the geological principle that natural processes operating today—such as erosion, sedimentation, and volcanism—have acted in the same manner and at similar rates throughout Earth's history

the preserved remains, impressions, or traces of ancient organisms (plants, animals, microbes) typically over 10,000 years old, found within the Earth's crust

a geological record of the biological activity and behavior of an ancient organism, rather than the fossilized remains of the organism itself

the long-term, predictable average of weather conditions—such as temperature, precipitation, humidity, and wind—in a specific region over an extended period, typically 30 years or more

the study of cylindrical samples drilled from glaciers and ice sheets to reconstruct past climate and atmospheric conditions

a geological and archaeological technique used to determine the chronological order of past events, fossils, or rock layers (older vs. younger) without calculating their exact numerical age

a fundamental scientific principle where multiple waves, states, or layers overlap to form a combined, complex entity

a buried erosional or non-depositional surface separating two rock masses or strata of different ages, representing a significant gap (hiatus) in the geologic record

a record of the rock layers in a particular area across geologic time

a scientific method used to determine the specific numerical age, in years, of rocks, fossils, or archaeological artifacts

the spontaneous process by which unstable atomic nuclei (radionuclides) lose energy by emitting radiation—such as alpha particles, beta particles, or gamma rays—to become more stable

the time required for half of the radioactive atoms in a sample to decay into a different, more stable element

a scientific technique used to determine the absolute age of rocks, minerals, and organic materials by measuring the decay rate of radioactive isotopes (parent material) into stable isotopes (daughter products)

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Earth's history

unit 7

Term	Definition
uniformitarianism	the geological principle that natural processes operating today—such as erosion, sedimentation, and volcanism—have acted in the same manner and at similar rates throughout Earth's history
fossil	the preserved remains, impressions, or traces of ancient organisms (plants, animals, microbes) typically over 10,000 years old, found within the Earth's crust
trace fossil	a geological record of the biological activity and behavior of an ancient organism, rather than the fossilized remains of the organism itself
climate	the long-term, predictable average of weather conditions—such as temperature, precipitation, humidity, and wind—in a specific region over an extended period, typically 30 years or more
ice core	the study of cylindrical samples drilled from glaciers and ice sheets to reconstruct past climate and atmospheric conditions
relative dating	a geological and archaeological technique used to determine the chronological order of past events, fossils, or rock layers (older vs. younger) without calculating their exact numerical age
superposition	a fundamental scientific principle where multiple waves, states, or layers overlap to form a combined, complex entity
unconformity	a buried erosional or non-depositional surface separating two rock masses or strata of different ages, representing a significant gap (hiatus) in the geologic record
geologic column	a record of the rock layers in a particular area across geologic time
absolute dating	a scientific method used to determine the specific numerical age, in years, of rocks, fossils, or archaeological artifacts
radioactive decay	the spontaneous process by which unstable atomic nuclei (radionuclides) lose energy by emitting radiation—such as alpha particles, beta particles, or gamma rays—to become more stable
half-life	the time required for half of the radioactive atoms in a sample to decay into a different, more stable element
radiometric dating	a scientific technique used to determine the absolute age of rocks, minerals, and organic materials by measuring the decay rate of radioactive isotopes (parent material) into stable isotopes (daughter products)

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