Conformity and Relative Dating

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Questions and Answers

Which type of rock is typically formed in a deep water environment?

  • Conglomerate
  • Shale (correct)
  • Sandstone
  • Limestone

What is the main difference between shale and sandstone?

  • Size of particles (correct)
  • Water temperature
  • Salinity characteristics
  • Presence of marine organisms

What does the study of fossils tell us?

  • The presence of marine organisms
  • The energy of the environment
  • The complexity of life over time (correct)
  • The age of the rocks

What is faunal succession?

<p>The increase in complexity of fossils over time (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the main driving force behind evolution?

<p>Genetic diversity (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Relative dating is used to determine the age of rocks based on

<p>Their position in the rock record (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of an unconformity in relative dating?

<p>It indicates missing time in the rock record (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which type of unconformity is shown in the image?

<p>Non-conformity (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the presence of a non-conformity indicate?

<p>A change in rock type (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How can relative dating be used to estimate the time it took for deposition to occur?

<p>By measuring the thickness of the rock layers (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is genetic diversity?

<p>The presence of differing characteristics within a population (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happened to the peppered moth population during the industrial revolution in England?

<p>The population experienced a change in wing coloration (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of the sea turtle example mentioned in the text?

<p>It showcases the process of natural selection and the survival of the fittest (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What negative outcome is associated with some interpretations of Darwinism?

<p>The belief in the superiority of certain racial or ethnic groups (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a key characteristic of nature mentioned in the text?

<p>The presence of more individuals being born than can survive (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the largest proofs of evolution mentioned in the text?

<p>Fossils (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the process called when dissolved silica replaces wood under certain conditions?

<p>Per mineralization (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the most common type of fossilization mentioned in the text?

<p>Molds and casts (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which type of fossil is easy to identify because it is used to grind up food?

<p>Gastroliths (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why are most organisms not preserved as fossils?

<p>They don't have hard parts (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of the fossil called archaeopteryx?

<p>It is a transitional species between dinosaurs and birds (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the main concept behind the idea of 'survival of the fittest' in nature?

<p>Nature selects the most appropriate characteristics (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the difference between natural selection and artificial selection?

<p>Natural selection occurs in nature, while artificial selection is controlled by humans (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why do flying squirrels have flaps of skin between their legs?

<p>To help them glide between trees and escape predators (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

During the transition from apes to monkeys, what were some adaptations that occurred?

<p>Standing upright to look for predators (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a living fossil?

<p>A fossil that has not changed over time (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is correlation in the context of geology?

<p>The alignment of rock layers across different locations (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of fossils in correlation?

<p>They help determine the age of rocks (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the main difference between the modern ape and the common ancestor of humans and apes?

<p>The modern ape has adapted to a different environment (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How did the shift in diet impact the development of modern monkeys?

<p>It led to the development of a larger brain (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which element undergoes a change from nitrogen-14 to carbon-14 through the bombardment of neutrons from cosmic rays?

<p>Nitrogen (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the approximate half-life of carbon-14?

<p>5730 years (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is carbon-14 dating primarily used for?

<p>Dating organic matter (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which era are we currently in?

<p>Cenozoic (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the largest expanse of time in geological history?

<p>Eon (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the informal term used to describe anything that happened before complex life?

<p>Precambrian (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes radioactive decay?

<p>The process by which an atom gains or loses neutrons (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a half-life?

<p>The time required for half of the radioactive parent isotope to decay (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the main limitation of carbon dating?

<p>It can only be used to date rocks that are less than 60,000 years old (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which type of fossil is commonly used to determine relative age?

<p>Index fossils (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the process called when a radioactive substance decays into another atom type?

<p>Radioactive decay (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which type of radioactivity involves the emission of a helium nucleus?

<p>Alpha emission (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which era represents the largest portion of Earth's history?

<p>Pre-Cambrian (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What event marks the appearance of life in the fossil record?

<p>The transition from the Pre-Cambrian eon to the Phanerozoic eon (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are the three eras of the geologic time scale?

<p>Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

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Study Notes

Geologic Time Scale and Fossil Record

  • Carbon-14 is an unstable isotope that decays radioactively.
  • The amount of carbon-14 in the atmosphere is dependent on the amount of solar energy hitting the nitrogen in the upper atmosphere.
  • Relative dating of rock layers has been replaced by radiometric dating, which provides absolute ages for rocks.
  • Ignite rocks are the easiest to date because their solidification starts the radiometric clock.
  • The geologic time scale is divided into eras, eons, periods, and epochs.
  • The Pre-Cambrian era represents about 88% of Earth's history.
  • The transition from the Pre-Cambrian eon to the Phanerozoic eon marks the appearance of life in the fossil record.
  • The Cambrian explosion, around 541 million years ago, saw the appearance of organisms with hard parts due to increased oxygen levels.
  • The geologic time scale is linked to geological and biological changes.
  • The Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic eras represent old life, middle life, and new life, respectively.
  • The periods within these eras are characterized by specific geological and biological events, such as the age of trilobites and the age of dinosaurs.
  • The Carboniferous period is divided into epochs in the United States due to the presence of well-preserved coal deposits.

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