1 A distinctive fossil, common to a particular geological period.
2 A general method of dating objects, which uses their relation to
other objects. For example, artifacts found in lower strata are
typically older than artifacts found in higher strata
3 A sequence of sedimentary rocks, the lowest layers is the oldest and
the uppermost layers are the youngest
4 An interruption in continuity of a depositional sequence of
sedimentary rocks
5 The most reliable method of obtaining a 'date' for a rock depends
upon the observation of the rate of decay of a radioactive element
6 The process by which particles collect or deposit themselves on
solid surfaces
14 A rank in the classification of organisms, below genus and above
subspecies
15 Changes in climate (such as temperature, precipitation, wind) that
differ significantly from previous average conditions and are seen to
endure, bringing about corresponding changes in ecosystems and
socioeconomic activity
16 Method of dating geological specimens by determining the relative
percentage of particular radioactive isotopes present in a sample
17 The process whereby organisms better adapted to their
environment tend to survive and produce more offspring
18 Wear away or change the appearance or texture of the earth’s
surface by long exposure to the wind, water, etc.
7 A fossil useful for dating the strata in which it is found
19 The natural process of laying down soil and particles on the
surface of the earth
8 A group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable
of exchanging genes or interbreeding
20 A buried erosion surface separating two rock masses or strata of
different ages, indicating the sediment deposition was not continuous
9 A surface of erosion separating younger strata from older rocks,
representing a missing span of time from the rock record
21 A method to date rocks based on the rate of the transformation of
an unstable radioactive isotope into a stable element
10 No longer active; extinguished
22 The change in the inherited traits of a population of organisms
through successive generations.
11 The science of determining the age of past life forms, without
necessarily determining their approximate age
12 The series of events involved in the expansion of the type of
organisms on earth
23 The conditions of a place or region is changed if over an extended
period (typically decades or longer) there is a statistically significant
change in measurements rainfall, temperature, or wind events
24 The act of putting sediments somewhere on the surface
13 A fossil, used to date a rock layer, known to have lived in a
particular geologic age
25 When earth’s surface is worn away or altered by a natural process
26 A fossil known to have lived in a particular geologic age used to
determine the age of the rock layer in which it is found
27 A method of dating rock layers by their relationships or proximity
to each other.
28 A time break in a depositional sequence of strata
39 The geologic principle stating sedimentary rocks, which have not
been disturbed by folding or overturning, will be older than the layers
above and younger than the layers below
40 Taxonomic groups (species) whose members can interbreed
41 The change in global weather patterns attributed largely to the
increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use
of fossil fuels
29 The deposition of one geological stratum on another making the
top the younger layer and layers getting older as you move down
through the strata
42 The principle that the sequence of strata in a deposit, from bottom
to top, reflects the order of deposition, from earliest to latest.
30 The process by which heritable traits make it more likely for an
organism to survive and successfully reproduce
43 A technique used to date materials based on knowledge of the
decay rates of naturally occurring isotopes
31 To break down rocks and minerals at or near Earth's surface into
smaller particles and soil
44 A term used to describe short and long-term affects on the Earth's
climate as a result of human activities such as fossil fuel combustion
and vegetation clearing and burning
32 Aging fossils based on comparative order in time
33 Physical and chemical processes that disintegrate rock to form soil
34 The basic category of biological classification, composed of related
individuals with common characteristics
35 The death of the last individual of a species
36 Complete annihilation
37 When organisms are bound to improve themselves through
changes over time
38 A natural process resulting in the survival of an organism best
adapted to their environment
45 The main mechanism of evolutionary change. In a given population
of organisms, there are heritable traits that enable some members to
contribute a larger number of offspring than others
46 The process by which different kinds of living organisms are
thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during
the history of the earth
47 The state or process of a species, family, or larger group vanishing
for the earth’s population
48 The geological process by which material builds a landform. This is
done by wind, water, and gravity transporting previously eroded
sediment, which is deposited on the surface, building up new layers
of sediment
Using the definitions on the attached page – place the number of the definition in the box below the best word.
EVOLUTION
NATURAL SELECTION
EXTINCTION
SPECIES
LAW OF SUPERPOSITION
RELATIVE DATING
INDEX FOSSIL
UNCONFORMITY
DEPOSITION
CLIMATE CHANGE
ABSOLUTE DATING
WEATHERING