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Science Vocab
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Eon | The longest unit of geologic time. |
Era | A large division of geologic time, but smaller than an eon. |
Period | A unit of geologic time smaller than an era. |
Epoch | a division of geologic time smaller than a period. |
Mass extinction | The extinction of many species on earth within a short period of time. |
Land bridge | A landform that connects two continents that were previously separated. |
Geographic isolation | The separation of a population of organisms from the rest of its species due to some physical barrier such as a mountain range or an ocean. |
Paleozoic era | The oldest era of the Phanerozoic eon. |
Mesozoic era | The middle era of the Phanerozoic eon. |
Cenozoic era | The youngest era of the Phanerozoic eon. |
Inland Sea | A body of water formed when ocean water floods contients. |
Coal swamp | An oxygen poor environment where, over a period of time, decaying plant material changes into coal. |
Supercontinent | An ancient landmass which separated into present-day continents. |
Dinosaur | Dominant Mesozoic land vertebrates that walked with their legs position directly below their hips. |
Plesiosaur | Mesozoic marine reptile with a small head, long neck, and flippers. |
Pterosaur | Mesozoic flying reptile with large, bat like wings |
Holocene epoch | The current epoch of geologic time which began 10,000 years ago. |
Pleistocene epoch | The first epoch of the Quaternary period. |
Ice Age | A period of time when a large portion of Earth's surface is covered by glaciers. |
Glacial grooves | Grooves in solid rock formation made by rocks that are carried by glaciers. |
Mega-mammal | Large mammal of the Cenozoic Era. |
Geologist | A scientist who studies the Earth's |
Paleontologist | A scientist that studies fossil remains found on the Earth's surface in order to study primitive life form such as : plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria. |
Geologist assume the _____ rock layers are on top of the older ones, unless some type of disturbance occurs.This is called ______________________ | newest and Law of Superpostition |
The strata of sedimentary rocks is important in determining their _____ age. | relative |
Relative age determines the "relative" order of past events but not the ___________________ | absolute age |
Strata is sometimes________. | disturbed |
Preserved ______- or ________ of animals, plants, and other organisms from the remote past. | remains or traces |
Fossil Record | History of life as documents by all fossils, preserved in sedimentary rock strata |
Characteristics of Index Fossils | 1.Easy recognizable 2.Abundant 3.Wide geographic distribution 4. Live a short time. |
M.Y stands for? | million years |
Special fossils called "index fossils" indicate to geologist the ____________ in geological time. | boundaries |
_________ rock layers contained only fossils of small, relatively simple life-forms. | Older |
_________ rock layers contained fossils of simple life-forms, as well as fossils of more complex organisms. | Younger |
Mass Extinction | Is the extinction of many species on Earth within a short period of time. |
They hypothesize that the mass extinction of dinosaurs was called by a _________ impact. | Meteorite |
Geographic isolation | Is the separation of a population of organisms from the rest of its species because of a physical barrier. |