Question

The fossil record shows evidence of the appearance of many new species over time. What is the term for the last individual organism of a species dying?

a) Mass extinction
b) Species turnover
c) Extinction event
d) Species demise

Fossils help scientists figure out what species that no longer exist looked like when the organisms were alive. What type of fossil formation occurs when a dead organism is compressed over time, and pressure drives off the organism's liquids and gases?
a) Mineralization
b) Petrification
c) Compression fossilization
d) Impression fossilization

When scientists determine the relative order in which rock layers were deposited, it is known as:
a) Absolute-age dating
b) Radiometric dating
c) Relative-age dating
d) Isotopic dating

The preserved evidence of the activity of an organism, such as its tracks, is called a:
a) Cast fossil
b) Mold fossil
c) Trace fossil
d) Mineralized fossil

What chart divides Earth's history into different time units and is used to study the history of life on Earth?
a) Geologic time scale
b) Paleontological record
c) Historical timeline
d) Fossil chronology

Most mineralized fossils are formed from shell or what other material?
a) Metal
b) Plastic
c) Bone
d) Wood

When many species die off within a few million years or less, it is known as a:
a) Gradual extinction
b) Species renewal
c) Mass extinction
d) Natural selection

Earth's history is divided into four eons. What is the name of the most recent eon, which is subdivided into three eras?
a) Precambrian eon
b) Cenozoic eon
c) Phanerozoic eon
d) Mesozoic eon

The fossil record shows evidence of several mass extinctions during the Phanerozoic eon. What is a potential cause of such extinctions mentioned in the passage?
a) Changes in the environment
b) Human activity
c) Climate change
d) Genetic mutations

In relative-age dating, older rock layers are found below younger layers. What geological feature is associated with this type of rock formation?
a) Inclusion
b) Unconformity
c) Outcrop
d) Sedimentation

Neither eons nor eras are uniform in length. What factor influences their duration?
a) Earth's rotation
b) Human activity
c) Geological processes
d) Solar radiation

What do scientists use to determine the absolute age of fossils or rock layers by analyzing isotopes that decay over time?
a) Carbon dating
b) Radiometric dating
c) Relative dating
d) Paleontological dating

Answer 1

The correct answers for the student's questions on fossils and geological terms include terms such as extinction event, compression fossilization, and radiometric dating, among others, relevant to the study of Earth's past life and geological history.

Step-by-step explanation:

The term for the last individual organism of a species dying, which marks the end of that species, is known as extinction event (c). When fossils are formed by a dead organism getting compressed over time and pressure driving off its liquids and gases, this process is referred to as compression fossilization (c).

Establishing the relative order in which rock layers were deposited is known as relative-age dating (c). Preserved evidence of the activity of an organism, including tracks, is termed a trace fossil (c).

The geologic time scale (a) divides Earth's history into different time units to study the history of life on Earth. Most mineralized fossils are typically formed from shell or bone (c), not other materials like wood or metals. A period during which many species die off in a relatively short geological span is called mass extinction (c). The most recent eon, divided into three eras, is the Phanerozoic eon (c).

Causes of mass extinctions can include various factors, but changes in the environment and asteroid impacts are commonly cited for past events (a).

In relative-age dating, an important geological feature is unconformity (b), which indicates interruptions in sedimentation. The duration of eons and eras in Earth's history is influenced by geological processes (c). To determine the absolute age of fossils or rock layers, scientists use radiometric dating (b), which analyzes isotopes that decay over time.