The Good Earth Introduction to Earth Science 4Th Edition By David – Test Bank

The Good Earth Introduction to Earth Science 4Th Edition By David – Test Bank

Chapter 08 Test bank: Geologic Time

Student: _______________________________________________________________________________________

1. A volcanic dike would be most likely to illustrate this geologic principle.
2. principle of superposition
3. principle of cross cutting relations
4. principle of original horizontality

2. What is the meaning of correlation as related to fossils?
3. Fossils can be used to match rock units in different areas.
4. Fossils represent small periods of geologic time in different areas.
5. Fossils correlate with only one rock unit in different areas.

3. Which of the following is an example of numerical time?
4. The Silurian period occurred before the Devonian Period.
5. The Silurian period began approximately 438 million years ago.

4. Which of the following is not a characteristic of the geologic timeline?
5. Major subdivisions are equally spaced through geologic time.
6. Subdivisions are based on when certain species evolved.
7. Subdivisions are based on when certain species became extinct.

5. If such an isotope existed, which one would be best to use for establishing the age of an archeological site that is about 50,000 years old?

1. one with a half-life of 2 million years
2. one with a half-life of 200,000 years
3. one with a half-life of 20,000 years
4. one with a half-life of 2,000 years

6. This geologic time principle is usually associated with sedimentary rock units.
7. principle of superposition
8. principle of cross cutting relations
9. principle of original horizontality

7. Who interpreted the Grand Canyon to be a result of long-lived geologic processes?
8. Tavwoats Indians
9. John Wesley Powell
10. Tom Vail

8. Who first noticed that fossil shark teeth found in rocks were similar to modern-day shark teeth?
9. Ussher
10. Steno
11. Hutton

9. What principle suggests that geologic processes that operate on Earth today are similar to those that operated in the past?

1. catastrophic
2. uniformitarian
3. deep time

10. What feature is found when there is a time gap in the geologic record?
11. deformed rock unit
12. unconformity in the rock unit
13. inclusion rock unit

11. How old is the Earth?
12. about 4,600 years old
13. about 4.6 million years old
14. about 4.6 billion years old

12. What data were used to develop the first geologic time scales?
13. analyses of radioactive elements
14. the fossil record
15. uniformitarianism

13. How many eons are in the geologic time scale?
14. 2
15. 3
16. 4
17. 5

14. What is the order of Eons from oldest to youngest?
15. Phanerozoic, Archean, Cambrian
16. Cambrian, Archean, Phanerozoic
17. Archean, Phanerozoic, Cambrian

15. What is used to sub-divide the Phanerozoic into 3 eras?

1. It is divided into equal intervals.
2. It is divided by mass extinction events.
3. It is divided based on numerical time calculations.

16. Besides a possible asteroid collision, what else contributed to “The Great Dying?”
17. pangaea formed
18. massive volcanic eruptions
19. pangaea formed and massive volcanic eruptions

17. Atoms with different numbers of neutrons in their nucleus are
18. ions.
19. isotopes.
20. electrons.

18. What happens to amount of daughter isotope over time?
19. it increases
20. it decreases
21. it stays the same

19. Which type rocks are best suited for numerical time dating?
20. Igneous
21. Sedimentary
22. Metamorphic

20. During which era did dinosaurs dominate the earth?
21. Cenozoic
22. Mesozoic
23. Paleozoic
24. Precambrian

21. Geologic or deep time
22. was originally described using radioactive isotopes as a dating technique.
23. was originally described using relative age dating methods such as cross-cutting relationships.
24. was originally described using both relative and radiometric age dating techniques that were discovered at the same time.
25. was originally described based on who discovered the most rocks first.
26. was originally defined with the knowledge that the Earth is 4.6 billion years old.

22. You find some limestone rock in southern Indiana and notice that it has fossil trilobites in it. Later you find the same fossil trilobites in a limestone in Colorado. From this you determine that the two rock types were deposited during the same time period using what concept or principle?
23. principle of Uniformitarianism
24. principle of Inclusions
25. principle of Cross-cutting Relationships
26. principle of Correlation using fossils
27. principle of Unconformities

23. Relative age-dating methods
24. allow Earth scientists to know that the Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary occurred exactly 66 million years ago.
25. allow Earth Scientists to determine if a specific rock layer is older or younger than rocks above or below it.
26. allow Earth scientists to determine exactly when rock layers were deposited.
27. allow Earth Scientists to determine exactly how old the Earth actually is.
28. allow Earth Scientists to determine that rock deposited during the Cambrian period is 530 million years old.

24. What is the ratio of parent-to-daughter atoms when exactly one half-life has elapsed?
25. 1:1
26. 1:2
27. 1:3

Examine the image below before answering this question. D represents a magma chamber.

25. Which relative time principle assumes that G is older than F?
26. Superposition
27. Cross-cutting
28. Original horizontality
29. Inclusions

26. Which relative time principle assumes that D is younger than G?
27. Superposition
28. Cross-cutting
29. Original horizontality
30. Inclusions

27. What is the correct order of the events from oldest to youngest?
28. D, B, A, G, C, F
29. G, C, F, D, B, A
30. A, B, D, F, G, C
31. F, C, G, A, B, D

Carefully examine the relative positions of the lettered arrows on the timeline below and estimate the ages represented by each arrow. Use the chart to answer this question.

