WorksheetsGeohistory
Total questions: 27
Worksheet time: 20mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
Relative dating of rock layers tells us that the deeper we dig, _______.
a)
the younger the rocks get
b)
the smellier the rocks get
c)
the harder the rocks get
d)
the older the rocks get
2.
The Law of Superposition helps scientists to determine what?
a)
The absolute age of rock layers
b)
The age of fossils
c)
The relative age of rock layers
d)
the super powers of rocks
3.
What type of rock do fossils form in?
a)
Igneous
b)
Sedimentary
c)
Metamorphic
d)
Classic
4.
Most events on the geologic timeline happened:
a)
a long time ago, near the beginning
b)
more recently, near the modern time
c)
evenly spread out
d)
right in the center of the timeline
5.
Which rock layer in the diagram seems to be the oldest?
a)
F
b)
E
c)
B
d)
A
6.
What can scientists learn from the sequence of rock layers?
a)
Geologic history of that area
b)
Future geological events
c)
the number of organisms that live in the area
d)
the impact that hikers have had on an area.
7.
Radiometric dating is often referred to as
a)
total age.
b)
absolute age.
c)
historic age.
d)
geologic age.
8.
A rock formed with 500 atoms of a radioactive parent element, but only contains 125 radioactive parent atoms today. If the half-life is 1000 years, how old is the rock?
a)
2000 years
b)
500 years
c)
250 years
d)
125 years
9.
the time it takes for half the atoms in an element to decay into something else is called
a)
absolute age dating
b)
relative age dating
c)
half-life
d)
extinct
10.
Why is the fossil record incomplete?
a)
fossils get eroded away over time
b)
most organisms never became fossils
c)
scavengers and decomposers eat them too quickly
d)
all of the above
11.
Which is the correct order of geologic time?
a)
Era >Eon >Period >Epoch
b)
Eon >Era >Period >Epoch
c)
Epoch >Period >Era >Eon
d)
Era >Eon > Epoch >Period
12.
Paleozoic, Mesozoic & Cenozoic are all
a)
Epochs
b)
Eras
c)
Periods
d)
Eons
13.
What was probably the first organism on Earth?
a)
Plants
b)
Alligators
c)
Bacteria
d)
Fish
14.
The ______________ era covers almost 90% of earth's history.
a)
Paleozoic
b)
Mesozoic
c)
Cenozoic
d)
Precambrian
15.
Which is the most recent era of time- the one that we are currently in?
a)
Mesozoic
b)
Paleozoic
c)
Cenozoic
d)
Precambrian
16.
A break in the Earths crust
a)
fault
b)
intrusion
c)
extrusion
d)
index fossil
17.
Which of the following is the youngest?
a)
Intrusion X
b)
Fault Y
c)
Layer Z
d)
Fossil W
18.
Which of the following is the oldest?
a)
Layer L
b)
Intrusion D
c)
Intrusion H
d)
Layer E
19.
What happens during radioactive decay?
a)
A stable isotope of one element changes into an unstable isotope of a different element
b)
A stable isotope of one element changes into an unstable isotope of the same element
c)
An unstable isotope of one element changes into a stable isotope of a different element
d)
An unstable isotope of one element changes into a stable isotope of the same element
20.
7. Which element is used to find the age of a fossil during radiometric dating?
a)
Hydrogen 14
b)
Carbon 14
c)
Helium 14
21.
A rock formed with 1000 atoms of a radioactive parent element, but only contains 250 radioactive parent atoms today. If the half-life of the parent element is one million years, how old is the rock?
a)
250,000 years old
b)
500,000 years old
c)
1,000,000 years old
d)
2,000,000 years old
22.
The rock formation labeled "P" is a(n)...
a)
fault
b)
intrusion
c)
inclusion
d)
unconformity
23.
Letter "F" is a....
a)
inclusion
b)
intrusion
c)
fault
d)
unconformity
24.
What is the oldest layer in the outcrop?
a)
B
b)
C
c)
D
d)
E
25.
Which of the following correctly lists the layers in order from oldest to youngest?
a)
A, B, C, D, E
b)
E, B, C, D, A
c)
E, D, C, B, A
d)
C, B, A, D, E
26.
What percent of carbon-14 would be left after 5730 years?
a)
100%
b)
75%
c)
50%
d)
25%
27.
What percent of carbon-14 would be left after 11,460 years?
a)
100%
b)
75%
c)
50%
d)
25%
100 %
