Geology Chapter: Stratigraphy and Geological Time

What is the name of the supercontinent that was identified by Eduard Suess, using fossil evidence?

What type of organism is Haikouichthys?

What is the name of the first true reptile?

What is the name of the dominant predator of the Jurassic/Cretaceous, described as a large Jurassic predator?

The early testate amoeba, Melanocyrillium, is roughly 0.8-0.9 billion years old.

Match the following eras of geological history with their defining characteristics:

Match the following tectonic regimes with their defining characteristics:

What is the key element that is most dominant in life forms today?

The first scientific attempt to estimate Earth's age led to a challenge to creationist ideas.

What key discovery helped solidify Alfred Wegener's theory of continental drift?

The formation of new oceanic crust occurs at what geological feature?

The Miller-Urey experiment proved that molecules could not fossilize.

The early Earth's atmosphere was predominantly composed of oxygen.

What is the name of the very early, chainlike structures found in the Strelley Pool Chert, resembling modern purple bacteria?

What is the name of the rock-like structures that are created by cyanobacteria?

The Bitter Springs Formation is known for the presence of eukaryote cells, dating back roughly 1 billion years.

What is the name of the process that transforms a dead organism into a fossil?

What is the name of the process by which minerals fill the pores of an organism, ultimately leading to fossilization?

What is the name of the process that results in the loss of elements except carbon during decay, ultimately leading to fossilization?

What is the name of the process that involves an organism being buried quickly, often by a sudden event like a landslide, leading to fossilization?

One of the key conditions for fossilization is the presence of oxygen.

What is the name of the process that involves the transformation of hard body parts into stony material, leading to fossilization?

What is the name of the key feature that defines dinosaurs?

The Saurischians are characterized by pubis bones that point backward.

What is the name of the era that saw the dominance of large dinosaurs?

The Cretaceous period is considered to be the shortest of the Mesozoic periods.

The Jurassic period is known for the dominance of large dinosaurs, the first birds, and the separation of the supercontinent Pangaea.

What is the name of the extinct supercontinent that was dominated by dinosaurs during the Mesozoic era?

What is the name of the geological theory that describes the process of plate movement and interaction, responsible for shaping the Earth's surface?

What is the name of the specific type of tectonic boundary where plates move apart, leading to the formation of new oceanic crust?

What is the name of the specific type of tectonic boundary where plates collide, leading to the formation of mountain ranges and subduction zones?

What is the name of the specific type of tectonic boundary where plates slide past each other, often causing earthquakes?

The Wilson cycle suggests that oceanic basins can form, expand, and eventually close.

Which of the following is NOT a key observation about the geological evolution of the North American Plate?

A significant part of the North American Plate is characterized as stable and undisturbed, known as the Cratonal PNA.

What are the key observations that support the theory of seafloor spreading?

The oldest known eukaryote fossil, Bangiomorpha, dates back to the Late Proterozoic era.

What is the name of the oldest known stromatolitic structure?