Name ____________________________ Date _________________________ Core_____________________
Earths History: Geological Time, Rocks, Fossils Guided Notes
Geological Time Scale
QUESTION:_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________ that organizes the _________________________ in Earths _____________________.

_______________________ is about __________________________ years old.

More ______________________ organism such as land __________________ and fish evolved only with in the last
_________________________ years.
Humans

_________________________ evolved only about ____________________________

If humans were ___________________________ into a ____________________ day, humans would not evolve until
he last _________________________ seconds.
Calendar of Earth
QUESTION:_____________________________________________________________________________________________

The _________________________ time scale is like a _________________________ extending forms earths
______________________ to the ____________________________.

The scale is divided into _______________________, ____________________, __________________, and
__________________.
Eon
QUESTION:_____________________________________________________________________________________________

The largest group: divided by the __________________ boundary (about ____________________ ago) when the
variety of life forms ____________________: __________________ of years long
Era
QUESTION:_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________ extinctions mark the ________________________ between the ______________________

_______________________ of millions of years long
Period
QUESTION:_____________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________ of time when a unique _______________________ series was laid down

_____________________________ of millions of years long
Epoch
QUESTION:________________________________________________________________________________

______________________ of the most ________________________ periods

Several _________________________ years long
Determining the Age of Rocks
QUESTION:_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Scientists use ______________________ and ______________________ to try to ____________________ events, or
determine when in __________________________ events took place on earth.

Scientists use 3 techniques of dating:
o
________________________ age
o
________________________ dating
o
________________________ age
Absolute Age
QUESTION:_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Tells the ______________________ age of rock or fossil or how ______________ ago an event ________________
Radioactive Dating
QUESTION:_____________________________________________________________________________________________
•
Is means of __________________________ the age of a material by ______________________ the amount of
_____________________ form of an ___________________ in a ____________________ or ____________________
with the amount of its decay product.
Relative Age
QUESTION:_____________________________________________________________________________________________
•
When ________________________ age is not possible scientists use _______________________ age.
•
____________________ age describes the ________________ of an object or event in ___________________ to
another object or event.
•
It _____________________ which ___________________ occurred earlier or __________________ then others
without giving a ________________________ date.
Law of Superposition
QUESTION:____________________________________________________________________________________________
•
States that in undisturbed ___________________ rock layers, _____________ layers of rock lie beneath
_____________ rock layers
•
___________________ sediments must be _____________ down _______________ before the
________________ ones pile on top.
Unconformity
QUESTION:___________________________________________________________________________________________
•
Plate _________________ can ___________________ rock layers by _________________ or
_________________ them.
•
Sometimes a __________________ can be _____________________ one area of rock ____________.
•
The _____________________ layer is called an ______________________.
•
Makes it more ____________________ to understand how earth _____________________ at a
________________ time.
Fossils Provides Clues to Earths Past
QUESTION:____________________________________________________________________________________________
•
______________ can be used to determine the _________________ history, or ______________, of the rock that
contains them
•
______________ fossils may be found where the ____________________ bound was an
_________________/continent
•
Older fossils are found in where plates collided, formed mountains, and now eroding.
Index Fossil
QUESTION:__________________________________________________________________________________________
•
___________________ must be _______________________ distributed
•
____________________ a type of organism that ____________________ only ___________________.
•
useful because they tell the ______________________ ages of the ___________________ layers in which they
occur.
Through Out History
QUESTION:__________________________________________________________________________________________
•
Throughout history ____________________ species of organism have gone ___________________
•
Some scientists _______________ that ___________________ of all species have ever lived on earth is
__________________
•
___________________ species lives for _________________ to __________________ million years
Extinction
QUESTION:___________________________________________________________________________________________
•
Increase in ___________________
•
Increase or decrease in _________________
•
_________________ eruption
•
Flooding or drought
•
________________ land or sea
•
A __________________ in food ________________
•
A new ________________ or _________________
Mass Extinctions
QUESTION:___________________________________________________________________________________________
•
Occurs when __________________ numbers of species die out in a _______________ amount of
________________.
•
Mass __________________ have occurred __________________ times in ____________________ history
•
Each ___________________ has wiped out _________________ then _____________________ of species
•
Have ______________________ in rock ___________________.
•
______________________ fossils suddenly ________________________.
SUMMARY: WRITE A 6-8 SENTENCE PARAGRAPH SUMMARIZING YOUR NOTES
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