Paleontology and Geology Quiz

An organism must be buried rapidly and shielded from oxygen to be fossilized.

Rocks formed by the accumulation of sediment, essential for fossil formation.

The quick covering of an organism by sediment to prevent decomposition.

Environmental conditions lacking oxygen, crucial for fossil preservation.

The ocean floor where many fossils are formed due to sediment accumulation.

Organisms near or in lakes have better chances of fossilization due to sediment deposition.

Organisms in this area often don't fossilize due to wave action breaking them apart.

High rain and scavenger activity in rainforests lead to rapid decomposition of dead organisms, hindering fossilization.

Fossils that are flattened due to excessive sediment pressure.

Fossils that dissolve due to extreme heat and pressure changes.

Fossils that are relocated by natural processes like water or glaciers.

Fossils worn away by weathering processes like wind and water.

Preservation of organisms in dry conditions, retaining soft and hard tissues.

Organisms preserved in tree resin that hardens into amber.

Preservation occurs when organisms freeze in extremely cold temperatures.

Organisms preserved in tar, keeping both soft and hard tissues.

Organisms turning into stone as minerals replace their tissues.

The outer impression of an organism, showing detailed features.

Fossils formed when external molds are filled with sediment.

Fossils that provide evidence of an organism's behavior, not the organism itself.

Process where original organism parts are removed, leaving carbon outlines.

Fossils preserved without alteration, such as through freezing or tar.

When hard parts of organisms are replaced by minerals over time.

The hierarchical system for classifying organisms, from domain to species.

The five main categories of life: Animalia, Plantae, Monera, Fungi, Protoctista.

Animals that lack a backbone.

Animals that have a backbone.

Speed = Stride length ÷ hip height for bipedal dinosaurs.

Organisms that are free swimming, like fish and scallops.

Organisms that are rooted to the sea floor.

Organisms that produce their own food, mainly through photosynthesis.

Consumers that eat herbivores and other carnivores.

The most common fossil-preserving rock, made of mud and splits into thin layers.

Rock containing fossils of plants and other organisms, formed from ancient organic material.

The geologic eon characterized by the emergence of shelled invertebrates, began 540 million years ago.

One species eating another, a form of consumption.

An era from 540 mya to 248 mya dominated by marine invertebrates.

The era from 248 mya to 65 mya dominated by reptiles, known as the Age of Reptiles.

The current era from 65 mya to the present, marked by the dominance of mammals.

Fossils used to define and identify periods in geologic time.

The study of the distribution of fossils and biological events through geological time.

The first period of the Paleozoic Era; saw the emergence of marine invertebrates.

Last period of the Paleozoic era, known for early gymnosperms and the largest mass extinction.

First period of the Mesozoic Era when first dinosaurs appeared.

Last period of the Mesozoic, notable for flowering plants and mass extinction of dinosaurs.

A period in the Cenozoic Era, known for mammal and bird evolution toward modern forms.

Current period of the Cenozoic era, characterized by the development of humans.

Time of repeated glaciations, lasted from 2.6 mya to about 11,700 years ago.

The current epoch since about 11,700 years ago, marked by human civilization.

Proposed epoch marking significant human impact on Earth.

Time period from 208 to 146 million years ago with many dinosaur species.

The first birds, such as Archaeopteryx, appeared during the Jurassic.

Period known for widespread coal swamps and the first reptiles.

Known as the 'Age of Fishes,' first tetrapods appear.

A significant loss of species during a short period, like the Permian event.

Rapid diversification of life that began around 540 million years ago.

A method to determine the chronological order of events without specific dates.

Eon from 2.5 billion years ago to 540 million years ago; oxygen build-up.

Period with primitive plants and high levels of sea life diversity.

The earliest eon (4.6 to 3.9 billion years ago) marked by the solidifying Earth crust.

Period where the first multicellular life forms appeared, including sponges.

Plants that produce flowers and fruit-covered seeds.

The process by which plants convert sunlight into energy.

