WorksheetsInvestigation 4 - Fossils
Total questions: 38
Worksheet time: 19mins
When does geological time start?
When the dinosaurs lived
When the Earth began
When the first humans lived
When the first bacteria were living on Earth
Which is the shortest span of time on the Geological Time Scale
Eon
Era
Period
Epoch
What lived during the Paleozoic Era?
Mammals and humans
Trilobites, corals, brachiopods, early fish
Dinosaurs
Nothing
What lived during the Mesozoic Era?
Mammals and humans
Trilobites, corals, brachiopods, early fish
Dinosaurs
Nothing
What lives during the Cenozoic Era?
Mammals and humans
Trilobites, corals, brachiopods, early fish
Dinosaurs
Nothing
Index fossils...
lived across many time periods or eras
lived for a short time (a few million years)
Fossils might NOT form if the organism decays before it is covered with sediments.
True
False
Two students are exploring a creek in their neighborhood. The students hope to find some fossils along the way. What kinds of rocks should the students look for on their hike, and why should they look for those kinds of rocks?
The students should look for igneous rock. This is the rock that comes from volcanoes and is melting hot. Fossils can form in the hot magma without burning up.
They should look for metamorphic rock. These are the hardest rocks that have been under the most pressure for the longest amounts of time. Clearly the fossils will not have been crushes or ruined but preserved.
The students should look for sedimentary rocks like shale, limestone, and sandstone. Fossils form when they are quickly covered by sediments in a basin.
Fossils will not form in any of these types of rock. Fossils form in Fragile Rock.
Geological time is described in eras and periods. Those segments of time are based on ____________.
whoever discovered them
significant evolutionary events in Earth's history
the thickness of certain rock layers
the number of layers of rock that can be counted in 10 meters of a rock column.
To a geologist, the most important use of index fossils is
to show what kind of life existed long ago
to show that sediments were deposited horizontally
to determine the age of the rock
to tell the story or the ancient environment
Geologists have discovered the fossils you see below in rock layers at two state parks. One of these fossils is an index fossil. Based on the information given, image from the picture is most likely the index fossil?
A
B
C
D
What are fossils?
All the fossils on earth
A fossil that characterizes a particular period of time.
Any remains, trace, or imprint of animal or plant life preserved in Earth's crust.
Fuel formed by natural processes over long periods of time.
What is the fossil record?
A recorded device made out of fossils.
A piece of music that is about fossils.
A scroll that pictures all the fossils in North America.
All the fossils on Earth.
What is an index fossil?
Any remains, trace, or imprint of animal or plant life preserved in Earth's crust.
All the fossils on Earth.
The largest division of geologic time.
A fossil that characterizes a particular period of time.
Which of the following is NOT one of the four types of fossils that we discussed?
formational
cast
mold
trace
What is an era?
The largest division of geologic time.
A subdivision of a geologic period.
A broad span of geologic time based on the general type of life existing during that time.
A community of organisms interacting with each other and with the nonliving environment.
What is a period?
A span of time within an era.
A subdivision of a geologic period.
A broad span of geologic time based on the general type of life existing during that time.
A community of organisms interacting with each other and with the nonliving environment.
What does unconformity mean?
A gap in the geologic record during which either no rocks were deposited or existing rocks eroded.
A theory that says geologic processes observed in the past are the same as those observed today.
When sections of Earth's crust rise as tectonic plates move.
Deep areas of the crust where oceanic plates are converging and sinking.
What is crossbedding?
When two different animals species breed together.
Patterns in rock resulting from sand dunes that were blown into patterns by the wind.
When the sheets in the bed get twisted up.
When two beds of grass are combined to made one.
What is a cross section?
The surface that is revealed when something is cut through, typically at a right angle to its axis.
When land lines cross.
When X marks the spot.
When you cut the top layer of something away.
What does formation mean?
A hole or vent near a volcano from which steam rises.
To form into thin, leaflike layers
A bending of rock layers caused by pressure.
Rock layers with distinguishable characteristics and sequences of sediments.
What does Precambrian mean?
An era when mammals exist; means "recent animal life"
An era when dinosaurs existed; means "middle animal life"
An era when trilobites, corals, brachiopods, early fish, and early amphibians existed; means "ancient animal life"
All of the time before the Paleozoic era.
What does geologic time mean?
The time we started studying geology.
The period of time ranging from the formation of Earth about 4.6 billion years ago to today.
A clock that shows when different rocks were formed.
A clock made out of rocks.
Fossils usually form from bones and other hard parts of animals.
True
False
In which type of rock are most fossils found?
shale
sandstone
sedimentary
igneous
