G106 Final Spring 24 TAMU

Principle of Horizontally

Rock layers are initially deposited horizontally and can later be deformed.

Principle of Uniformity

Geological events of the past are explained by the same causes now in operation.

Principle of Stratigraphy

Includes laws of superposition, original horizontality, cross-cutting relationships, and lateral continuity.

Burgess Shale

Site providing a window into the Cambrian period with abundant fossils.

Conditions for Fossil Preservation

Include ice, amber, low oxygen, hard parts, marine habitat, wide range, large size, and special preservation.

Synapsids and Sauropsids

Two major groups of animals evolving from basal amniotes.

Permian Synapsids

Early mammal relatives that faced extinction at the end of the Permian Period.

Mesozoic Recovery

Slow post-extinction recovery with low biodiversity levels and toxic oceans.

Mesozoic Reptiles

Successful sauropsid lineage including turtles, crocodilians, dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and more.

Plant Evolution

Transition from Lycopod forests to Gymnosperms like cycads, ginkgoes, and conifers during the Mesozoic.

Triassic-Jurassic Mass Extinction

Poorly understood event possibly linked to the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province.

End-Cretaceous Catastrophe

Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction affecting plant-dependent organisms, leading to significant changes in biodiversity.

Extinction Events

Organisms at the top of the food chain are vulnerable due to reliance on lower food chain.

Mesozoic Mammals

Initially underestimated, these small omnivores were more abundant than thought.

Docodonts

Small early cretaceous mammals like R. robustus fed mainly on insects.

Teeth Morphology

Important characteristics shared by Mesozoic mammals.

Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction

Abrupt event not linked to long-term climate change.

Iridium (Ir)

Element found in low abundance on Earth, spiked globally at K-Pg boundary.

Chicxulub Crater

Impact site in Mexico causing global effects like tsunamis and acid rain.

Cenozoic Mammals

Underwent adaptive radiation, leading to dominance after K-Pg extinction.

Placentals

Mammals with embryonic development in the mother's body, dominant group.

C4 Photosynthesis

Efficient in concentrating CO2, evolved during the Cenozoic Era.

Milankovitch Cycles

Orbital variations impacting global climate over short timescales.

Human Evolution

Homo species, tool use, and migration patterns over millennia.