Geology Quiz

What does the term 'radiometric dating' refer to in geology?

• The process of determining the age of rocks from the decay of their radioactive elements

• The measurement of the chemical composition of rock layers

• The study of fossilized tracks and traces

• The classification of rock layers based on their density

How does Carbon-14 dating determine the age of an artifact?

• By measuring the artifact's weight

• By comparing the artifact to similar items

• By measuring the remaining Carbon-14 isotopes in the artifact

• By assessing the color changes in the artifact over time

What is the Pre-Cambrian era known for?

• Covering 90% of Earth’s history

• The breaking up of a supercontinent

• The age of the mammals

• The age of the reptiles

What is the Paleozoic era known for?

• The time taken for the radioactivity of a specified isotope to fall to half its original value

• The age of the mammals

• The era of time prior to 600 million years ago

• Great change on Earth with plants becoming widespread

What is the Mesozoic era known as?

• The age of the reptiles

• The process of radiometric dating

• The true age of a rock or fossil

• The era of time prior to 600 million years ago

What is the Cenozoic era known as?

• The time taken for the radioactivity of a specified isotope to fall to half its original value

• The process of radiometric dating

• The age of the reptiles

• The age of the mammals

What is relative age in geology?

• The rate of decay of unstable isotopes used to estimate absolute ages

• The age of a preserved fossil

• The geologic age of a fossil organism, rock or geologic feature or event defined relative to other organisms, rocks, or features or events rather than in terms of years

• Atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons

What are preserved fossils?

• Plants, animals or other organisms that are perfectly preserved for many years

• The time taken for the radioactivity of a specified isotope to fall to half its original value

• Atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons

• The geologic age of a fossil organism, rock or geologic feature or event defined relative to other organisms, rocks, or features or events rather than in terms of years

What is absolute age in geology?

• The era of time prior to 600 million years ago

• The process of radiometric dating

• The age of a preserved fossil

• The true age of a rock or fossil

What is an isotope?

• The rate of decay of unstable isotopes used to estimate absolute ages

• The geologic age of a fossil organism, rock or geologic feature or event defined relative to other organisms, rocks, or features or events rather than in terms of years

• Atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons

• The time taken for the radioactivity of a specified isotope to fall to half its original value