GeologicTimeWebActivity

GototheUnderstandingGeologicTimewebsitebytheUniversityofCaliforniaMuseumofPaleontology
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/education/explorations/tours/geotime/gtpage1.html

Answerthesequestionsasyoufollowthepromptsoneachpage.

1. TheEarthandmoonformed____________________yearsago.

2. The________life(singlecellandmulticellorganisms)appears3.9billionyearsago.

3. PlantsappearonEarth________________yearsago.

4. The____________becameextinct65millionyearsago.

5. Howistherelativeagedifferentthantheactualdate(absoluteage)ofanevent?

6. Sketchtherocklayersfor#6Relativetimeisrecordedinrocksbelow.Labeltheyoungestand
theoldestlayer.

7. Thediagramin#6illustratesthe_________of______________.

8. Nowlookatthefossilsonpage#7.EvidenceoftheeventsinEarth'shistoryisfoundwithinthe
rocks.UsingtheLawofSuperpositionnametheoldestfossilandtheyoungestfossil.
Youngest:_______________Oldest:_________________

9. Howdoscientistsdeterminetherelativeageofarockorfossil?

10. Whichcamefirst,trilobitesorammonites?_______________________
Howdidyouknow?

11. WhatcanradiometricdatingtellusabouttheageofrocksthattheLawofSuperpositioncannot?

12. The4eonsofthegeologictimescaleare:
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________

13. WhicheracouldbecalledtheAgeoftheDinosaurs?___________________

14. Inwhichperioddidhumansfinallyappear?_______________________

15. ThedivisionsoftimeintheGeologicTimeScalerepresent_______________

___________________________________________________________.

IllustratetheGeologicTimeScale

Step#1Chooseanorganismtoillustratefromp132135,EarthsChangingSurface,ScienceExplorer
(purplebook).

Step#2NameoftheOrganism:___________________Period:______________________

Step#3Havetheteacherlookatyoursketchandselecttheareathatyouwillsketch
yourorganismontheclasstimeline.Trynottorepeatorganisms.

Whenyoufinishall10sectionsoftheGeologicTimewebsiteandanswerthe5questions,clickonthe
linktoVisittheUCMuseumofPaleontologyhomepage.ClickontheDiscovertheHistoryofLife
button.Finally,clickonthethirdlinkdowntogototheGeologicTimeexhibit.Explorethisareandseeif
youcandiscovertheanswerstotheseextracreditquestions.Eachisworth2extracreditpoints.

1. In1669,_____________________________describedtwobasicgeologicprinciples.Thefirst
statedthatsedimentaryrocksarelaiddowninahorizontalmanner(thelawoforiginal
horizontality),andthesecondstatedthatyoungerrockunitsweredepositedontopofolderrock
units(lawofsuperposition).

2. HowweretheCenozoic,theMesozoic,andthePaleozoicErasnamed?

3. Oxygenfirstbeginbuildingupintheatmosphereinthe______________eon.

4. Whatistheprincipleoffaunalsuccession?

5. TheCambrianperiodbeganwiththebreakupoftheworldcontinentcalled________________
andendedwiththeformationof________________,astheEarth'scontinentscametogether
onceagain.

6. Betweenwhichtwoperiodswasthelargestmassextinctionoflife?
______________________andthe______________________

7. Name6groupsoforganismsthatsurvivedtheCretaceousTertiaryextinction.

8. WhatwasCharlesLyellsbigcontributiontoscience?

9. WhydonorocksexistfromtheHadeaneonexceptmeteorites?

10. WhyisitthoughtthattherearesomanycarnivorestrappedintheLaBreatarpitsandsofew
herbivores?