Question

Lesson 8 Review Questions

1. What factors make it more likely that an animal will be preserved as a fossil?

2. What are the five main processes of fossilization?

3. A scientist wants to determine the age of a rock. The rock contains an index fossil and an ancient relative of a living organism. Which is more useful for dating the rock, and why?

4. A 15th century farmer finds a rock that looks exactly like a clamshell. What did he likely conclude about how the fossil got there?

5. Why didn't the early geologic time scale include the number of years ago that events happened?

6. Dinosaurs went extinct about 66 million years ago. Which period of geologic time was the last in which dinosaurs lived?

7. Why are sedimentary rocks more useful than metamorphic or igneous rocks in establishing the relative ages of rock?

8. Which is likely to be more frequently found in rocks: fossils of very old sea creatures or very old land creatures?

Answer 1

Fossils of very old sea creatures are more frequently found in rocks than those of land creatures, due to favorable conditions for fossilization in marine environments and the longer history of life in the ocean.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the context of the geological history and fossilization process, fossils of very old sea creatures are more frequently found in rocks compared to very old land creatures.

Marine invertebrates, especially from ancient times, are overwhelmingly common in the geologic record due to their plentiful numbers, the conducive conditions of the marine environment for fossil preservation, and their hard parts, such as shells or exoskeletons, which are more likely to fossilize than soft tissues commonly found in land organisms. It is also relevant to note that life began in the ocean, and thus marine creatures have a more extended fossil history. Looking at geologic maps and understanding the stratigraphic relationships is essential for locating potential fossil-rich sites and is a part of the scientific skills developed th