BGSU GEOL1050 Life Through Time

Ga

Billion

Ma

Million

why does Hydrogen form first?

it has the least atomic weight. it has 1 proton and 1 electron (neutrons)

nebular cloud

A cloud of interstellar gas and dust that is thought to produce the molecules needed for life and may form a star.

thermonuclear fusion

H atom + H atom = He atom. the process of combining hydrogen atoms into helium releases energy. this energy is where stars (including the sun) get their energy.

silicate minerals

minerals in earths crust, comprised of silicone and oxygen

fossilization

process of taking something organic and converting it into a rock/mineral

permineralization

minerals replace parts of an organism. ex. petrified wood

mineral replacement

pore spaces of an organism's buried parts are filled in with minerals from groundwater

recrystallization

bonds between atoms in minerals break and re-form in new ways during metamorphism. take one mineral, replace with another

N.C.L.I.S

Naturally occuring, Crystal strutcture, Lattice, Inorganic, Solid.

lattice

fixed chemical composition

rock

natural solid, inorganic, comprised of one or more minerals. can be more random in shape/size in comparison to minerals

limestone

comprised of ONE mineral, calcium carbonate, "calcite" CaCo3. often used as building material.

granite

igneous rock, comprised of multiple minerals, quartz, and feldspar. more dense than limestone.

felsic

less dense ex. granite (quartz and feldspar)

mafic

more dense ex. magnesium, iron

Why shouldn't we search for fossils in igneous and metamorphic rock?

igneous rocks form from molten rock and rarely have fossils. metamorphic rocks have been put under great pressure, heated, squashed or stretched, and fossils do not usually survive these extreme conditions.

carbonic acid

forms from rain clouds: CO2 gas + H2O = H2CO3

How does sedimentary rock form?

It forms from sediment being compacted and cemented.

What is a sedimentary environment?

location at earths surface where sediments accumulate

4 types of sedimentary rocks:

1) clastic: made from pieces of diff rocks

2) biochemical: limestone

3) organic: coal

4) chemical: mixture of minerals and elements

Continental Margin Environments

Supertidal: never sees water

intertidal: between the tides

subtidal: never gets dry

parallel and cross bedding

parallel) horizontal layers of sediment deposited parallel to one another

cross) angled, smaller-scale layers (foresets) within a larger bed, formed by the migration of ripples or dunes under flowing wind or water

weathering

mechanical or chemical breakdown of rocks and minerals

hydrogen

H. naturally occurring, subsurface hydrogen gas

lithification

process of converting sediments to sedimentary rock

3 steps

1) clastic sediments are deposited when transport medium flows too slowly

2) layers are buried and compacted

3) minerals precipitate out of groundwater and cement sediments together

(deposite, compact, cement)

How is life through time studied?

through the fossil record of the evolution of life on Earth

geological time

a record and model of Earth's time

mass extinction

More organisms go extinct then new organisms evolve. globally, rapid.

prokaryotes

DNA is freely moving within cell walls

eukaryotes

DNA is contained within the nucleus: more complex reproduction: higher organism

protists

eukaryotic, single-celled organisms that behave either animal or plant-like.

species

population of reproducing individuals that have generations of fertile offspring (individuals arent species).

fossils

rock or mineral evidence of past life

body fossils

remains of an organism such as teeth, shells, etc.

trace fossils

reveals behavioral information, NOT specific organism.

anoxia

without oxygen. no decomposers to degrade organic matter

Eon

Largest unit of geological time

Law of Superposition/ "Layer Cake rule"

strata at the bottom of a sequence are older than strata at the top

strata

(multiple) layers of rock or sediment

stratum

(one) layer of rock or sediment

Ka

Thousand

Isotope

alternate forms of elements determined by the neutrons

Half-life

constant rate (time) it takes for half of a parent isotope to decay into a daughter isotope

quartz is an example of a

A. rock

B. mineral

C. trace fossil

D. body fossil

mineral

which of these is not a mineral:

A. Olivine

B. Mica

C. Feldspar

D. Coal

Coal

which of these are characteristics of minerals:

A. tetrahedron

B. crystal

C. organic

tetrahedron and crystal

what is the basic shape of the “building block” of all silicate minerals

A. tetrahedron

B. triangle

C. cube

tetrahedron

What is the basic element composition for all silicate minerals?

