fossils quiz

Question 1

Abiotic/Physical Factors

Answer 1

Non-living factors such as erosion, wind and sun exposure.

Question 2

Benthic

Answer 2

Living at the bottom of the ocean or on the ocean floor

Question 3

Biological/Biotic Factors

Answer 3

Living factors such as decomposers, scavengers and predators.

Question 4

Coprolite

Answer 4

Fossilized feces.

Question 4

Cast

Answer 4

Casts are formed when sediment leaks into a mold and hardens to form a copy of the original.

Question 4

Body fossil

Answer 4

Body parts of organisms that become fossils, such as bones, teeth, skin, leaves, tree trunks.

Question 5

Compression

Answer 5

Fossils formed when an organism is flattened (compressed), leaving a dark stain in the rock.

Question 6

Decomposer

Answer 6

An organism that breaks down the tissue and/or structures of dead organisms.

Question 7

Erosion

Answer 7

Weathering or wearing away of rock and earth (and any fossils they contain) caused by wind, sun, and/or water.

Question 8

Fossil

Answer 8

The natural remains or traces of past life. Something is considered to be a fossil if it is at least 10,000 years old.

Question 9

Groundwater

Answer 9

Water found underground us a result of rainfall, ice and snow melt, submerged rivers, lakes, and springs

Question 9

Fossil record

Answer 9

ALL of the fossils that have existed throughout life’s history, whether they have been found or not.

Question 10

Geologic maps

Answer 10

Geological maps help paleontologists find the right rocks for their question.

Question 11

Ichnology

Answer 11

The study of trace fossils.

Question 12

Igneous rock

Answer 12

Type of rock produced when molten magma (lava) cools and solidifies.

Question 13

Impression

Answer 13

Fossilized prints or marks made by a living thing. Leaf prints, skin prints and footprints and good example.

Question 14

Inorganic

Answer 14

Not containing carbon. Not from living things. Ex., mineral.

Question 15

Intertidal

Answer 15

The coastal zone between the low and high tide mark where the waves impact the land

Question 15

Macroscopic

Answer 15

Objects or organisms that are large enough to be seen with the naked eye

Question 16

Metamorphic rock

Answer 16

Rocks produced when any type of rock is changed by heat, pressure, and chemical activity in the Earth.

Question 17

Microscopic

Answer 17

Objects or organisms that are too small to be seen with the naked eye.

Question 18

Mineralization

Answer 18

The process whereby living material is replaced with minerals.

Question 19

Mold

Answer 19

The impression of an organism left behind in the rock.

Question 20

Organic

Answer 20

Containing carbon. Also refers to characteristic features of living things.

Question 21

Paleontology

Answer 21

The study of life in the past.

Question 22

Paleontologists

Answer 22

People who study fossils and other types of evidence to learn about life in the past.

Question 23

Plate tectonics

Answer 23

The concept that explains the movement of the Earth’s crustal plates, sea floor spreading, and a number of other geologic processes of the Earth’s surface

Question 24

Permineralized

Answer 24

Fossilization process that occurs when minerals, carried by groundwater, enter and harden in the posters of an organism’s structures.

Question 25

Replacement

Answer 25

Fossilization process that occurs when an organism is completely decomposed and replaced by minerals.

Question 26

Rock Cycle

Answer 26

The process through which one type of rock (igneous, sedimentary, or metaphoric) is converted into another.

Question 27

Scavenger

Answer 27

An organism that feeds on dead and dying organisms.

Question 28

Sedimentary Rock

Answer 28

rock that is formed when layers of small particles (sediment) are compressed and cemented together.

Question 29

Trace fossil

Answer 29

Evidence left by organisms that, such as burrows, imprints, coprolites, or footprints.

Question 30

Uplift

Answer 30

The process that causes part of the earth’s crust to rise above surrounding areas. This can cause layers of rock to become exposed at the surface.

Question 31

Footprint fossil (trace fossils)

Answer 31

Footprints of animals

Question 32

Animal Trail (trace fossils)

Answer 32

trails left by animals, ANY TRAILS

Question 33

Nest with egg (trace fossil)

Answer 33

just a nest with an egg

Question 34

Coprolite

Answer 34

fossilized poop

Question 35

mineralization

Answer 35

happens when minerals carried in water build up in the spaces of an organism and eventually become rock.

Question 36

frozen fossils

Answer 36

A whole organism can also be preserved if it is frozen very quickly. Some frozen mammoths have been found so well preserved, that their last meal was still undigested in their stomachs

Question 37

Why is it difficult for an organism living in the rainforest to become a fossil?

Answer 37

The large amount of rain throughout the year causes rapid decay of dead organisms. Also, many scavengers and decomposers work quickly to break down the tissues and structures of rain forest life.

Question 38

What are two reasons why many organisms never become part of the fossil record?

Answer 38

Decomposers eat the dead organisms instead of turning into fossils. The pressure and crushing ruins the fossil

Question 39

What are two ways that geologic processes can destroy a fossil?

Answer 39

The moving of fossils Weathering and erosion

Question 40

Why isn't igneous rock a good place to look for fossils?

Answer 40

the extreme heat involved in its formation, from molten magma or lava, would destroy any organic material that could potentially become a fossil