Quiz 11, Absolute and Relative Dating

EARTH AND LIFE SCIENCE
QUARTER 1 WEEK 5
Name: ______________________________ Grade & Section: ____________
Activity Sheet No.: ________11__________ Date Answered: _____________
Identify the following illustrations by writing Law of Superposition, Law of Original Horizontality, Law of Lateral
Continuity, and Law of Cross-cutting Relationship
1. 2.
3. 4.
5. ______________________________________ 6. _______________________________________
7. _____________________________________ 8. ___________________________________
Direction: Choose the correct answer by writing the letter on your paper.
1. Which principles explains how sedimentary rocks are normally laid down in order, one on the top of
another?
A. Superposition B. Lateral Continuity C. Horizontality D. Cross-cutting Relationship
1. The name for an erosion surface that separates two sets of sedimentary layers with non-parallel bedding
planes?
A. cross-bedding B. fault unconformity C. formation D. angular unconformity
2. What radioactive isotopes is most useful for dating a very young sample (<20,000 years) of wood?
A. rubidium-87 B. uranium-238 C. carbon-14 D. potassium-40
3. Which type of dating method can be used on rock layers by applying the Law of Superposition?
A. relative dating B. radioactive dating C. absolute dating D. radiometric dating
4. What type of dating method can be used on rock layers by applying the Law of Superposition?
A. relative dating B. radioactive dating C. absolute dating D. radiometric dating
5. How many of the original atoms of a decaying isotope remain unchanged after three half-lives?
A. three-halves B. three-quarters C. one-quarter D. one-eight
6. The ________ states that layers of sediment were originally deposited horizontally under the action of
gravity.
A. superposition B. unconformities C. uniformitarianism D. horizontality
7. Which element is usually used to date rocks?

A. Carbon-14 B. Nitrogen-12 C. Uranium-238 D. Oxygen-18
8. What element is usually used to date fossils?

A. uranium-235 B. carbon-14 C. mercury-203 D. thorium-234
9. The idea that fossil content will change upward within a formation is called the ____________________.
A. Principle of Original Continuity C. Principle of Fossil Succession
B. Principle of Original Horizontality D. Principle of Superposition
10. The idea that younger beds are deposited on top of older beds is called the________________________.
11. The idea that most beds are laid down horizontally or nearly _________________________________.
12. The idea that beds extend laterally in three dimensions until they thin to zero thickness is called the
13. The idea that a dike transecting bedding must be younger than the bedding it crosses.
B. Principle of Cross-Cutting Relationships. D. Principle of Original Horizontality
14. States that the geologic feature which cuts another is the younger of the two features called
____________________.
A. Law of horizontality C. cross cutting relationships
B. Law of superposition D. uniformitarianism
15. The Principle of Cross-Cutting Relationships states that an igneous intrusion is
A. always younger than the layers it cuts across. C. always older than the layers it cuts across
B. the same age as the rock it melted D. none of the answers are correct.
16. What can scientists learn from the sequence of rock layers?
A. Geologic history of that area. C. Future geological events
B. the number of organisms that live in the area D. the impact that hikers have had on an area.
17. Which is not a property of the organisms that have become useful index fossils?
A. The organisms existed for a relatively short period of time
B. The organisms were abundant when they existed
C. The organisms existed over a large area
D. The organisms still exist today
18. The Law of Superposition helps scientists to determine what?

A. The absolute age of rock layers C. The age of fossils
B. The relative age of rock layers D. the super powers of rocks
19. The principal of original horizontality states that ______________________________________.

A. most rocks in the Earth's crust are layered horizontally
B. igneous rocks form essentially horizontal layers
C. metamorphic gradients are essentially horizontal before deformation
D. sediments are deposited as essentially horizontal layers
20. Which of this is the best indication of the relative age of a rock layer?
A. The distance of layer extends over the earth.
B. The position of the layer compared to other layers.
C. The chemical make-up of the layer.
D. The thickness of the layer.
21. Why is the "Law of Superposition" critical to the study of fossil life forms?
A. It allows us to time-sequence fossils.
B. It tells us that organisms are usually replaced by more highly adapted ones.
C. It specifies that each layer of rock is different type of mineral.
D. It states that heavier rocks are on the bottom and light rocks rise to the top.
22. Which statement can best be supported by the fossil record?

A. Most life forms that existed on earth have become extinct.
B. Dinosaurs existed on Earth for more than 544 million years.
C. The organisms on Earth have not changed.
D. Humans have lived on Earth throughout geological history.
23. What happens during radioactive decay?

A. A stable isotope of one element changes into an unstable isotope of a different element
B. A stable isotope of one element changes into an unstable isotope of the same element
C. An unstable isotope of one element changes into a stable isotope of a different element
D. An unstable isotope of one element changes into a stable isotope of the same element.
24. Why are isotopes with short half-lives not useful for dating very old rocks?
A. because not enough of the parent isotope remains to measure accurately
B. because neither the parent isotope nor the daughter product will be detectable
C. because not enough of the daughter product has formed to be detectable
D. because very old rocks would never have contained these isotopes
25. What are catastrophism and uniformitarianism?

A. different methods of comparing fossils from two locations
B. different ideas about how Earth's surface changes over time
C. different explanations for why some things fossilize and others do not
D. different approaches to figuring out the age of Earth

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EARTH AND LIFE SCIENCE

Name: __________________ Grade & Section:

Activity Sheet No.: 11 Date Answered: _______

7. Which element is usually used to date rocks?

8. What element is usually used to date fossils?

18. The Law of Superposition helps scientists to determine what?

19. The principal of original horizontality states that ______________________________________.

22. Which statement can best be supported by the fossil record?

23. What happens during radioactive decay?

25. What are catastrophism and uniformitarianism?

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