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Questions and Answers
How do we figure out the order of events in Earth's past?
What is the main difference between Igneous and Sedimentary rocks?
What type of rocks are formed from broken or dissolved bits of other rocks?
What is the primary mechanism for transporting sediments?
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In which type of Sedimentary rock would we most likely find dinosaurs?
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What happens to grain size as sediment is moved away from the source?
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What is the term for the breakdown of rocks into sediment?
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What is the term for the movement of sediment from a higher to a lower elevation?
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What happens to sediments in basins?
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What type of sedimentary rocks contain clues about ancient environments?
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Why are sedimentary rocks in Drumheller important for studying the environment during the Time of the Dinosaurs?
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What happens to animals if they are buried by sediments?
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What can we infer from studying clastic sedimentary rocks around fossils?
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What is necessary for sediments to become sedimentary rocks?
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What does the term 'lithification' refer to?
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Study Notes
The Geologic Time Scale
- Built by studying rocks and fossils within them to understand Earth's history
- Rocks provide clues about Earth's past, and understanding how to read them allows us to figure out the order of events
Rock Types
- 3 main types of rocks: Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic
- Igneous: solidify from melted rocks
- Sedimentary: formed from broken or dissolved bits of other rocks stuck together
- Metamorphic: formed from heated and squeezed rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
- Classified into two types: Clastic and Chemical
- Clastic Sedimentary Rocks (e.g. sandstone, siltstone, shale): formed from sediments deposited on land, beaches, or in rivers, and then glued together
- Chemical Sedimentary Rocks (e.g. limestone, salt): formed from sediments that crystallize out of water, often in lakes or seas due to evaporation
- Dinosaurs are most likely to be found in Clastic Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary Depositional Environments
- Exposed rocks are subjected to weathering (broken down into sediment) due to wind, rain, heat, and cold
- Sediments are transported downhill (erosion) and deposited in low-lying areas called basins
- Sediments can be deposited by water, wind, or ice
- Depositional environments include: on the edges of glaciers, in rivers, on beaches, and on the sea floor
Grain Size and Sediment Transport
- As sediment is moved away from the source, the grain size becomes smaller
- As rivers slow down and deposit sediment, the grain size becomes finer and finer
Sedimentary Rocks
- Sediments in basins are slowly buried and turn into rock through lithification, caused by compaction and cementation.
- Sedimentary structures preserved in clastic sedimentary rocks provide clues about ancient environments.
Fossilization and Environmental Inference
- Burying of animals along with sediments allows for fossilization.
- Clastic sedimentary rocks around fossils provide information to infer the environment that dinosaurs lived in during their time.
Studying Drumheller Rocks
- Rocks in Drumheller contain clues about the environment during the time of the dinosaurs.
- Analysis of these rocks reveals information about the ancient environment.
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Description
This quiz covers the fundamentals of the Geologic Time Scale, including how rocks provide clues about Earth's history and how to read them to figure out the order of events in Earth's past.
