| Fossils | ||
| #1 | What type of scientist studies fossils and reconstructs the appearance of plants and animals? | Paleotologist |
| #2 | An insect trapped in amber is an example of what type of fossil? | Original remains |
| #3 | What do you call a specific fossil found only in a particular type of rock, in many places worldwide? | Index fossil |
| #4 | Footprints and worm trails are examples of what type of fossil? | Trace fossil |
| #5 | What type of fossil is made from a thin film of carbon atoms and molecules? | Carbonaceous film fossil |
| Relative Age Dating | ||
| #1 | The principle that the oldest rocks are on the bottom of an undisturbed bed of sedimentary rock layers. | Principle of Superposition |
| #2 | What are gaps in the rock record called? | Unconformities |
| #3 | Matching rock layers in two different areas is called.... | Correlation |
| #4 | What is a common cause of gaps in the rock record? | Erosion |
| #5 | When rock layers are tilted and younger sediment layers are deposited on top, this is called... | Angular Unconformity |
| Radiometric Dating | ||
| #1 | The time it takes for half of the atoms in an isotope to decay is called... | Half-life |
| #2 | Using the decay rate of carbon to determine the absolute age is called... | Carbon-14 dating |
| #3 | What is the principle that states the Earth's processes occurring today are similar to those that occurred in the past? | Uniformitarianism |
| #4 | What is the term for the age of a rock or other object in years? | Absolute age |
| #5 | How old is the Earth? | 4.5 billion years |
| Natural Selection | ||
| #1 | If two organisms can reproduce, they are members of the same... | species |
| #2 | What is the process by which organisms with characteristics suited tot he environment survive and reproduce? | Natural selection |
| #3 | Large scale environmental changes such as temperature and climate are often caused by... | Plate tectonics |
| #4 | What needed to happen for cyanobacteria and green algae to evolve into more complex life forms? | Sufficient oxygen in atmosphere |
| #5 | A species must ___________ in response to a changing environment, or it will become __________. | evolve, extinct |
| Geologic Time | ||
| #1 | What is the largest division in the geologic time scale? | Eon |
| #2 | Humans appeared during which Era? | Cenozoic Era |
| #3 | The Mesozoic Era was known as the Age of the ___________. | Dinosaurs |
| #4 | An event that wipes out a large portion of the organisms alive, such as at the end of the Permian Period, is known as a ________________. | Mass extinction |
| #5 | The very first organisms, _____________, started during the Archean and were adapted to harsh environments. | Bacteria |
| Final Question | |
| What are the four major divisions in the geologis time scale, in order? | Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic |