The Geologic Time Scale

In which time period are we currently living?

• Precambrian

• Paleozoic

• Mesozoic

• Cenozoic

Which time period is the longest?

• Precambrian

• Paleozoic

• Mesozoic

• Cenozoic

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

Dinosaurs, small mammals, and birds are found in this time period

• Precambrian

• Paleozoic

• Mesozoic

• Cenozoic

The Cambrian Explosion refers to

• the sudden appearance of many different types of lifeforms in the fossil record

• another name for the "Big Bang"

• a volcanic eruption in Eastern Europe

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

A student has made the geologic column below. What evidence must be carefully examined to determine that organisms changed over time?

• Fossils

• Soil type

• Environment

• Plate tectonics

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

Trilobites are extinct animals that lived in the oceans. Fossils of these animals can be found in dry

areas such as Cincinnati. What does this indicate?

• 
  Trilobites now live underground.

• 
  Trilobites are the ancestors of jellyfish.

• Cincinnati was once covered by the ocean where trilobites lived.

• 
  The environment changed, creating small saltwater lakes in Cincinnati.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

Which statement about the geologic time scale is true?

• 
  Periods are divided into eras.

• The first life forms evolved during the Mesozoic Period, including bacteria and algae.

• 
  Geologic time ended with the arrival of living organisms in the Paleozoic Era.

• 
  Some of the eras in which organisms have existed are the Mesozoic and Cenozoic.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

Which statement about geologic time is correct?

• 
  There are multiple eras in a period.

• 
  There are multiple periods in an epoch.

• There are multiple periods in an era.

• There are no periods in an era.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

During which era did birds and small mammals first appear?

• Cenozoic

• 
  Mesozoic

• 
  Paleozoic

Which units of the geologic time scale represent present-day Earth?

• Mesozoic Era; Triassic Period

• Cenozoic Era; Quaternary Period

• 
  Mesozoic Era; Cretaceous Period

• Paleozoic Era; Permian Period

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4