deck_6717599 Flashcards
(241 cards)
Law of Superposition
Oldest strata of undeformed sequences at the bottom; youngest at the top
Original age of Earth (later proved false)
3000 years old
What is strata made from?
Fluids like fresh and salt water; not from lava
What can strata be used for?
Fossils, matching fossils from different locations, understanding times scales
Radiometric dating
20th century; used C14 which Is the heaviest isotopes
3 discoveries that proved Earth was older than originally thought
1) Existence of distinct layers of strata of sedimentary rock2) Law of superposition3) Strata can be correlated based on fossils
One problem proposed by May about Darwin’s evolution
Calvin’s estimations of Earth’s age were wrong; evolution can occur because of the very old age of Earth
One problem that May proposed about Darwin that has not been resolved
Evolution and the idea of altruism
Four principal time units
Eons, Eras, Periods, Epochs (EEPE)
Eons (2)
Precambrian, Phanerozoic
Eras in Phanerozoic eon (3)
Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic
Periods in Paleozoic era (6)
Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous, Permian
Periods in Mesozoic era (3)
Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous
Periods in Cenozoic era (2)
Tertiary, quaternary (we are in this)
Mnemonic for Paleozoic and Mesozoic periods
Cows Often Sit Down Carefully. Perhaps Their Joints Creak?
Epochs in Tertiary (5)
Paleocene, Eocene, Oligocene, Miocene, Pliocene
Epochs in quaternary (2)
pleistocene, holocene
Where did the names of the EEPEs came about?
The name for the EEPEs came from where the strata, rocks, and fossils were first discovered and dug up
What is the name Cambria an old name for?
Wales
What is 3/4 of the earth’s history?
Precambrian Eon
What occurred in the precambrian eon (4.5-4.6 By a)?
-Origin of Life on Earth-Origin of Prokaryotes-Origin of Eukaryotes-Evolution of sex-Evolution of multicellularity-Formation of the moon-Bombardment phase-Increase in oxygen
What was the precambrian eon lacking?
Precambrian eon was lacking both fossils and fossil bearing rocks because the organisms were soft bodied and the rocks were too hard or destroyed the fossils
Where were the first fossils found?
Cambria
What is 1/4 of earths history?
Phanerozoic Eon