Lecture 2

Question 1

beds to sedimentary basins

Answer 1

lithostratigraphy

Question 2

biozones and stratigraphic ranges

Answer 2

biostratigraphy

Question 3

reversals and polarity chrons

Answer 3

magnetostratigraphy

Question 4

LOWESS 87Sr/86Sr ratio curve

Answer 4

chemostratigraphy

Question 5

orbital eccentricity cycles

Answer 5

cylcostratigraphy

Question 6

igneous rocks such as granites formed from melts deep underground (–) or above ground in the form of lavas and tuff (volcanic rocks)

Answer 6

plutonic

Question 7

metamorphic rocks such as slate, marble, and gneiss formed by – and another kind of rock

Answer 7

heating and/or squeezing

Question 8

examples of sedimentary rock

Answer 8

shales and sandstones

Question 9

sedimentary rock are formed of materials transported by water and/or wind and deposited in areas of –

Answer 9

low potential energy (sedimentary basins)

Question 10

– is concerned with the order of deposition of sedimentary rocks

Answer 10

stratigraphy

Question 11

lithostratigraphy involves the recognition of – which are features on geological maps

Answer 11

rock units

Question 12

sedimentary rocks are deposited in layers called –

Answer 12

bed or laminae

Question 13

– consist of a succession of similar beds or an alternation of two or a few different types

Answer 13

rock units

Question 14

basic rock unit

Answer 14

formation

Question 15

fromations may lie on continents (epicontinental) or at the edges of the continents or –

Answer 15

sea floor

Question 16

sea floor spreading followed by – limits the age of ocean basin deposits to less than about 150 Ma

Answer 16

subduction

Question 17

T/F: 300 Ma Australia was much farther south

Answer 17

true

Question 18

Nowra Sandstone is resistant to erosion so it’s a – sandstone

Answer 18

cliff forming

Question 19

longshore drift causes quartz to move – along the Burdekin River

Answer 19

northward

Question 20

total duration of any taxon from first to last individual is called the –

Answer 20

biozone

Question 21

best estimate of a biozone is the – which is normally less than the biozone

Answer 21

stratigraphic range

Question 22

the Earth’s magnetic field periodically – every 10^5 or 10^6 years

Answer 22

reverses

Question 23

the present situation with the – in the Arctic is normal

Answer 23

north pole

Question 24

times between reversals called – is instantaneous

Answer 24

chrons

Question 25

chemostratigraphy uses secular (time) changes in – as indication of elapsed time

Answer 25

chemical tracers

Question 26

abrupt changes (–) in chemostratgraphic records enable events to be correlated locally and globally

Answer 26

excursions

Question 27

typical tracers are – such as 13C/12C, 18O/16O, 34S/32S, 87Sr/86Sr

Answer 27

ratios of stable isotopes

Question 28

– are used for global correlation because the ocean is homogeneous on long timescales

Answer 28

strontium isotope ratios

Question 29

there are two principal inputs of strontium to the ocean: Whole-Earth values (light) derived from seafloor volcanic rocks and –

Answer 29

continental crust (heavy)

Question 30

most metronomic cycles are driven by astrophysical processes such as the rotation of the Earth, orbit of the Earth around the sun, variations in the Earth’s obliquity, precession of equinoxes, and –

Answer 30

eccentricity of the orbit

Question 31

Milankovitch first linked cyclical changes in Earth’s orbital elements to –

Answer 31

climate

Question 32

Cyclostratigraphy: fossils and sediments record environmental changes as – in the thickness and composition layers

Answer 32

variations

Question 33

if the – of the cycle is known then cyclostratigraphy may be used to date past events

Answer 33

frequency

Question 34

in the Denver basin, there are ash beds (“little dudes”)above and below the – boundary dated to 66Ma

Answer 34

K-T

Question 35

Eons: Hadean, Archean, Proterozoic, and

Answer 35

Phanerozoic

Question 36

the Precambrian (pre-Phanerozoic) most boundaries are defined by – clock dates

Answer 36

arbitrarily chosen

Question 37

In the Phanerozoic most boundaries reflect – in the fossil assemblages first recognized during the 19th century

Answer 37

successive changes

Question 38

Some boundaries such as the K-T coincide with –

Answer 38

natural events

Question 39

Some boundaries such as the – have marginal natural significance

Answer 39

S-D

Question 40

GSSP stands for

Answer 40

Global Stratotype Section and Point

Question 41

GSSP is also known as

Answer 41

Golden Spikes

Question 42

GSSP reduce the four dimensions of space and time to a –

Answer 42

single point

Question 43

T/F: GSSPs are selected by international working groups appointed by the IUGS Commissions on Stratigraphy

Answer 43

true

Question 44

T/F: National competition for GSSPs is fierce like World Heritage sites as they attract visitors and funding

Answer 44

true

Question 45

GSSPs mark the – of time intervals

Answer 45

beginnings

Question 46

Ediacaran GSSP defines the terminal period of the –

Answer 46

Neoproterozoic

Question 47

Ediacaran GSSP follows the –

Answer 47

Cryogenian

Question 48

Ediacaran was placed at the interface between the – and the post glacial cap carbonate

Answer 48

last major glacial sediment

Question 49

Ediacaran GSSP is located in

Answer 49

Enorama Creek, South Australia (2004)

Question 50

Ediacaran GSSP is about – Ma

Answer 50

635