Earth science topic 13 workbook

The following diagram represents a crosssectional view of a portion of earth's crust showing sedimentary rock layers that have not been overturned. The letters identify specific layers. Which rock layer is probably the oldest?

A

Which is the most recently formed rock?

A

The following diagram of three profile sections show fossil deposits w, x, y, and z found at widely separated locations. Which would be the best index fossil?

2) x

Trilobite fossils were recently discovered in Himalayan mountain bed rock during which geologic. Could these organisms have lived

Cambrian

Which two gases were commonly outgassed from Earth's's interiors into the atmosphere around 4 billion years ago

Carbon dioxide and nitrogen

Why is carbon-14 usually not used to accurately date objects more than 50,000 years old?

Carbon-14 has a relatively short half-life, and too little carbon-14 is left after 50,000 years

The following diagrams represent cross sections of three areas of exposed bedrock approximately 100 km apart. What would be the best method of correlating the rock layers of each area?

Comparing index fossils

The best basis for concluding that a certain layer of shale rock in New York State was deposited at the same time as one in California is that both

Contain similar fossil remains

Because of the half life nature of the decay process, uranium 238 will theoretically

Continue to decay indefinitely

Rock layer b is the same age as layer

D

The last event before faulting occurred was the formation of

D

Which radioactive substance shown on the following graph has the longest half-life?

D

Which is the geologic age of the surface bedrock of most of the Allegheny Plateau landscape region in New York State

Devonian

Tribolite fossils from different time periods show small changes in appearance these observations suggest that the changes may be the result of

Evolutionary development

The conclusion that the limestone layer d is younger than the basalt layer e is supported by evidence of

Faulting

The disturbed rock structure shown is probably the result of

Faulting

Fossils are rarely found in Precambrian rocks because, at that time

Few life forms had hard parts

The simplest way to correlate exposed rock layers in the same general vicinity when they contain no fossils is by

Following the continuity of the layers

The geologic time scale has been subdivided into a number of time units largely on the basis of

Fossil evidence

Approximately 3.5 billion years ago photosynthetic organisms evolved. What dramatic change in earth's atmosphere resulted primarily from this event?

Free oxygen builds up in the atmosphere

Which must have most recently preceded the formation of layer d?

Intrusion

The half-life of a particular radioactive substance

Is independent of mass, temperature, and pressure

The following diagram shows a portion of earth's crust. What is the relative age of the igneous rock?

It is younger than the limestone but older than the shale

Escribe two essential characteristics of an index fossil

Live for a short amount of time, has a wide horizontal distribution or is a single species of life

According to the generalized bedrock geology of New York State in the earth science reference tables, what is the geologic age of the bedrock found at the surface at 43 degrees 30 north latitude by 75 degrees west longitude?

Middle proterozoic

The changes observed in th fossil record from the Precambrian to the Cenozoic era best provides evidence of

Organic evolution

Unconformities provide evidence that

Part of the geologic record has been destroyed

Because the chemical, physical, geological, and biological characteristics of nature remain the same throughout time, we can interpret the past and

Predict natural hazard events

If a specimen of a given radioactive substance is reduced in size, it's half-life

Remains the same

According to the earth science reverence tables, which rock is most likely the oldest?

Shale containing trilobite fossils

What is the age of the surface bedrock at niagra falls, New York?

Silurian

Which of the following landscape features of New York State were most recently formed

The Palisades sill

Why might it be more likely for a fossil to be found in a sedimentary rock than in either an igneous or metamorphic rock?

The high heat associated with igneous and metamorphic rocks would destroy any evidence of life

The following diagram represents exposed bedrock. Which geologic event occurred last?

The intrusion of A

,in a conglomerate rock sample that is composed of limestone particles cemented together by calcite, what is the oldest part of the rock sample?

The limestone particles

The following diagram represents a site in western New York state the remains of a mastodon were found in settlements from a swamp located above lime stone bedrock fossils of Paleozoic coral was discovered in the lime stone beneath the swap observations made at this swamp provide evidence that

The local climate and environment have changed dramatically

According to the earth science reference tables which geological that is associated with the Grenville Orogeny

The metamorphism of the rocks of the Adirondack mountains

From the study of fossils what can be inferred about most species of plants and animals that have lived on earth

They have become extinct

Shark and coral fossils are found in the rock record of certain land areas. What does the presence of these fossils indicate about those areas?

They were once covered by shallow seas

The following diagram represents a cross-section of earth's crust. The symbols in the diagram indicate the location on a horizontal surface of certain fossils that formed during the Carboniferous period. For what purpose would the fossil formation on the map be most useful?

To provide evidence of evolution of humans

Some uranium is obtained from an intrusive granite formation. It is then analyzed and found to contain approximately 1 gram of lead-206 to every 3 grams of uranium-238. Approximately how many billions of years old is the granite?

Two

An uncomfortable between two sedimentary layers is most likely produced by

Uplift followed by extensive erosion, submergence, and deposition

Suppose you are examining a section of sedimentary rock. What evidence could you observe that would support the principle of superposition?

Use index fossils or radioactive decay dating to indicate that the age of the rocks gets younger toward the top

Why can layers of volcanic ash found between other rock layers often serve as good geologic time markers?

Volcanic ash usually is rapidly deposited over a large area

Present day quarrels live in warm shallow ocean water which entrance is best supported by the discovery of Ordovician age corals in the surface bedrock western New York State

Western New York state was covered by a warm shallow sea during Ordovician time

Geologist can use meteorite fragments to correlate different types of sedimentary rock thousands of kilometers apart because Meteorite fragments

Would be spread over much of earths surface

Which is the oldest sedimentary rock in this diagram?

Conglomerate

Carbon-14 is often used to date fossils from the Holocene epoch why would carbon-14 be less useful in dating an Ordovician fossil?

It has a small half life

Which statement is false?

Two members of one species must be exactly alike

An igneous rock contains 1/2 of its original amount of potassium 40 according to the earth science reference tables the age of the igneous rock is closest to

1.3 X 10^9 years

When did the Jurassic Period end?

146, million years ago

If the decay curve for the element carbon-14 were plotted, which diagram shows the general shale that the curve would be?

2

Which curve represents the expected decay rate of uranium-238 if it's temperature were raised almost to the melting point

2

The following diagrams represent the rock layers and fossils found at four widely separated area of exposed bedrock. Which fossil appears to be the best index fossil?

3

Which line is the best representation of the relative duration of each of the geologic time intervals

4

The half life of uranium-238 as shown on this graph is closest to

4.5 billion years

According to the geologic history of New York State in the earth science reference tables, what is the estimated age of earth as a planet in millions of years?

4600

Approximately how long ago were the taconic mountains uplifted?

470 million years ago

"The present is the key to the past" explain what this statement means in the context of geologic history

All events that happened in the present has happened in the past

What event in the evolution of life around 540 million years ago began an extensive fossil record on earth

Animals evolved hard parts

Mesozoic rocks and fossils found in Australia would most likely match Mesozoic rocks and fossils found in

Antarctica

An unconformity is located between

C and d

Which area in New York State is located on rock formations that contain large amounts of deposits?

Syracuse