

• eras

• epochs

• eons

• periods