Fossils Flashcards
1
Q
How old is…
- The Universe?
- Earth?
- Life on Earth?
A
- 13.7 billion years
- 4.57 billion years
- 3.5 billion years
2
Q
Name 4 forms fossils can be found in
A
- transformed body parts
- activity e.g. footprints
- preserved remains
- organic chemicals
3
Q
What are 4 unlikely events that have to occur in order for a fossil to form.
A
- Body survives long enough after death.
- Remains become buried in sediment in the water column.
- Permineralization
- Exposure
4
Q
How can fossils be dated?
A
- Radio carbon dating
Using the known half life of C14 taken up by the plants (and animals). - Volcanic ash
Potassium and Argon can be dated if the sediment contains ash. - Paleomagnetic dating
Compare the polarity of the sediment in the fossil - Relative dating
Compare known to unknown fossils
5
Q
What are some of the benefits of looking at fossils?
A
- can see what the ancestors of the animals alive today looked like, even if they’re extinct
- allows us to look at their adaptations
6
Q
What are the 9 periods in the geological time frame?
A
Cambrian Ordovician Silurian Devonian Carboniferous Permian Triassic Jurassic Cretaceous
7
Q
In what time period did dinosaurs go extinct?
A
Cretaceous
8
Q
What were the 2 main orders of dinosaur?
A
Ornithischia (bird hipped)
Saurischia (lizard hipped)
9
Q
What period are quarry dinosaurs from?
A
Jurassic
10
Q
What period did Ichthyosaurs live in?
A
Triassic
