FLASHCARDS: Evidence for Change on Earth

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fossil

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the trace or remains of an organism that lived long ago, most commonly preserved in sedimentary rock

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index fossil

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a fossil that is used to establish the age of a rock layer because the fossil is distinct, abundant, and widespread and the species that formed that fossil existed for only a short span of geologic time

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plate tectonics

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the theory that Earth’s outer layer is made up of large, moving pieces called tectonic plates; the theory explains how plates interact and how those interactions relate to processes such as earthquakes and mountain building

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superposition

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a principle that states that younger rocks lie above older rocks if the layers have not been disturbed

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tectonic plate

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a block of lithosphere that consists of the crust and the rigid, outermost part of the mantle

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crust

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the thin and solid outermost layer of Earth above the mantle

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lithosphere

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the solid, outer layer of Earth that consists of the crust and the rigid upper part of the mantle

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mantle

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the layer of rock between the Earth’s crust and core

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sedimentary rock

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a rock that forms from compressed or cemented layers of sediment