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Geology Unit
Review
Charles Darwin suggested that
organisms could change over
time through what process?
Natural selection
The continual creation and
destruction of rocks in the Earth
is known collectively as what?
The Rock Cycle
Scientists originally dismissed
Wegener’s theory of Continental Drift
because there was no known mechanism
for the movement of continents. What
discovery changed that?
Sea floor spreading
Certain fossils are only found in
the lowest layer of sedimentary
rock and not in any other layer,
what might account for that?
The organism
became extinct
The scientific principle which
states that the closer to the
surface a rock layer is, the
younger it tends to be is
known as what?
The Law of Superposition
What Geological Era are
Dinosaurs most closely
associated with?
Mesozoic Era
What kind of rocks are most
closely associated with
volcanic activity?
Igneous Rock
If you start with 64 kilograms of
a radioactive element with a half
life of 10,000 years, how much of
that material will be left after
30,000 years?
8 Kilograms
A mutation which results in
increased survivability of an
organism, which is then
successfully passed on to future
generations is known as what?
An adaptation
What do we call a tectonic
plate boundary where the
plates are separating?
Divergent boundary
Magnetic reversals
provide evidence to
support what theory?
Sea floor spreading
or continental drift
A break in the original sequence
of rock layers in a given geologic
column is known as what?
Unconformity or
disconformity
Who was the first scientist
to propose the theory of
continental drift based on
the fossil record?
Wegener
If you start with 24 kilograms of a
radioactive element with a half life
of 10,000 years, how many years
will it take until only 3 kilograms of
the material remain?
30,000 years
The idea that most change we
have noted over the history of the
Earth has been caused by
gradual change involving the
same geologic processes we
witness to day is known as what?
Uniformitarianism
What do we call the area
where sea floor spreading
occurs?
Mid ocean ridge
Wegener concluded that Africa
and South America were once
connect based on what?
Fossil evidence
The fossil record shows the same
species of organisms in Africa
and South America but the
current organisms on the two
continents are very different, why
would that be?
Separation of continents caused
organisms to evolve separately on the
different continents.
What do we call a tectonic
plate boundary where the
plates are sliding past one
another?
Transform
A rock sample has 25% of its
original radioactive element and
the half-life of the element I
500,000 years. How old is the
rock sample?
1 million years
What do we call the area
where two tectonic plates
meet?
Plate boundaries
Based on the fossil record,
what can we say for sure
about the history of life on
the Earth?
Life forms have changed
significantly over time
Selection of successful
adaptations for future
generations is made by what?
Environmental
conditions
According to the theory of
continental drift, a single
super continent once
existed called what?
Pangaea
How do upper layers of
sedimentary rock compare to
lower layers of sedimentary
rock?
Upper layers are younger
A layer of rock contains index fossils
that are not found in any upper layers
of the rock. How do fossils found
above that layer of rock compare in
age to the index fossil?
They are younger
What rock type is most likely
to contain fossils?
Sedimentary Rock
The idea that most important
change in the Earth over its
history has been caused by
sudden, catastrophic events such
as asteroid impact is know as
what?
Catastrophism
The rock type formed by the
freezing of magma or lava is
called what?
Igneous Rock
Which part of the history of
the Earth is best investigated
by analysis of Ice Cores?
Changes in Climate
What do we call the
outermost layer of the
Earth?
The Crust
Structures in organisms
which work the same way but
may or may not perform the
same function are known as
what?
Homologous structures
Whales, humans, lions and bats
all have humerus bones in their
appendages. What might
account for that?
They all had a
common ancestor
The shorter the geologic time
frame an organism which is
commonly fossilized is
associated with, the better it
would be as what?
Index Fossil
Structures in organisms
which perform the same
function but use a different
structure to do it are know as
what kind of structures?
Analogous
What is the most important
conclusion scientists take
from the discovery of
Homologous Structures
between organisms?
They had a common ancestor
or origin
The better an organism is able to
adapt to changes in the
environment, the better the
organism is able to do what?
survive
Where on Earth would you
expect to find the most
earthquake activity?
Along faults, near
Transform boundaries
What is the ultimate reason why
large scale extinctions have
occurred on Earth?
Climate change
What kind of currents
contributes to tectonic plate
motion?
Convection currents
What method of dating would
be best to use to determine
the actual age of a fossil?
Absolute dating
Radiometric dating
Rocks which were formed by
long periods of intense heat
and pressure are known as
what?
Metamorphic Rock
What might best explain
homologous structures between
the fins of whales and wings of
bats?
They had a
common ancestor
When the genetic variation is low
in a population, how does that
impact the population’s ability to
adapt?
It lowers the population’s
ability to adapt
Why do organisms which blend
into their environment have a
survival advantage over other
organisms which stand out?
Predators are less likely to see
them
Rock that is formed by deposition
of sediment is know as what?
sedimentary
What is the most important
factor for the long term survival
of any species of organism?
Genetic variability or the
ability to adapt
How do rock intrusion
compare in age to the rock
layers they cut across?
They are younger