Download Goal 5: Evolution of Organisms and Landforms

Goal 5: Evolution of Organisms and Landforms
1. Determine which time block is being described. Place a mark or symbol in the correct box.
Description
largest group
Eon
Era
Period
Epoch
boundaries marked by mass extinctions
blocks of time when a unique rock series was laid down
division of the most recent periods
includes the Cambrian boundary
billions of years long
hundreds of millions of years long
tens of millions of years long
several million years long
2. Determine which time blocks the following events occurred. Write the name of the specific time block in the
appropriate blank. All blanks will not be filled because some events are not broken down into the same time
detail.
.
Description
Humans
Eon
Era
Period
Epoch
Rise of
mammals
Flowering
plants
Birds
First dinosaurs/
mammals
First reptiles
First
amphibians
First insects
First fish
Explosion of
life forms
Multi-celled
organisms
Single celled
organisms
3. Fossils form in different ways. Identify the type of fossil being described in the list below. Place the name of
the fossil type in the blank provided next to the description.
☺ Acids eat away the skeleton or shell and leave an impression in the rock →
______________________
☺ This is formed when a mold fills with minerals → ______________________________
☺ Minerals in plant cells crystallize; minerals enter openings or cavities in shell or bones →
____________________________
☺ Aragonite mineral in shells turns into calcite → _____________________________
☺ Oils leave the plant, and the remaining matter becomes a layer of carbon; in other cases, nitrogen, hydrogen, and
oxygen are distilled from the plant →
____________________________
☺ Object buried in mud has its molecules replaced by minerals → _____________________________
☺ Whole organisms locked in tar pits, asphalt, amber, etc. → ______________________________
☺ Mummification, frozen in ice → _____________________________
4. Most fossils form in ________________________ rock. The ________________________ of fossils within
this type of rock layers help scientists construct the geologic time scale.
5. Sequence the following events in the fossilization process:
_______ Over time, the surrounding material builds up and turns to rock.
_______ The rock above eventually erodes and the fossil is exposed.
_______ The remains are rapidly buried by sediment in streams.
_______ An animal dies and begins to decompose.
6. In the undisturbed rock strata illustrated below, indicate in which layer you will find the oldest and the
youngest fossils. Write the terms “oldest” and “youngest” in the appropriate strata.
______________________________________________________
A
B
C
D
The most primitive fossils normally would be found in layer __________.
7. According to the geologic time scale, sequence the following in order of evolution. Make #1 the most
primitive life form.
_______ birds
_______ early mammals
_______ reptiles
_______ amphibians
_______ insects
_______ single-celled life forms
_______ fish
_______ flowering plants
_______ dinosaurs
_______ (more) modern humans
_______ humans
_______ early multi-celled life forms
8. Which is more precise, absolute or relative dating? WHY?
9. How is radioactive dating used to tell the age of rocks and fossils?
10. In reference to item #6 above, what scientific law is begin applied to determine the answer to the question?
11. What are three possible exceptions to the Law of Superposition? Draw each of them and indicate in each
drawing the youngest and oldest layers.
12. Why are fossils important tools for understanding the history of life on Earth?
13. When is an organism considered extinct?
15. What are index fossils and how are they used to determine the age of related strata?
17. If you found fossils of seashells in a rock layer near the top of a mountain, what would the fossils tell you
about the history of that area?
18. When sudden, abrupt changes (or gradual changes, for that matter) occur within an organism’s habitat, one of
three things must happen (the organism’s species must do one of three things). What?
19. What are two ways the extinction of an animal can affect the ecosystem in which it lives?
20. Scientists estimate that of all the species ever to exist on earth, ________ % have become extinct.
21. The average species survives _______ to ______ million years.
22. List at least 8 events that can bring about the extinction of a species.
23. Answer the following questions about mass extinctions:

what is a mass extinction?

are they a common occurrence in Earth’s past?

how many species can face extinction?

where do scientists obtain evidence for them?

what is a benefit?

what is the most famous example?

what is believed to have caused this particular example?
24. Is the rate of extinction of species on the Earth increasing or decreasing? List some possible reasons for this.
25. ________________________________ is a process of change over time.
26. The most accepted basic theory of evolution was first proposed in writing by
________________________________________ in the 19th century. He proposed what is called the
__________________________________________________________________________________.
27. Darwin based some of his theories on differences in the _______________________________ he observed
while in the _____________________________________________________.
28. Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection includes four main concepts:
 ____________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
 ____________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
 ____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
 ____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
29. Continental drift and the evolution of landforms is partially explained by the __________________
____________________________________________________________________________________.
30. In your own words, write a short paragraph that outlines the basic ideas behind the Theory of Plate
Tectonics. (continue over to the top of the next page for more writing space)
31. Fill in the following table with information about crustal plate movement on the surface of the Earth.
Boundary
What Happens?
Diagram
Convergent
Divergent
Transform
33. According to Alfred Wegener’s concept of Continental Drift, pieces of Earth’s crust once were in the form
of a large super-continent called ______________________________________.
34. Fill in the following table with information about crustal plate movement on the surface of the Earth.
Collision/Plates Involved
Oceanic/Oceanic
(subduction)
Oceanic/Continental
(subduction)
Continental/Continental
36. What is a fault?
Geologic Features
37. The energy produced by earthquakes moves through the Earth in the form of ___________________
___________________________________.
38. Compare and contrast lava and magma.
39. In the table below, indicate which type of plate movement produces earthquakes and/or volcanoes. Indicate
with yes or no.
Boundary
Convergent
Divergent
Transform
Intraplate
Earthquake
Volcano
41. What is a hot spot? Give an example.
42. Provide the following information about weathering:

what is it?

what are two types?

___________________________________ weathering breaks rocks apart without changing the chemical composition.

___________________________________ weathering changes the chemical composition of rocks.
43. How does water cause both chemical and mechanical weathering
59. What is topography?
64. What is ground truthing?