Geologic History and Dating Methods Quiz

Rock layers are not the same everywhere. Different areas contain different parts of Earth's geologic history. Which of the following could provide the best evidence for a scientist to figure out if rock layers from different areas are the same relative age?

• fossils

• ripple marks

• unconformities

• faults

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

Leon wants to determine the age of igneous rock by comparing the amount of potassium-40 to the amount of argon-40 present in rock samples. What is the correct term for this method of determining the age of an object?

• isotope dating

• relative dating

• radiometric dating

• radiocarbon dating

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NGSS.HS-PS1-8

Hot, melted rock is injected into several rock layers. Over time, the rock cools. It becomes solid and cuts through the surrounding rock. Which choice explains how the age of this rock relates to the surrounding rock?

• the geologic record

• the law of superposition

• the principle of unconformity

• the law of crosscutting relationships

In 1897, a British scientist proposed that Earth was between 20 and 400 million years old. Based on radiometric dating, scientists now propose a different age for Earth. Based on the most current radiometric dating data, about how old is Earth?

• 40 billion years old

• 20 billion years old

• 4.6 billion years old

• 4.6 million years old

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of plants and animals that have lived on Earth throughout Earth’s history. How does the fossil record of animals compare to animals that exist today?

• Animals in the fossil record are more complex than animals that exist today.

• Animals in the fossil record are the same as animals that exist today.

• Animals in the fossil record have no similarities to animals that exist today.

• Animals in the fossil record are ancestors of animals that exist today.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

Southern Florida is one of the warmest places on the United States mainland in winter. What does this statement describe about Florida?

• its climate

• its surface features

• its geologic changes

• its precipitation pattern

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

Sandra is making a poster of Earth’s geologic history. She wants to include a timeline on her poster. Which date should Sandra use at the beginning of her timeline, to show Earth’s formation in the solar system?

• 3.5 million years ago

• 700 million years ago

• 4.6 billion years ago

• 12 billion years ago

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

Florida was once part of Gondwanaland, which was a supercontinent that later divided into Africa and South America. Which statement best describes this process?

• A volcanic eruption likely caused Gondwanaland to divide.

• The continents have been moving throughout Earth’s history.

• Weathering and erosion eventually broke Gondwanaland apart.

• Africa and South America go through cycles of dividing and colliding.

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

In the 1830s, an English scientist proposed the idea of uniformitarianism to describe the process of geologic change on Earth. Which of the following words is most closely associated with uniformitarianism?

• catastrophic

• gradual

• rare

• sudden

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Which of these choices is an example of the way a geologist would use relative dating?

• determining the minerals that make up rocks

• placing rock layers in order of oldest to youngest

• classifying rocks as igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic

• using radioactive isotopes to determine the exact age of rock samples

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4