CK12 Earth Science

Review Questions What factors make it more likely that an animal will be preserved as a fossil? What are the five main processe ...

index fossil A fossil that identifies and shows the relative age of the rocks in which it is found. Index fossils come from spec ...

Introduction In1666, ayoungdoctornamedNicholasStenowasinvitedtodissecttheheadofanenormous great white shark that had been caught ...

Figure 11.10: Tyrannosaurus rex fossil resembling a living organism. ( 16 ) ...

Original Horizontality Because sediments are deposited under water, they will form flat, horizontal layers (Figure 11.11). If a ...

Figure 11.12: Cross cutting relationships: (A) Older banded gneiss (B) The white granite intrusion. The granite must be younger ...

TheGrandCanyonprovidesanexcellentillustrationofSteno’slaws.Figure11.13showsthe many horizontal layers of sedimentary rock that m ...

Figure 11.14: Cross-section of sedimentary layers: (A-C) Igneous intrusion (D) Cross-section (E) Fault. ( 14 ) Layer B formed. ...

consider the famous unconformity at Siccar Point, on the coast of Scotland (Figure11.15). Figure 11.15: Hutton’s Unconformity on ...

rock formations span vast distances, recognizable across large regions. For example, the Pierre Shale formation can be recognize ...

Figure 11.17: Geologic Time Scale. ( 19 ) ...

Lesson Summary Nicholas Steno first formulated the principles that allow scientists to determine the relative ages of rocks in ...

Figure 11.18: Illustration of Steno’s Laws ( 22 ) Figure 11.19: Sequence of Rock Units ( 27 ) ...

Figure 11.20: Outcrop ( 9 ) Figure 11.21: Fossils ( 11 ) ...

Vocabulary cross-cutting relationships One of Steno’s principles that states that an intrusion or fault is younger than the rock ...

Describe four methods of absolute dating. Explain what radioactivity is and give examples of radioactive decay. Explain how the ...

Figure 11.22: Cross-section showing growth rings. The thick, light-colored part of each ring represents rapid spring and summer ...

Another example of yearly layers is the deposition of sediments in lakes, especially the lakes that are located at the end of gl ...

Figure 11.24: Lord Kelvin. ( 18 ) ...

determines which element you’re examining. For example, all atoms of carbon have six protons, all atoms of oxygen have eight pro ...