E&S Chap 2 Time & Rate of Change

How old is Earth estimated to be?

• 3.8 billion years

• 4.6 billion years

• 541 million years

• 225 million years

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

What evidence do geologists use to measure geologic time?

• Fossil colors and sizes

• Rock layers and ocean currents

• Radioactive materials in rocks

• Shapes of mountain ranges

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

When did life first exist on Earth?

• 4.6 billion years ago

• 3.8 billion years ago

• 1.7 billion years ago

• 541 million years ago

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

For most of Earth’s history, life consisted mainly of:

• Dinosaurs

• Multicellular plants

• Single-celled organisms

• Mammals

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Which event marks about 541 million years ago?

• The Cambrian explosion

• The extinction of dinosaurs

• The formation of Earth

• The origin of life

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Dinosaurs flourished between:

• 65 and 2 million years ago

• 225 and 65 million years ago

• 3.8 and 1.7 billion years ago

• 541 and 225 million years ago

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

What type of rock formed the base of the Golden Gate Bridge?

• Sandstone deposited 225 million years ago

• Mud that hardened about 150 million years ago

• Granite formed 4.6 billion years ago

• Coal deposited 65 million years ago

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

Why do small rates of change become significant over geologic time?

• They do not affect Earth at all

• Over millions of years, even small changes accumulate

• They occur only during catastrophes

• They reverse after centuries

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-1

NGSS.HS-ESS3-5

What principle states that geologic change occurs slowly over long periods?

• Catastrophism

• Uniformitarianism

• Gradualism

• Plate tectonics

What principle is summarized by “The present is the key to the past”?

• Gradualism

• Uniformitarianism

• Catastrophism

• Evolution