Paleontology and Ecology Study Guide Questions & Answers

1. What are fossils and how do they form? Fossils are preserved remains or traces of living things. Fossils form when living things die and are buried by sediments, which slowly harden into rock and preserve the shape of the organism.

2. What type of rock usually contains fossils? Sedimentary rocks

3. What do paleontologists study? Fossils

4. “ History repeats itself”… This statement supports the principle of uniformitarianism because geological process (weathering, erosion, deposition, runoff-water cycle) that occurred in the past occur the same way today.

5. What is the law of superposition? In horizontal, sedimentary rock layers, the oldest layer is at the bottom and each layer higher is younger than the layers below.

6. Describe the condition of an organism that no longer exists on Earth. The organism is extinct.

7. How might fossils provide evidence of Earth’s past environment? Fossils found in certain areas may tell whether the area was an ocean or a shallow sea.

8.What is the geologic time scale? A record of the life forms and geologic events in Earth’s history.

9.Describe how life forms became more complex. There is evidence from fossils records that reveal major changes in life forms occurred at different times. Example: early bacteria shells insects fish dinosaurs mammals

10.What do paleontologists use to help determine the age of rocks, according to the law of superposition? Relative age

11.What are index fossils? Fossils of widely distributed organisms that lived during only one short period.

12.How do unconformities in rock layers form? Erosion wears away the surface of rock layers and then other rock layers form on top of the eroded surface.

13.What is the relative age of a rock compared to absolute age? The relative age is the age compared to the ages of other rock or rock layers layers and the absolute age is the number of years since the rock or rock layer formed.

14.Where is the oldest layer of rock according to the law of superposition? The oldest rock layer is at the bottom.

15. Describe how sediments are deposited, according to the principle of horizontality. Sediments are deposited in horizontal layers, from left to right.

16. Justify how dinosaurs and horses did not exist during the same geologic era? Fossils of dinosaurs or horses cannot be found in the same rock layers.

17. How do geologist determine the absolute age of rocks? Radioactive dating, after determining the rock’s rate of radioactive decay.

18. Explain how a fossilized sea shell found at the top of a mountain supports Earth’s changing surface? The surface was once covered by water because a marine (water) environment would have been where the sea shell was.

19. A large elephant fossil found in a top layer compared to a small elephant fossil found below…what is the relative age? The rock layer that contains the large elephant fossil is younger than the rock layer with the small elephant fossil.

20. What is the age of an intrusion in relation to the sedimentary rock layers it passes through? The intrusion is younger.

21. If a fossil of a palm leaf were found in Alaska, what does this suggest about Alaska’s climate? Alaska was once under warmer climates.

22. What are fossil fuels and how do they form?.

23. What is the disadvantage of nonrenewable resources? Nonrenewable resources take a long time to form and once they are used, they are gone. They will likely run out in the near future.

24. Give examples of renewable resources. Biomass fuel, geothermal energy, hydroelectric power, solar energy, wind power and tidal power

25. List some ways to conserve nonrenewable resources. Ride a bike, instead of driving cars to save gas. Insulate buildings to keep heat from being lost.

26. Hydroelectric power and wind energy are powered by what major energy source? The sun, solar energy.

27. Which of the following resources will run out in the near future? * fossil fuels (nonrenewable) X geothermal energy (renewable) X solar energy (renewable) X wind energy (renewable)

28. What are the three major fossil fuels? Coal, oil, and natural gas.

29. How does recycling help conserve energy resources? Recycling does not required as much energy to be used.

30. Which of the following is the best alternative energy resource? X geothermal energy (unlimited, only available in certain regions) X oil (nonrenewable) X natural gas (nonrenewable) * hydroelectric power ( WATER)