A. oxygen and silicon

B. iron and magnesium

C. silicon and hydrogen

D. oxygen and nitrogen

oxygen and silicon

Which fossilization process is an ammonite shell turned into the mineral pyrite:

A. replacement

B. permineralization

C. recrystallization

replacement

H₂O + CO₂ in the atmosphere yields which of these:

A. H₂CO₃

B. COOH

C. CaCO₃

D. feldspar

H₂CO₃

Which of these does a basic atom of hydrogen lack?

A. proton

B. neutron

C. electron

neutron

which of these is not a sedimentary environment?

A. volcano

B. river

C. coral reef

volcano

sedimentary structures in sandstones that indicate the flow direction of water or wind:

A. bedding

B. laminations

C. cross beds

cross beds

which of these is a clastic sedimentary rock?

A. limestone

B. coal

C. sandstone

sandstone

the breakdown of rock by chemical and mechanical processes:

A. lithification

B. erosion

C. sedimentation

D. weathering

weathering

which of these is not involved with lithification:

A. compaction

B. solidification

C. cementation

D. deposition

solidification

The removal of weathered material from a rock source is called:

A. lithification 

B. erosion

C. sedimentation

D. weathering

erosion

mafic rocks are chracteristically made of what element?

A. oxygen

B. helium

C. iron

D. silicon

iron

of these choices, which one is best described as felsic?

A. granite

B. basalt

C. limestone

D. olivine

granite

a population of interbreeding organisms that produce fertile offspring is called:

A. taxa

B. species

C. community

species

which of these is associated with very good preservation of soft tissue and organic matter:

A. ventilation

B. aerobic

C. oxic

D. anoxia

anoxia

which of these is the best definition of a fossil?

A. bones found within sediments

B. bone evidence of life

C. prehistoric materials

D. rock and mineral evidence of past life

rock and mineral evidence of past life

10 million year old gopher holes preserved in ancient soils would be an example of:

A. rock

B. mineral

C. trace fossil

D. body fossil

trace fossil

when the extinction of species is greater than the evolution of new species:

A. adaptive radiation

B. mass extinction

C. biodiversity

D. die-off rate

mass extinction

single celled animal- or plant- like organisms with genetic material in a nucleus are called:

A. stromatolites

B. prokaryotes

C. protists

D. cetaceans

protists

Bacteria are:

A. stromatolites

B. prokaryotes

C. protists

D. cetaceans

prokaryotes

which of these is not a eukaryote:

A. mushrooms

B. dogs

C. archea

D. worms

archea

in total, from beginning to end, the geological time scale represents how much time:

A. billions of years

B. millions of years

C. thousands of years

billions of years

(BONUS) What taxonomic order do whales and their extinct relatives belong to?

Classification

grouping of organisms based on similarities and differences (properties).

Evolution

Biological or behavioral changes through time

Homologus traits

similar form and function, which reveals a common ancestry

Analogous traits

different form but the same function. Does not indicate a close evolutionary relatedness.

Convergent Evolution

traits of distantly related organisms that serve the same purpose and have similar forms. (to solve the same problem)

homoplasy

Different species gain nearly identical traits independent from one another. (The process is called convergent evolution)

taxonomy

A classification system that indicates the degree of relatedness. Like a family PICTURE- there is a resemblance.

Phylogeny

Ancestors and Descendants through time. like a family TREE- shows who is related to whom. reveals evolutionary relationships.

oviparous

egg-laying mammals

viviparous

mammals that give birth to live young

stromatolites

sedimentary rock that is a trace fossil of prokaryotic communities

shale

low energy, fine-grained sedimentary rock

sandstone

high energy, coarse-grained sedimentary rock

ripples

very small dunes composed of undulating layers <1cm thick

laminations

(associated with shale) parallel/horizontal layers of sediment <1cm thick

ediacaran

multicellular, proterozoic animals that exhibit symmetrical features.

tiktaalik

evolutionary intermediate form that is transitional between marine and land vertebrates

oxygen ¹⁸O

2 more neutrons

oxygen ¹⁶O

2 less neutrons (lighter)

carbon isotope excursion

rapid and pronounced change in the isotope record of carbon

Pangea

supercontinent that formed in the late paleozoic and separated in the early mesozoic

Orogeny

mountain building event

carboniferous

young geological period within the paleozoic era

Archosaurs

taxonomic group that includes dinosaurs, birds, crocodiles, alligators, and pterosaurs

Hematite

iron oxide mineral with the formula Fe₂O₃

Pseudosuchian

archosaur taxon that predominated during the late triassic

Scutes

bony scales on the hides of pseudosuchians

ice age

presence of large continental ice sheets