Species that existed on Earth for a short period of time, were abundant, and inhabited many locations

Fossil copy of an organism made when mold of the organism is filled with sediment or mineral deposits

One feature cuts across another; feature that is cuts across is older

Layers are deposited in layers in all directions until they thin out and meet at a barrier

Older rock becomes part of a newer rock

Sediments are deposited in horizontal layers (folded & tilted)

In undisturbed rock layers, oldest rocks are on the bottom

Idea that conditions and organism on Earth change in quick, violent events

States that geological processes that occur today are similar to those that have occurred in the past

Fossilized carbon outline of an organism or part of an organism

Impression in a rock left by an ancient organism

Organisms get trapped in a substance such as tree sap, ice, or tar and the remains of the organism are preserved from decay

Minerals replace all or part of an organism, seemingly turning it into stone

Age of rocks and geological features compared with other rocks and nearby features

Numerical age, in years, of a rock or object

Time requires for half of the parent isotope to decay into daughter isotopes

Process in which unstable elements naturally change into another element that is stable

Younger sedimentary layers are deposited on top of tilted or folded layers

Younger layers are deposited on older igneous or metamorphic layers that have eroded

Layers of sedimentary rock are deposited on top of tilted or folded layers