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WorksheetsRelative Dating and Fossils (Brain Pop)
Total questions: 20
Worksheet time: 10mins
Strata are mostly found:
Underground
On Earth's surface
In oceans
In the atmosphere
According to the principle of superposition, younger strata form _____ older strata.
Below
Above
Next to
Around
Based on the thin layer of sediment on his flooded farm, James Hutton concluded that strata:
Are made of large rocks
Settle in vertical layers
Are formed by catastrophes like floods and earthquakes
Take many thousands of years to form
William Smith connected strata in different locations by recognizing similar patterns of:
Coal deposits
Mine shafts
Fossils
Canals
The colors on a geologic map often indicate the _____ of rock layers.
Depths
Heights
Ages
Temperatures
Which idea associated with relative dating helped inspire Charles Darwin's work on evolution?
Earth is extremely ancient
Water and wind move sediments
Older rock layers are farther from the surface
Strata can be folded and tilted over time
Relative dating can be used to do all of the following, except:
Compare the ages of rock layers based on depth
Correlate rock layers in different places
Establish a timeline of events in Earth's history
Determine age in terms of years
Radiometric dating of rocks is used to determine:
Relative age
Absolute age
Location
Fossil content
Scientists currently estimate that Earth is approximately ____ years old.
6,000
96 million
200 million
4.5 billion
What is most likely true of all the strata from the Jurassic Period?
They contain rocks from the Jura Mountains
They are more than one billion years old
They contain similar fossils
They do not contain sedimentary rock
Which of the following is an example of a body fossil?
A perfect mold of a dinosaur bone
A carbon print left by a leaf
The skull of a mammoth that fell into a tar pit
A dinosaur footprint
Which of the following is an example of a trace fossil?
A skeleton preserved in a tar pit
A footprint of an extinct animal
A mummy buried in ice
An insect preserved in amber
Which of the following terms best describes body fossils?
Rare
Widespread
Made of stone
Mummified
Why are deserts, tar pits, and ice good places to find body fossils?
Most ancient organisms lived in these environments
Bacteria and other decomposers cannot thrive in these environments
Many ancient organisms traveled to these places to die
The largest ancient organisms lived in these environments
In order to form a fossil, an organism must usually ______ quickly after it dies
Decompose
Go extinct
Rot
Be buried
What can you conclude from the fact that so many fossils involve shells, skeletons, and teeth?
Most organisms on earth have shells, skeletons, or teeth.
Bacteria and decomposers consume these parts first after an animal dies.
These parts decay slower than other body parts.
These parts are more likely to be buried in ice than other body parts.
Although a cast fossil looks like an original bone or shell, how is it different?
It's made of rock.
It contains skin, hair, and other remnants.
It has been liquefied.
It is completely colorless.
A mold fossil is most similar to:
An eggshell with no egg inside
A replica of your teeth made at the dentist's office.
A bone your dog buries in your backyard.
An insect trapped in tree sap
What can you infer from the fact that fossil fuels are carbon-based?
Over time, flesh turns into carbon
Most life on earth is made from carbon
Trees are made from carbon, but animals are not
Swampy environments are carbon-poor environments
What two forces can turn fossils into fossil fuels?
Lift and thrust
Wind and rain
Temperature and pressure
Motion and time
