Amplify Ch 2 Through the Eyes of a Geologist

What is the primary role of a geologist when observing a landscape?

• To take pictures of the beautiful scenery

• To identify different plants and animals

• To infer what the landscape looked like in the past based on rocks and fossils

• To make a map of the area

What type of rock is Devil's Postpile Made of?

• Sandstone

• Limestone

• Basalt

• Shale

Fossils of soft-bodied organisms, like those found in the​ Burgess Shale, are considered​ (a)   ​

• unusual
• colorful and bright
• easy to find

Based on the observations of fossils found in the John Day Fossil Beds, what can geologists infer about the area in the past?

• It was once a desert with no water

• It was a rainforest with many rivers and lakes

• It was a frozen tundra

• It was a volcanic landscape

Are you enjoying the video lesson?

• Yes

• No

Geologists can infer that the Chinle Formation was ​ (a)   in the past.

• a swampy floodplain
• a dry desert
• a rocky mountain

What evidence do geologists use to infer the past environments of an area?

• The color of the rocks

• The plants growing today

• The rocks and fossils found in the area

• The weather in the area

The fossilized footprints found in the Moenkopi formation tell us the lizard - like animal walked on a ​ (a)  

• beach
• mountain
• ocean

How do geologists determine that Mammoth Cave was once an ocean environment?

• by studying the size of the cave

• by examining the limestone and fossils of ocean organisms

• by measuring the temperature inside the cave

• by counting the number of visitors to the cave

What does "infer" mean when learning about geology?

• to guess without evidence

• to figure something out based on observations and prior knowledge

• to make a loud noise when studying rocks

• to get samples from different places