S3S2 Fossil Record

How do most fossils form?

• An insect becomes trapped in amber.

• An entire organism becomes frozen in ice.

• A dead organism becomes buried in sediment.

• A dead organism becomes buried in tar.

What evidence is most important when using relative dating?

• the half-life of a radioactive element

• the position of sediment in petrified rock

• the types of minerals in a petrified fossil

• the position of fossils in sedimentary rock layers

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

How do scientists determine the actual age of fossils?

• relative dating

• sedimentary dating

• radioactive dating

• mold and cast dating

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-8

Index fossils must meet two criteria, they must have existed for a short period of time and ...

• be few in numbers

• lived for a long time

• be widely distributed

• be really old in age

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

What can scientists learn from studying the relationships between fossils?

• how old all rock layers are

• how life changed over time

• how many relatives fossils had

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

Which rock layer most likely contains fossils of the oldest organisms?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

If scientists found this fossil, what could they infer?

• what fish are like today

• that this fish lacked oxygen

• that water once covered the area where this fossil was found

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

According to the law of superposition, the oldest fossils are found

• At the top of the rock layers

• Near the bottom of the rock layers

• Somewhat near the surface

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

In what kind of rock can fossils be found?

• Sedimentary Rocks
• Igneous Rocks
• Metamorphic Rocks
• Granite

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

Finding the fossils of trees in an area that is currently a desert without much life might tell us that the area, millions of years ago - 

• was heavily eroded by strong winds
• received enough rain to support a forest
• suffered very powerful earthquakes
• was destroyed by the impact of meteorites

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2