1. Geology Unit Review

2. Charles Darwin suggested that organisms could change over time through what process? Natural selection

3. The continual creation and destruction of rocks in the Earth is known collectively as what? The Rock Cycle

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. What Geological Era are Dinosaurs most closely associated with? Mesozoic Era

8. What kind of rocks are most closely associated with volcanic activity? Igneous Rock

9. 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

10. 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

11. What do we call a tectonic plate boundary where the plates are separating? Divergent boundary

12. Magnetic reversals provide evidence to support what theory? Sea floor spreading or continental drift

13. A break in the original sequence of rock layers in a given geologic column is known as what? Unconformity or disconformity

14. Who was the first scientist to propose the theory of continental drift based on the fossil record? Wegener

15. 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

16. 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

17. What do we call the area where sea floor spreading occurs? Mid ocean ridge

18. Wegener concluded that Africa and South America were once connect based on what? Fossil evidence

19. 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.

20. What do we call a tectonic plate boundary where the plates are sliding past one another? Transform

21. 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

22. What do we call the area where two tectonic plates meet? Plate boundaries

23. 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

24. Selection of successful adaptations for future generations is made by what? Environmental conditions

25. According to the theory of continental drift, a single super continent once existed called what? Pangaea

26. How do upper layers of sedimentary rock compare to lower layers of sedimentary rock? Upper layers are younger

27. 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

28. What rock type is most likely to contain fossils? Sedimentary Rock

29. 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

30. The rock type formed by the freezing of magma or lava is called what? Igneous Rock

31. Which part of the history of the Earth is best investigated by analysis of Ice Cores? Changes in Climate

32. What do we call the outermost layer of the Earth? The Crust

33. Structures in organisms which work the same way but may or may not perform the same function are known as what? Homologous structures

34. Whales, humans, lions and bats all have humerus bones in their appendages. What might account for that? They all had a common ancestor

35. The shorter the geologic time frame an organism which is commonly fossilized is associated with, the better it would be as what? Index Fossil

36. Structures in organisms which perform the same function but use a different structure to do it are know as what kind of structures? Analogous

37. What is the most important conclusion scientists take from the discovery of Homologous Structures between organisms? They had a common ancestor or origin

38. The better an organism is able to adapt to changes in the environment, the better the organism is able to do what? survive

39. Where on Earth would you expect to find the most earthquake activity? Along faults, near Transform boundaries

40. What is the ultimate reason why large scale extinctions have occurred on Earth? Climate change

41. What kind of currents contributes to tectonic plate motion? Convection currents

42. What method of dating would be best to use to determine the actual age of a fossil? Absolute dating Radiometric dating

43. Rocks which were formed by long periods of intense heat and pressure are known as what? Metamorphic Rock

44. What might best explain homologous structures between the fins of whales and wings of bats? They had a common ancestor

45. 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

46. 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

47. Rock that is formed by deposition of sediment is know as what? sedimentary

48. What is the most important factor for the long term survival of any species of organism? Genetic variability or the ability to adapt

49. How do rock intrusion compare in age to the rock layers they cut across? They are younger