FOSSILS, Geologic Time, Fossil Fuels – Flashcards
Flashcard maker : Daniel Hardy
Petrified fossil
a fossil formed when minerals slowly replace some or all of an organism, turning it to stone
Carbonaceous film
a type of fossil created when an organism is buried under many layers of sediment and pressure and heat builds up leaving a thin film of carbon residue
Original remains
a fossil that is the actual body or body parts of an organism
Trace fossils
fossils that aren’t exactly part of the organism. These include footprints, burrows and eggshells.They give insight into an organism’s behavior.
Mould
A type of fossil in which the hard parts of the organism have dissolved, leaving a cavity in the rock
Cast
A type of fossil in which sediments or minerals have filled a mould and hardened into rock
Principle of superposition
states that in undisturbed rock layers, the oldest rocks are on the bottom and the rocks become progressively younger toward the top
Strata
layers of sedimentary rock
Relative dating
method to determine the order of events and relative age of rocks by examining the position of rocks in a sequence
Index fossil
a fossil that is used to establish the age of rock layers because it is distinct, abundant, and widespread and existed for only a short span of geologic time
Half-life
the period of time in which half of a radioactive substance decays
Radiometric dating
the process of determining the age of a geological specimen by measuring the relative amounts of radioactive particles that are present in the specimen
Radiocarbon dating
A method used to determine the age of organic remains by measuring the relative amount of radioactive carbon found in the remains
Eons
the largest division of time on the geological scale
Eras
one of the four longest subdivisions in the history of Earth
Periods
On the geologic time scale, a subdivision of an era
Precambrian Era
the first of the four eras on the geologic time scale
Rodinia
the name of the earliest supercontinent thought to have broken apart approximately 750 million years ago
Paleozoic Era
the second era on the geologic time scale; the era in which the first plants and animals appeared
Mesozoic Era
the third era on the geologic time scale; the era in which dinosaurs were the dominant life form on Earth
Cenozoic Era
the fourth and current era on the geologic time scale; the era in which humans evolved
Pangaea
the name of the second supercontinent thought to have existed approximately 350 million years ago
Laurasia
the northern part of the supercontinent Pangaea, which split off approximately 200 million years ago
Gondwanaland
the southern part of the supercontinent Pangaea, which split off approximately 200 million years ago
Petroleum
a type of oil found in rock formations in Earth’s crust; refined into products such as gasoline or jet fuel
Fossil fuels
fuels made of decomposed plants and other organisms that have been hardened or fossilized; take millions of years to develop
Bitumen
a heavy, almost solid form of petroleum; some deposits are found near the surface of Earth and can be mined or heated and pumped to the surface
