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Discovering Earth's History

Total questions: 18

Worksheet time: 9mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

The largest expanse of time on the geologic time scale is the ____________.

a)

eon

b)

epoch

c)

era

d)

period

2.

When did the Phanerzoic eon begin?

a)

2.0 million yesrs ago

b)

540 million years ago

c)

10.1 million years ago

d)

20.5 million years ago

3.

Radioactivity is produced when unstable nuclei ___________.

a)

bond

b)

break apart

c)

beome cooler

d)

expand

4.

Rocks record geological events and _________________

a)

life forms of the present

b)

life forms of the past

c)

astronomical milestones of the past

d)

Earth's circumference and diameter in the past

5.

For what purpose do geologists use relative dating?

a)

to determine which rock layer in a canyon wall formed first

b)

to find the age of a rock layer

c)

a rock's composition has changed

d)

to identify past life forms that once lived in a rock layer

6.

In general, The law of superposition states each rock layer is___________.

a)

about the same age

b)

older than the one above it

c)

older than the one below it

d)

thicker than the one above it

7.

What are fossils?

a)

the oldest layer of rock in a region

b)

the remains or traces of an organism preserved from the geologic past

c)

living creatures

d)

objects people left behind in the past

8.

Index fossils allow geologists to

a)

match rocks of the same age in different regions

b)

determine the exact age of the rocks

c)

identify organisms that did not leave fissil evidence behind

d)

determine why some organism became extinct

9.

Which two substances are involved in carbon -14 dating?

a)

carbon -12 and carbon -10

b)

carbon -14 and uranium -238

c)

lead-206 and carbon - 14

d)

carbon-14 and carbon-12

10.

Which of the following is important if an organism is to become a fossil?

a)

soft parts and slow burial

b)

rapid burial and hard parts

c)

rapid burial and soft parts

d)

hard parts and slow burial.

11.

True or False

An extinct organism is one that is still found on earth.

a)

True

b)

False

12.

True or False

The Precambrian represents a much longer part of Earth's history than the Phanerozoic.

a)

True

b)

False

13.

The eon called the __________________ began about 540 million years ago.

a)

Proterozoic

b)

Phanerozoic

c)

Hadean

14.

The longest unit of geologic time is____________.

a)

era

b)

eon

c)

epoch

d)

period

15.

The shortest unit of geologic time is_____________________.

a)

eon

b)

ers

c)

period

d)

epoch

16.

The process by which unstable nuclei spontaneously decay is known as________________.

a)

radioactivity

b)

fire starter

c)

stable isotope

d)

old age

17.

What decays first during radioactive decay?

a)

parent element

b)

stable isotope

c)

stable daughter product

d)

superman

18.

True or False

A radioactive isotope decays at a varying rate from the time it forms.

a)

True

b)

False