Ancient Fossils and Hominins

These flashcards cover key terminology and concepts from the lecture notes regarding fossils, geological time, and early hominins.

Fossil Formation

The process by which the remains of ancient organisms are preserved under specific conditions such as in volcanic areas, tree sap, lake beds, or bogs.

Faunal Succession

A principle stating that layers of strata contain distinct collections of fossils that can be used for relative dating.

Hominin

A term that refers to modern humans and their direct ancestors, distinguishing them from other primates.

Dendrochronology

An absolute dating technique that uses tree rings to determine the age of a tree and the environmental conditions during its life.

KT Boundary

A geological boundary marking the extinction event that occurred around 65 million years ago, often associated with a massive asteroid impact.

Absolute dating

Methods of determining the exact age of a fossil or artifact, such as radiocarbon dating or dendrochronology.

Index Fossils

Fossils of organisms that were widespread but only existed for a short period of geological time, used to date and correlate the age of rock layers.

Biostratigraphic Dating

A method of dating rock layers based on the fossils they contain, allowing for relative dating of geological strata.

Oldowan Tools

Simple stone tools used by early hominins, first recognized in association with Australopithecus.

Cenozoic Era

The geological era that began 65 million years ago and continues to the present, marked by the rise of mammals and flowering plants.