Evidence of the Past
In what way does the transform boundary differ from the other three boundary types?
At a transform boundary, the plates move in a direction that is parallel to the boundary line.
Which type of plate boundary would be most likely to lead to above-ground volcanic activity?
Convergent
In which boundary type do plates move away from each other?
Divergent
Why is it difficult to find fossilized plants and animals in the same place?
Plants and animals require different conditions to become fossilized
An example of a rapid change in conditions on Earth is
a meteor striking Earth.
any method of measuring the age of an object or event in years, such as using the atomic half-life
absolute dating
Which is an example of Earth's conditions slowly changing?
continents moving
What are blocks of time in the geological time scale called?
eras
What are traces of living things that are preserved in rock called?
fossils
Your neighbor reads a newspaper article about fossils of tropical plants being found in a very cold, southern area of the world. "How can that be?" he asks you. You tell him that
he continents may once have been in very different places than they are now.
What type of fossils would be least likely to be found in Antarctica?
hominids
the theory that explains how large pieces of the Earth's crust move and change shapes
plate tectonics
any method of determining whether an event or object is older or younger than others
relative dating