Question | Answer |
This principle states that younger rocks lie above older rocks as long as the rock layers have not been disturbed. | Law of Superposition |
Determining whether how old or young a rock layer is "relatively" to the rock layers around it. | Relative Dating |
A surface that represents a missing part of a rock layer sequence. | Unconformity |
Any method of measuring the age of an event or object in years. | Absolute Dating |
The remains or physical evidence of an organism preserved by geologic processes. | Fossil |
A scale that accounts for the Earth's entire history divided into distinct intervals of time. | Geologic Time |
When molten rock from the Earth's Interior squeezes into existing rock and cools. | Intrusion |
A crack or break in the Earth's crust. | Fault |
When rock layers bend and buckle from Earth's internal forces. | Folding |
When rock layers slant due to internal forces inside Earth. | Tilting |
Fossils that are wide-spread, have distinct characteristics, and lived for a relatively short geologic time span. | Index fossil |
The hypothesis that states that continents once formed a single landmass, broke up, and drifted to their present locations. | Continental Drift |
This process creates new oceanic lithosphere at mid-ocean ridges. | Seafloor Spreading |
Where plate boundaries collide. | Convergent Boundaries |
Where plate boundaries slide past each other horizontally. | Transform Boundary |
The type of plate boundaries that exists where seafloor spreading occurs. | Divergent Boundary |
Satellite systems used to measure plate tectonic activity. | GPS |
The principle that states that past geologic processes which shape the Earth have been at work throughout Earth's history. | Uniformitarianism |
The principle that states that all geologic change occurs suddenly. | Catastrophism |
Any naturally preserved evidence of animal activity. | Trace Fossil |
Death of every member of a species. | Extinction |
Cylinders of ice that obtains trapped gases from the atmosphere and is used to study Earth's past climate. | Ice cores |