28. Which represents the extinction of the dinosaurs?
29. A
30. B
31. C
32. D
33. E
34. F

29. Which represents the oldest known rocks?
30. A
31. B
32. C
33. D
34. E
35. F

30. Which represents the Cambrian explosion?
31. A
32. B
33. C
34. D
35. E
36. F

31. Which represents the oldest known single-celled fossils?
32. A
33. B
34. C
35. D
36. E
37. F

32. Which represents the rise in atmospheric oxygen on Earth?
33. A
34. B
35. C
36. D
37. E
38. F

, Use the diagram below to answer the questions that follow.

33. Which represents rocks that formed before A but after E?
34. F
35. G
36. C
37. D
38. E

34. Which represents rocks composed of granite and is older than F?
35. A
36. H
37. C
38. D
39. E

35. Which represents a sedimentary rock that did not experience contact metamorphism?
36. A
37. B
38. C
39. D
40. E

36. Using the diagram below, what is the possible age of F if A is 100 million years old and D is 70 million years old?

1. 85 million yrs
2. 170 million yrs
3. 55 million yrs
4. 110 million yrs

37. Which graph below best represents the change in the proportion of unstable (parent) radioactive isotopes with time?

1. Graph a
2. Graph b
3. Graph c
4. Graph d

38. Which geologic time principle places events in order based on their position?
39. Relative time
40. Numerical time
41. Deep time

39. Which geologic time principle states that older geologic units are below younger geologic units?
40. Principle of superposition
41. Principle of cross cutting relations
42. Principle of original horizontality

40. Why did Steno propose what eventually became known as the principle of original horizontality?
41. To defend Biblical accounts for the formation of the earth.
42. To explain the existence of fossils found in rocks he was studying.
43. To explain that the earth must be very old based on his observations.

41. Why did Hutton propose what eventually became known as the principle of superposition?
42. To defend Biblical accounts for the formation of the earth.
43. To explain the existence of fossils found in rocks he was studying.
44. To explain that the earth must be very old based on his observations.

42. What must be true of a rock unit that is cut by an igneous intrusion?
43. The rock unit is the same age as the intrusion.
44. The rock unit is younger than the intrusion.
45. The rock unit is older than the intrusion.

43. What must be true of a rock unit has an inclusion?
44. The rock unit is the same age as the inclusion.
45. The rock unit is younger than the inclusion.
46. The rock unit is older than the inclusion.

44. Which relative dating principle(s) can be observed in the Grand Canyon?
45. Superposition
46. Original horizontality
47. Cross cutting
48. All are correct

45. What type of scientist studies fossils?
46. Paleontologist
47. Geomorphologist
48. Petrologist

46. When were the key ingredients for life first present on Earth?
47. 4,000 years ago
48. 4 million years ago
49. 4 billion years ago

47. How is the geologic time scale sub-divided into smaller units?
48. Based on equal time intervals
49. Based on major events in Earth history
50. Based on the fossil record

48. When did large numbers of fossils first appear in the geologic record?
49. About 5000 years ago
50. About 500 million years ago
51. About 5 billion years ago

49. When did dinosaurs, exclusive of birds, become extinct?
50. 6,600 years ago
51. 6.6 million years ago
52. 66 million years ago
53. 660 million years ago

50. When did over 96% of marine and 70% of land species on Earth become extinct?
51. K-T boundary
52. P-T boundary
53. T-C boundary

51. What happens to the abundance of the parent isotope over time?
52. It increases
53. It decreases
54. It stays the same

52. Why can radioactive elements be used to determine the ages of rocks?
53. Their half lives increase predictably over time.
54. Their half lives decrease predictably over time.
55. Their half lives do not change over time.

53. The radioactive element Unobtanium-189 (Ut-189) decays to the stable element Dilithium-171 (Di-171). The half-life of Ut-189 is 10 million years. Using a very sensitive atom-counter instrument, you determine that a mineral sample has 150 atoms of Di-171, and 50 atoms of Ut-189. Assume that no atoms have been lost due to metamorphism over the lifetime of the rock.

Use this information to answer the following question.

How many half-lives have passed since the mineral formed?

1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. 4

54. The radioactive element Unobtanium-189 (Ut-189) decays to the stable element Dilithium-171 (Di-171). The half-life of Ut-189 is 10 million years. Using a very sensitive atom-counter instrument, you determine that a mineral sample has 150 atoms of Di-171, and 50 atoms of Ut-189. Assume that no atoms have been lost due to metamorphism over the lifetime of the rock.

Use this information to answer the following question.

What is the age of the mineral?

1. 10 million years old
2. 20 million years old
3. 30 million years old
4. 40 million years old

55. Which geologic eon and era are we currently living in?

1. Phanerozoic eon, Paleozoic era
2. Phanerozoic eon, Cenozoic era
3. Proterozoic eon, Cenozoic era
4. Proterozoic eon, Mesozoic era

56. A progression of sandstone to shale and limestone, which is observed in parts of the Grand Canyon, is indicative of what type of depositional setting?
57. Passive continental margin
58. Active continental margin
59. Divergent plate boundary
60. Terrestrial (i.e, lakes, rivers)

57. Acceptance of the concept of deep time was a paradigm shift for the scientific community.

True False

58. Relative dating involves radioactive isotopes.

True False

59. The geologic time scale was originally developed using relative time principles and fossil correlation.

True False

60. The principle of superposition suggests that rock layers on the top of a sequence are older than layers on the bottom.

True False