10 Questions
What type of evidence is present to explain the first snowball earth?
Fossils
What is the driving force behind the formation and breakup of supercontinents?
Plate tectonics
What was a significant factor contributing to the Permian-Triassic extinction event?
Volcanic eruptions
What process leads to the depletion or enrichment of isotopes in a reservoir?
Evaporation
What factor controls eustatic sea level?
Ocean salinity
What is the primary purpose of using climate proxies?
To infer past climate conditions when direct measurements are not available
How does the body size of warm-blooded organisms help us determine past temperature?
Larger animals have a lower surface area-to-volume ratio, allowing them to lose heat more slowly and maintain a more stable body temperature.
What is the primary purpose of studying the Earth's past climate (paleoclimate)?
To validate current climate change models and predict future climate patterns.
Which of the following is the best explanation for why the geologic timescale is divided into eons, eras, periods, and epochs?
To coincide with the appearance of major new types of life in the fossil record.
What is the primary difference between 'relative age' and 'absolute age' in the context of geological dating?
Relative age refers to the order of geological events, while absolute age refers to the specific time when those events occurred.
Test your understanding of climate proxies and how they help us determine past temperatures. Learn why we need to use proxies in studying historical climate data through questions on body size of warm-blooded organisms and surface area-to-volume ratio.
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