Fossil Records

Index fossils CAN tell us the age of a rock layer.

• True

• False

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Which of the follow is INCORRECT about an index fossil?

• The fossil must have lived only during a short part of the Earth's history.

• Many fossils of the organism must be found in the rock layers.

• The fossil must be found over a wide area of the Earth and be unique.

• The fossil must only be found in one area.

Simple fossils are found in older and younger rock layers while complex fossils are not found in the oldest layers. This shows

• Life started out as simple organisms and evolved to include more complex organisms over time.

• Life started out with complex organisms. This is shown in the rock layers.

• There are no fossils in the older layers, deep in the Earth's crust.

• Nobody knows why complex fossils aren't in the rock layers.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

The remains of living plants or animals are called fossils.

• true

• false

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

When an organism disappears from the fossil record we know it went __________________.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Emma, Anika, and James are studying geology and they come across a diagram of rock layers. They are trying to figure out which rock layer seems to be the oldest. Can you help them? (a)  

• F

• E

• B

• A

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

Rohan found a fossil while on a field trip and Emma found a rock in her backyard. They both want to know the age of their finds. How does the absolute age of Rohan's fossil differ from the relative age of Emma's rock?

• Absolute age is the age of Rohan's fossil that can be estimated but not determined exactly.

• Relative age is the age of Emma's rock that can be determined exactly.

• Absolute age is the age of Rohan's fossil that can be determined by comparing it to other rocks or fossils that Charlotte found.

• Absolute age is the exact age of Rohan's fossil, while relative age is the age of Emma's rock relative to other rocks or fossils that Charlotte found.

Maya and David found a fossil while on a field trip. They believe it's an index fossil and can help them determine the relative age of the rock layers in the area. Is this true?

• True

• False

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

During a summer vacation, Lily found an index fossil in a layer of rock in Montana. Later that year, Henry found a similar fossil in a layer of rock in Texas while on a school trip. From this, they could conclude that:

• The index fossil is a plant fossil.

• The layers of rock in Montana and Texas where Lily and Henry found the fossils are of the same age.

• The index fossil is not a reliable indicator of age.

• The layers of rock in Montana and Texas are different ages.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

In a science class, Ava, Abigail, and Harper were examining a rock formation. According to the law of superposition, which layer of the rock formation would be the youngest?

• The top layer

• The middle layer

• The bottom layer

• None

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4