Exploring Earth's Geological History

How long has life been unfolding on Earth?

• About 4 billion years

• About 1 million years

• About 10 billion years

• About 100,000 years

Who published the first laws of stratigraphy in 1669?

• Charles Darwin

• Giovanni Arduino

• William Smith

• Nicolas Steno

What does the Geologic Time Scale (GTS) help scientists understand?

• Crucial episodes in life’s history

• The age of human civilizations

• The history of Earth's climate

• The future geological events

What marked the beginning of the Archean Eon?

• The formation of the first continents

• The cooling of the Earth’s crust

• The extinction of dinosaurs

• The appearance of cyanobacteria

What era is often called the Age of Reptiles?

• Proterozoic Eon

• Cenozoic Era

• Mesozoic Era

• Paleozoic Era

What event is known as the Great Dying?

• The beginning of the Ice Age

• The most severe extinction in Earth's history

• The extinction of the dinosaurs

• The end of the Cenozoic Era

Which organisms are considered the last surviving lineage of the dinosaurs?

• Crocodiles

• Birds

• Mammals

• Sharks

What era marks the rise of mammals?

• Mesozoic Era

• Paleozoic Era

• Cenozoic Era

• Archean Eon

What significant change occurred during the Proterozoic Eon?

• The asteroid impact that ended the Mesozoic Era

• The development of photosynthesis

• The first land plants appeared

• The first appearance of multicellular life

What was the primary cause of the Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction Event?

• Rapid climate change

• A giant volcanic eruption

• A gigantic asteroid impact

• A severe ice age