WorksheetsUnit 4--Geologic Time Review
Total questions: 50
Worksheet time: 25mins
In what type of rocks are fossils found?
sedimentary rocks
metamorphic rocks
volcanic rocks
igneous rocks
Which of the following best explains the principle of uniformitarianism?
the present is the key to the past
older layers are found below younger layers
sediment deposits horizontally
the times, they are changing
According to the principle of cross-cutting relationships, an intrusive rock body is
always made of the same materials as rock around it.
younger than the rocks into which it intrudes.
deposited as sedimentary layers.
older than the rocks into which it intrudes.
The principle that explains that sediment is generally laid down in flat, horizontal layers is called...
Principle of original horizontality
Principle of fossil succession
Principle of cross-cutting relationships
Law of Superposition
What type of dating process would be used to determine which rock layer is older or younger than another?
numerical dating
radiometric dating
absolute dating
relative dating
In general, the law of superposition states that in an undeformed sequence of sedimentary rocks, each layer is
older than the one above it
younger than the one above it
older than the one below it
basically the same age
Which principle states that when small pieces of rock are embedded in another type of rock, the small pieces of rock indicate the older rock layer?
Principle of inclusions
Principle of original horizontality
Principle of fossil succession
Principle of cross-cutting relationships
Look at the diagram. Which of the following choices is the youngest feature?
fault M
igneous intrusion L
rock layer A
rock layer J
What type of unconformity consists of tilted sedimentary rocks that are overlain by younger, more flat-lying sedimentary rocks?
disconformity
nonconformity
angular unconformity
conformity
A gap in the rock record where only weathering and erosion occurred is known as...
an unconformity
an adaptation
an intrusion
an inclusion
Remains or traces of prehistoric life found in rocks are known as...
fossils
eggs
adaptations
remains
The fossil that forms when an organism is buried, subjected to high pressure that squeezes out the liquids and gases, and leaves only carbon behind is called....
carbon film
trace fossil
unaltered remains
mold
What type of fossil forms when the decaying organism is replaced, molecule by molecule, by rock-forming minerals?
carbon film
molds and casts
trace fossil
petrified fossil
Which of the following would make the best conditions for fossil formation?
big foot slowly buried by sediment
big foot quickly buried in mud
a slime glob slowly buried by sediment
a slime glob quickly buried in mud
The principle of fossil succession states that different types of fossil organisms...
come after one another in a definite order, from simple to more complex
are younger in the deepest layers of rock.
generally leave behind hard parts.
occur most often in sedimentary rock.
Which of the following must be true for a fossil organism to be useful as an index fossil?
The fossil organism must be widespread geographically.
The fossil organism must be abundant.
The fossil organism must be limited to a short span of geologic time.
All of these.
In terms of radioactive decay, what is the time it takes for half of the parent material to turn into daughter material known as?
a half life
the decay remains
the decay life
the radioactive remains
Radioactivity occurs when....
stable nuclei form new elements
stable nuclei absorb protons
unstable nuclei spontaneously decay
unstable nuclei become carbon
Radiometric dating is possible because the rates of decay of radioactive isotopes...
change from place to place.
vary widely.
change over time.
are constant.
Look at the chart. What fraction of the original parent isotope still exists after 3 half-lives have passed?
1/2
1/4
1/8
1/16
A sample is brought to the laboratory and it is determined that 1/4 of the original parent isotope remains in the sample. Use the chart to determine the age of the sample if the half-life of the material is 2 million years.
4 million years old.
500,000 years old.
6 million years old.
There is no way to tell with the information provided.
The radiometric dating of an igneous rock provides...
a date for when the rock formed.
the relative age of the rock.
a date for when the rock was eroded.
the age of Earth.
Based on interpretations of rock units and changes in fossil life forms, geologists have divided Earth’s history into manageable units that are represented by the...
Precambrian time scale.
geologic time scale.
fossil time scale.
geographical time scale.
The largest expanse of time on the geologic time scale is the...
eon
era
period
epoch
What does Phanerozoic mean?
visible life
ancient life
middle life
recent life
Which of the following lists the divisions of the geologic time scale in order from longest to shortest?
era, period, epoch
era, epoch, period
epoch, era, period
period, era, epoch
About 88 percent of Earth’s history is within the expanse of time before the Phanerozoic Era called the..
Precambrian
Cenozoic
Paleozoic
Cambrian
Approximately how old is Earth?
16 million years old
2 billion years old
4.56 billion years old
4.56 million years old
Which of the following gases was NOT part of Earth’s original atmosphere?
oxygen
nitrogen
water vapor
carbon dioxide
When did the first life begin on Earth?
3.5 billion years ago
560 million years ago
1 billion years ago
3 million years ago
The most common Precambrian fossils are layered mounds of calcium carbonate called...
stromatolites
prokaryotes
trilobites
chert
Which era immediately follows the Precambrian?
Paleozoic Era
Mesozoic Era
Cenozoic Era
Tertiary Era
In the early Paleozoic, life could be found....
only in the sea
in the sea and on land
in the sea, on land, and in the air
only on land
In which geologic time period did vast coal deposits formed from large swamp forests extended across wet, tropical regions, such as North America?
Tertiary period
Permian period
Carboniferous period
Devonian period
Some continents contain large core areas of Precambrian rocks called...
plateaus
shields
rifts
plates
What happened to all the continents by the close of the Paleozoic?
They formed Gondwana.
They moved toward the poles.
They split in half.
They fused into Pangaea.
Which period is known as the “Age of Fishes”?
Devonian
Jurassic
Permian
Mississippian
Hard parts allow animals to...
swim freely.
protect themselves and later form fossils.
live on land.
feed and reproduce.
What was the Cambrian Explosion?
the evolution of many new groups of organisms in a relatively short time
a mass extinction event
the destruction of many rock sequences due to volcanic activity
the destruction of a large amount of mollusks known as Cambrians
One group of reptiles, characterized by the fossil Archaeopteryx, led to the evolution of...
birds
dinosaurs
mammals
cephalopods
What likely contributed to the extinction that marks the end of the Mesozoic Era?
a meteorite collision
an ice age
global warming
covid-19
Which period represents the last 2 million years of geologic time?
Quaternary
Tertiary
Cambrian
Devonian
What did Milankovitch propose as the main cause of ice ages?
cycles related to Earth’s movements
the impacts of large meteorites
mass extinctions
lava flows and volcanic eruptions
Which title best describes the current geologic age?
Age of Mammals
Age of Reptiles
Age of Fishes
Age of Flowering Plants
Mammals became widespread and abundant only after...
inland seas dried up.
continental glaciers retreated.
dinosaurs became extinct.
the Cenozoic Era ended.
All of the following are natural processes that influence climate change except...
increased volcanic activity
increased solar activity
increased carbon dioxide emissions
change in the tilt of the Earth due to precession
The one thing that is not true about greenhouse gases is that...
They are produced solely by human activities.
They absorb Earth’s radiation.
They include carbon dioxide and water vapor.
They can affect the temperature near the surface of the Earth.
In the last 100 years, carbon dioxide emissions have increased due to...
gasoline-powered transportation
industrial use of petroleum
coal-burning power plants
all of these
Look at the chart. What has happened to the temperature on Earth in the last 150 years?
it increased
it decreased
it stayed the same
there is no way to tell
Which statement best explains why global warming may lead to an increase in the number and intensity of hurricanes?
Droughts will decrease.
Ocean temperatures will increase.
Sea level will decrease.
The amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will increase.