Specialized cells in xylem for water transport in angiosperms.

Angiosperms play a critical ecological role on land.

In an undisturbed layers of sedimentary rocks, the top layers are younger than the bottom layers.

Layers of sediment are initially deposited horizontally; any tilting indicates geological events.

Any geological feature that cuts through another is younger than the feature it cuts.

Fragments of rock in another rock are older than the rock they are in.

Method to determine the age of rocks in years, unlike relative dating which only orders events.

Time required for half of the atoms in an isotope to decay.

Determining the age of rocks by measuring parent and daughter isotopes and knowing the half-life.

Body symmetry where the left and right sides are mirror images.

Symmetry where parts radiate around a central point.

Type of radial symmetry with five arms radiating from a center.

Sedimentary deposits with excellent fossil preservation, including soft tissues.

Deposits rich in organic hard parts but not known for soft tissue preservation.

Deposits known for exceptional preservation of fossils.

Famous Lagerstätte in Canada with incredible soft tissue preservation, dating back 508 million years.

Fossil site in New York with many well-preserved trilobites, formed in the Late Ordovician.

A phylum of marine animals with a calcareous endoskeleton and radial symmetry.

A complex feeding structure in echinoderms used for grazing algae.

A species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment.

Single-celled eukaryotes with shells found from the Cambrian to present day.

Referring to organisms that live on or near the ocean floor.

An order of single-celled organisms that evolved from foraminifera during the Carboniferous.

Organisms that consume decomposing organic matter.

Organisms that eat both plants and animals.

They play an important role in food chains and ecosystem dynamics.

Echinoderms with flexible, regenerating arms and a central disk.

They live in rocky substrates, coral reefs, and kelp forests.

They aid in nutrient cycling and create habitat complexity.

Certain species of echinoderms can live over 100 years.

They feed on diatoms, algae, bacteria, and detritus.

Conus has a cone-shaped shell with intricate patterns for camouflage.

Conus uses a venomous radula to capture prey like fish and worms.

Conus shells fossilize well due to their calcareous composition.

As predators, Conus regulates prey populations, indicating ecosystem health.

Cypraea features glossy, smooth shells with bright patterns.

Cypraea species are mainly herbivorous or detritivorous, and some are predatory.

Cypraea was historically used as currency, valued economically.

Platyceras lived in shallow to deeper marine environments, found in sedimentary deposits.

Platyceras were epifaunal grazers, feeding on algae and detritus.

Turritella fossils date back to the late Cretaceous and still exist today.

Turritella has turreted, coiled shells with ridges and an operculum for protection.

Turritella contributes to nutrient cycling in various ecosystems.

Worthenia lived in shallow marine environments, found in coastal sediments.

Worthenia likely consumed detritus and organic matter from the seafloor.

Worthenia shells are well-preserved in the fossil record, often replaced by minerals.

A class in Echinodermata that includes starfish, known for their regenerative abilities.

A body structure with five parts, seen in starfish.

Starfish act as keystone species, regulating marine ecosystems.

An extinct class of echinoderms, characterized by a stalk and suspension feeding habits.

A genus in Blastoidea, known for its nut-shaped theca and suspension feeding mode.

Class of echinoderms that includes feather stars and sea lilies, which can be stalked or free-moving.

Predominantly found in marine environments, from shallow reefs to deep-sea trenches.

A system in echinoderms that aids in movement and feeding through hydraulic pressure.

Starfish fossils provide insights into marine ecosystem evolution from the Ordovician period to now.

Primarily herbivorous, feeding on algae and small organic particles.

Communities that reside on the ocean floor, including many echinoderms.

Echinoderms were classified by early naturalists, meaning 'spiny skin' in Greek.

The movement of nutrients through ecosystems, which echinoderms significantly contribute to.

An order of Foraminifera with calcite tests, either optically radial or granular.

A phylum of multicellular animals known as sponges, sessile and filter feeders.

The process of forming a calcium carbonate skeleton in organisms, aiding fossilization.

