principle of uniformitarianism

who is responsible for outlining the principle now called uniformitarianism

james hutton

what does the principle of uniformitarianism state

the same geologic processes have been at work throughout Earth's history

Which of the following processes was not observed by Hutton when he developed the idea of uniformitarianism: rivers carry rock particles Upstream, in time new rock will be raised and create new landforms, rock particles are deposited in form new layers of sediment, rock is broken down into smaller particles

rivers carry rock particles upstream

catastrophism

the principle that states that geologic change occurs suddenly

catastrophes

rare, sudden events that cause change

who is the author of Theory of the Earth

James Hutton

who is the author of Principles of Geology

Charles Lyell

What present-day evidence suggests that the extinction of dinosaurs was the result of a catastrophic event

Craters where asteroids struck

paleontology

the study of past life using fossils

paleontologists

scientists who study past life using fossils

fossils

remains of organisms preserved by geologic processes

geology

the study of the history of the Earth

how does uniformitarianism describe change as

gradual

What is the difference between uniformitarianism and catastrophism

Uniformitarianism is the theory that change happens gradually in catastrophism says that change happens suddenly

describe how the science of geology has changed

They believe that the shaping of Earth happens suddenly but also gradually a combination of catastrophism and uniformitarianism

Invertebrate paleontologist

Studies animals without backbones

Vertebrate paleontologist

Studies animals with backbones

Paleobotanist

Studies fossils of plants

Why is uniformitarianism considered the foundation of modern geology

Because processes like weathering, erosion, and deposition are the things that mostly shape the Earth

relative dating

Determining the age of objects or events in relation to other objects or events

Superpositions

Older rocks are deeper than younger rocks are

Geologic column

An ideal sequence of rock layers that contains all the known fossils and rock formations on Earth, arranged from oldest to youngest

intrusion

molten rock that squeezes into existing rock and cools

What are two events and two features that can disturb rock sequences

events:folding and intrusion

features: tilting and faults

How are physical features used to determine relative ages

You can see which rocks came first and which intrusive features came at what time

is there a place on Earth that has all the layers of the geologic column

no, they form under different conditions

if there is a rock with an intrusion, did the rock come first or did the intrusion

the rock because it had to be there for the intrusion to occur

what do scientists know as long as a sequence of rock layers is undisturbed

younger rocks lie above older rocks

How do you disruptions in rock sequences pose a challenge to geologists

Is harder to determine the age of the Rock

how do geologists use the geologic column

To interpret rock sequences and identify layers in puzzling Rock sequences

fault

A break in the Earth's crust along which blocks of crust slide relative to one another

folding

Rock layers bent and buckled by the Earth's internal forces

tilting

rockalayer slanted by the Earth's internal forces but without folding

what is absolute dating

establishing a more exact age of an object by determining the number of years it has existed

isotope

atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons

Which type of isotope undergoes radioactive decay

unstable

radioactive isotope

an unstable isotope

radioactive decay

The process in which an unstable isotope breaks down into a stable isotope

How do scientists use Isotopes to determine the age of an object

They use the relative amounts of stable versus unstable isotopes in an object

parent isotope

unstable isotope/radioactive isotope

daughter isotope

stable isotope

the more daughter material in a rock sample…

the older it is

half life

The time it takes for 1/2 of a radioactive sample to Decay

radiometric dating

Determining the age of a sample based on the ratio of parent material to daughter material

after every half-life, what has happened to the parent material in an object

Half of it has decayed and become daughter material

How are radiometric dating and radioactive decay related

Radiometric dating uses Radioactive decay to find the age of an object by looking at how much of the parent material has turned into daughter material

Why does radioactive decay have to be constant in order for radiometric dating to be accurate

because if it wasn’t constant, the measurements wouldn’t be accurate

index minerals

minerals that only form at certain pressure and heat

fossil fuels

a nonrenewable energy resource formed from the remains of organisms that lived long ago

examples of fossil fuels

coal, petroleum, and natural gas

what can we see from the record of the Earth’s history

how the Earth has changed and how organisms have evolved

what are the 5 kinds of fossils

petrified, molds and casts, carbon film, trace fossils, preserved remains

what are petrified fossils

minerals replace all or part of an organism

what are molds and casts fossils

a mold is a hollow area in a sediment in the shape of an organism or part of an organism, a cast is a copy of the shape of an organism, minerals fill the mold

what are the most common fossil types

molds and casts

what is a carbon film fossil

an extremely thin coating of carbon on a rock, carbon gets left behind from organism

what are trace fossils

footprints, trails, and burrows of animals, any naturally preserved evidence of an animal’s activity

what are preserved remains fossils

process that preserves the remains of organisms with little or no change, tar, amber, freezing

what is the fossil record

provides evidence about the history of life on Earth

scientific theory

a well tested concept that explains a wide range of observation

evolution

the gradual change in living things over long periods of time

extinct

an organism that no longer exists and will never again live on Earth

relative age

a rock’s age compared to the ages of other rocks

absolute age

a rock’s age is the number of years since the rock formed

what is a fault

a break in Earth’s crust

unconformity

a gap in the geological records

index fossil

a fossil that is widely distributed and presents a type of organism that existed only briefly

what are most fossils preserved in

sedimentary rock

what kind of organisms are most commonly found preserved in rock

clams

what are some of the best insect fossils preserved in

amber

what is an example of an organism whose tissue has been replaced by minerals

petrified wood

how long have the La Brea asphalt deposits been trapping and preserving organisms for

at least 38000 years

in 1999, scientists removed remains of a woolly mammoth from what material

ice

mold

a cavity in rock where a plant or animal was buried

cast

An object created when sediment fills a mold and becomes a rock

What can animal tracks tell about the animal that left them

It's size and how fast it was moving

What can a Coprolite tell about the animal that left it

its habits and diet

which of the following statements about the fossil record is true:Most organisms never became fossils, scientists know more about organisms that had soft body parts than about organisms that had hard body parts, scientists have learned nothing about the history of life on Earth from fossils, the fossil record is complete

most organisms never became fossils

what does the fossil record not reveal information about

the solar system

How is an index fossil useful to geologists and establishing the age of the rock layer in which they find it

The age of the fossil is around the age of the rock and they can date rocks around it

how old would the rock be surrounding a tropites fossil

230-208 million yrs old

how old would the rock be surrounding a phacops fossil

about 400 million years old

What are the three types of Trace fossils and what are the definitions

coprolite:dung

burrows:shelters

traces:tracks of them

Why is the fossil record incomplete

not all animals become fossils and many fossils have not yet been discovered