Geological Time Scale and Fossilization Quiz

A system of chronological dating that relates geological strata (rock layers) to time.

The largest division of geologic time.

A subdivision of an eon, encompassing a significant period of time.

A subdivision of an era in geologic time.

The smallest division of geologic time.

The current eon, encompassing the time since the last major extinction event (the time when visible life greatly expanded).

A proposed new epoch, possibly beginning around the mid-20th century representing significant human impact on Earth's environment.

The epoch before Anthropocene, marked by the warming period after the last ice age, with initial human impact noticeable but fairly minor.

The process of decaying organic matter, often starting shortly after death.

Environments lacking oxygen, slowing or stopping decay.

The buildup of sediments, preserving organisms from the environment.

The process of sediments compacting and replacing voids with minerals.

The complete replacement of an organism with minerals.

A mineral copy of an organism from the past.

Wood that has been replaced by minerals, creating a rock-like form.

Fossils of plants, such as ferns and petrified wood, used to understand evolution and climate.

Human footprints in the Americas dated to at least 20,000 years ago, challenging previous models of human migration.

Knowledge and understanding of the world held by Indigenous peoples, often overlooked by mainstream science.

How governments assign value to human life and how someone is treated after death, highlighting power imbalances in society.

A human remains found in asphalt deposits, whose discovery was controversial due to historical political factors and Indigenous concerns.

A proposed path of human migration from Siberia to North America.

An extinct species of camel that existed during the Pleistocene epoch.

Ancient dry lakebeds, potentially holding further evidence regarding early human and megafauna migration.

Indigenous people who possessed knowledge of camels that predate European introduction of camels to the Americas.

Atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons.

The process where unstable isotopes release energy and particles to become stable.

Unstable isotopes that spontaneously release energy and particles.

A method used to determine the age of organic materials based on the decay of carbon-14.

An unstable isotope of carbon formed when nitrogen-14 absorbs cosmic rays.

The time taken for half of a radioactive isotope to decay.

The process by which plants convert light energy into chemical energy.

A measure of the total mass of an atom, mainly due to protons and neutrons.

A method to adjust radiocarbon dates to get more accurate calendar dates, using calibration curves based on natural material changes over time.

A method to indirectly date fossils by measuring the decay of potassium-40 to argon-40 gas trapped in volcanic rock layers around the fossil.

Similar to K-Ar dating but using a more precise measurement of argon isotopes.

Using the order of rock layers (strata) to determine a minimum and maximum age range for fossils found within the layers.

Graphic representations of how radiocarbon age relates to calendar age, updated with new data to improve accuracy.

A method to estimate the age of organic materials using the known decay rate of Carbon-14.

Dating techniques that analyze materials other than the fossil themselves.

Periodic updates to calibration curves with more data to refine radiocarbon ages, potentially changing dates from earlier studies.

Higher ratio of 18O in ocean water corresponds to cooler global temperatures.

Ocean microorganisms that absorb water and incorporate oxygen isotopes.

Ocean floor layers containing the remains of organisms, used to study past climates.

Non-radioactive isotopes used to analyze diet and migration patterns of organisms.

Plants that incorporate CO2 into three-carbon or four-carbon molecules during photosynthesis, respectively.

Using stable isotopes in bones and teeth to determine an organism's dietary history.

Higher 18O ratios in ocean sediments indicate cooler global temperatures in the past.

Stable isotopes of carbon (12C and 13C) in organisms reflect the types of plants they ate.