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WorksheetsFinding the age of the Earth
Total questions: 40
Worksheet time: 40mins
The element that is the product of radioactive decay is known as the...
daughter element
half-life
parent element
carbon-14
How many grams of Carbon-14 will remain after 17,100 years- C-14 has a half life 5,730 so 17,100 is about 3 half lives?
32 g
16 g
8 g
4 g
The % of the parent isotope remaining after 2 Half Lives.
50%
25%
12.5%
6.25%
The % of the parent isotope remaining after 1 Half Life.
50%
25%
12.5%
6.25%
What type of absolute dating is based on counting the bands of light and dark sediment in rocks?
Rate of Deposition
Rate of Erosion
Varve Count
Radiometric Dating
What percentage of the original isotope is left after 2 half-lives?
100%
75%
50%
25%
Relative dating describes
The comparison of decay rates of radioactive isotopes.
The comparison of multiple layers of rock and the ages when they were deposited.
The analysis of the half-life of an isotope relative to carbon-12.
The analysis of one stratum of rock in isolation.
The youngest fossil above is the
Bue shell
Red crab
Brown arthropod
White snail
According to the diagram above, why is the yellow shell not useful as an index fossil?
It is the oldest fossil present.
It is present in all layers of rock, so it is difficult to predict the relative age of other fossils.
It has most likely decayed beyond recognition and cannot be used for radiometric analysis.
Is is present in the youngest layer of rock, so it will not be useful in identifying younger fossils.
In which time period are we currently living?
Precambrian Time
Paleozoic Era
Mesozoic Era
Cenozoic Era
Jellyfish are one of the oldest species on Earth. In what time period did they first appear?
Precambrian Time
Paleozoic Era
Mesozoic Era
Cenozoic Era
In what time period did Pangaea, the super continent, appear?
Precambrian Time
Paleozoic Era
Mesozoic Era
Cenozoic Era
Which fossil is the youngest?
fossil A
fossil B
fossil C
fossils A and B are the same age
What is the importance of studying fossils?
to provide information about how current life forms would exist in previous environmental conditions
to provide information about how life and environmental conditions may have changed
to provide information about how previous life forms would exist in current environmental conditions
Claire would like to show that fossils provide evidence of how old Earth is. She knows that the fossil record can be used to deduce geologic time scales and present a record of Earth’s history. Which fossils match the Precambrian time period?
flowers and dinosaurs
bacteria and primitive marine plants
coral reefs and amphibians
Why are there more animal fossils than plant fossils?
There weren’t as many ancient plants as there were animals
Animals don’t break down as quickly (due to bones) so they are more likely to fossilize
Animals eat plants
Plants are smaller than animals
As you move up a geologic time scale, what happens to the organisms?
They become extinct.
They live longer.
They become more complex
They become simpler.
The second broadest category of geologic time is______________?. The Cenozoic is one of them.
era
eon
epoch
period
The period of geologic time when the biodiversity of life on the planet increased dramatically was
Jurassic
Triassic
Permian
Cambrian
The worst mass extinction event in the history of the Earth wiping out 96% of all life was the
Permian-Triassic
Holocene
Triassic-Jurassic
Ordovician-Silurian
What are the names of ALL parts of the geologic time scale in correct order from broadest to narrowest?
era, period, eon
eon, era, period, epoch
era, eon, epoch, period
eon, era, epoch, period
The period of time where conditions were harsh and no life forms existed was the
Pleistocene
Cambrian
Hadean
Holocene
What is the best reason that fossil #4 is NOT a good index fossil?
It is not widespread
it is not short-lived (in numerous layers)
It is in half of the outcrops