A preservation process where silica replaces the organic material of an organism after death.

Organisms that extract food particles from water using specialized structures.

A genus of calcareous sponges known for saucer-shaped fossils and star-shaped spicules.

A genus of glass sponge known as an index fossil, lived in marine environments during the Devonian to Carboniferous.

An order of corals with hexagonal cells, key to reef ecosystems in shallow seas.

A genus of extinct colonial coral, known for long, tubular structures resembling honeycomb.

The function and contribution of an organism within its ecosystem.

Organisms that feed on particles suspended in water by filtering them out.

Organisms that live in groups, often with interconnected structures to share resources.

Microscopic needle-like structures used for support in some sponges, often made of silica or calcium carbonate.

A geological formation known for well-preserved fossils of a variety of species, including bony fish.

A site in Los Angeles famous for fossilized bones from the Pleistocene, including mammoths and dire wolves.

A principle stating that in undisturbed rock layers, the oldest are at the bottom and the youngest at the top.

States that a rock layer that cuts through others must be younger than the layers it disrupts.

States that layers of rock are usually continuous until they thin out or encounter a barrier.

A class of mollusks that includes snails and slugs, characterized by a muscular foot and often a coiled shell.

Gastropods can be herbivorous, carnivorous, or detritivorous, feeding on plant matter, prey, or decomposing material.

A genus of gastropods known for their conical shell and often predatory behavior.

Gastropods have a fossil record dating back to the early Cambrian, around 541 million years ago.

Gastropod shells fossilize well due to being primarily composed of aragonite, which can be replaced by minerals.

They contribute to nutrient cycling and serve as prey for various organisms in ecosystems.

Gastropods inhabit marine, freshwater, and terrestrial environments, showcasing their adaptability.

Habitat destruction and pollution pose significant threats to gastropod populations worldwide.

An order of extinct marine animals from the Phylum Hemichoradate, common in the Cambrian to Carboniferous periods, known for their branched structure.

Specific members of the order Graptoloidea, noted for their carbonized branches and plankton diet.

Graptolites acted as filter feeders, straining water for plankton.

A genus of trilobites known as the largest, growing up to 72 cm, from the Ordovician period.

A Cambrian trilobite species noted for its large crescent-shaped head and long spines.

An early Cambrian trilobite known for its large cephalon and spiny exoskeleton.

Devonian trilobite known for its complex eyes and predatory lifestyle.

Ordovician trilobite recognized for its long eye stalks, likely for spotting prey.

A Devonian trilobite with a flattened body and distinctive head shape, known for well-preserved fossils.

A genus of seed ferns from the Permian period, significant for understanding ancient land connections.

Dominant trees in Permian lowlands, contributing significantly to ancient forests.

Preserved as fossilized leaves, providing insights into past climates and environments.

Existed from the Cambrian to Carboniferous periods, approximately 520 to 350 million years ago.

Primarily plankton, reflecting their mode of life as filter feeders in ocean environments.

Discovered in 1894, graptolites were recognized as distinct by the mid-twentieth century.

A genus of coral that lived from the Late Ordovician to the end of the Silurian Period.

Shallow tropical seas, mainly in saltwater environments.

These corals are sessile, meaning they are rooted and do not move.

These corals feed on microscopic plankton from the ocean.

Bivalves have two hinged shells called valves and are enclosed completely.

Bivalves are filter feeders, eating phytoplankton and microscopic plant life.

Bivalves exhibit various lifestyles: burrowing, attaching, or free swimming.

Arthropods have jointed legs, segmented bodies, and external skeletons made of chitin.

Typically preserved through carbonization, appearing flattened in sediment.

These corals helped to strain water for plankton and contributed to reef formation.

Halysites was first discovered by Fischer Von Waldheim in 1828.

Help control phytoplankton populations and serve as prey in food webs.

An order of marine animals related to graptolites, discovered in 1872.

Arthropods dominate marine, freshwater, and terrestrial environments.