Geologic History Discussion

QUESTION 1
Which of the following best describes the use of relative dating?
to determine the date on which a prehistoric event occurred
to calculate how many years ago a certain geologic event occurred
to determine the age of a rock in years
to determine the sequential order in which prehistoric and geologic events occurred
3 points
QUESTION 2
Which of the following best defines the principle of cross-cutting relationships?
cross-cutting rocks, such as an igneous intrusion, are younger than the rocks they cut through
only sedimentary rocks can cut through other sedimentary layers
when an igneous rock cuts through a sedimentary rock, the igneous rock must be older than the sedimentary rock
any rock that cuts through another rock will contain older fossils than the rock it cuts through
3 points
QUESTION 3
Which principle allows you to know that the fault labeled as feature F is younger than the rock body labeled as feature B?
superposition
cross-cutting relationships
faunal succession
original horizontality
3 points
QUESTION 4
Which principle tells us that rock layers separated by a valley, but otherwise similar, are assumed to have once been continuous?
superposition
faunal succession
original horizontality
lateral continuity
3 points
QUESTION 5
Organisms with hard mineralized parts, such as shells or bones, are found in the fossil record, but organisms without such hard parts are not preserved as fossils.
True
False
2 points
QUESTION 6
Which scientist is known for first recognizing the principle of faunal succession?
Charles Darwin
James Hutton
William Smith
Nicolaus Steno
3 points
QUESTION 7
A fossil that is used to assign an age to the rock layer in which it is found is called an indicator fossil.
True
False
2 points
QUESTION 8
The science of dating rocks by using fossils is called biostratigraphy.
True
False
2 points
QUESTION 9
While the principle of original horizontality is widely applicable, there are some exceptions to it, such as sand deposits that can be laid down at slight angles.
True
False
2 points
QUESTION 10
Discuss how relative and absolute dating are used to assign ages to rocks. Specifically, how are the two dating methods different from each other? Discuss the technique of absolute dating commonly used to date rocks.
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5 points
QUESTION 11
Biostratigraphy is an important absolute dating technique.
True
False
2 points
QUESTION 12
Which of the following terms best describes the nucleus of a radioactive element?
unchanging
explosive
unstable
energized
3 points
QUESTION 13
When a radioactive isotope decays, it gives off energy and produces a product called a
parent isotope
half-life
decay curve
daughter isotope
3 points
QUESTION 14
Uranium-lead radiometric dating is most often performed on the mineral
feldspar
quartz
mica
zircon
3 points
QUESTION 15
Patterns in tree rings provide clues about the past climate of an area.
True
False
2 points
QUESTION 16
If a radioactive nuclide has a half-life of 1.3 billion years and it is determined that a rock is about 3.9 billion years old, how many half-lives have elapsed since the rock crystallized?
1
2
3
4
3 points
QUESTION 17
If a radioactive nuclide has a half-life of 1.3 billion years and it is determined that a rock contains 25% of its original amount of this nuclide, about how old is the rock?
1.3 billion years
2.6 billion years
0.65 billion years
3.9 billion years
3 points
QUESTION 18
Glacial varves are characterized by dark-colored bands of clay-sized sediment alternating with light-colored bands of sand-sized sediment.
True
False
2 points
QUESTION 19
Early attempts to develop a geologic time scale were based on
radiometric dating of sedimentary rocks
relative dating of rock strata and the fossils contained in them
the number of fossils in each successive layer of rock
the geological provinces in which sedimentary rocks were found
3 points
QUESTION 20
Which of the following is the smallest defined unit of time on the geologic time scale?
era
period
age
eon
3 points
QUESTION 21
On the geologic time scale, eons are immediately divided into
periods
ages
eras
chrons
3 points
QUESTION 22
At the end of which geologic period did the dinosaurs become extinct?
Cretaceous
Silurian
Jurassic
Triassic
3 points
QUESTION 23
Which period of geologic history marks a time of life rapidly becoming more complex and a time for which we have an extensive fossil record?
Quaternary
Cambrian
Oligocene
Miocene
3 points
QUESTION 24
The beginning of the Triassic period is marked by a large mass extinction event.
True
False
2 points
QUESTION 25
On the given diagram, the numbers 52 through 63 represent different rock layers. The lowercase letters m, n, p, and q represent times in geologic history (ages of the rocks). The uppercase letters A through D represent different fossil organisms. Location X represents the geologic (world-wide) time range of the fossil species A through D. Which statement is true, based on t