Science Test- History of Life on Earth

occurs when the remains of an animal are covered by sediment and preserved

there are many processes that prevent a fossil from forming-therefore fossilization is rare

1. Permineralized

2. Carbonized

3. Frozen remains

4. Cast and mold

5. Amber

6. Tar pit

7. Trace

the method of finding the absolute age of rock based on comparing the amounts of stable +unstable particles

geologic events and phenomena that occur today, also happened in the past, and will happen in the future.

states that in a sequence of undisturbed rocks, the oldest layers are at the bottom; newest/youngest layers are at the top.

the actual age of something

the amount of time needed for half of a sample of a radioactive substance to decay

when all members of a species die out

collection of all known fossils and their placement in order from most recent

A person who studies fossils

A person who studies rocks; minerals

large numbers of species die out in different parts of Earth during a relatively short period of time

meteor strike, climate change, overhunting, pollution, natural disasters, low oxygen levels, sea level drops, realize of methane gas

footprints- tells us if the animal walked on two or four feet and how big the animal is

scratch marks- tells us if the animal had claws/was a predator

dung stones- tells us what the animal ate, whether it was a carnivore or herbivore.

burrows/nests- tells us the type of habitat the animal liked to live in; also shows the behavior

fossils (big below, tiny above boundary)

Iridium (In/on rocks)

Tsunami deposits

Crater

Shocked quartz

Eon, Era, Period, Epoch, Age

divides Earth’s history into intervals of time defined by major events or changes on Earth