A large nucleus may get to a more stable state by emitting two protons and two neutrons. This describes which type of radioactive decay?
Alpha Decay
Beta Decay
Delta Decay
Gamma Decay
The best conditions for preservation of soft tissues are _____ temperatures and _____ air.
warm; dry
cold; humid
warm; humid
cold; dry
The Mesozoic Era was the Age of Dinosaurs, and the current Cenozoic Era is the Age of _____.
Birds
Mammals
Humans
Ice
What relatively recent epoch ended roughly 12,000 years ago?
The Pliocene Epoch
The Miocene Epoch
The Pleistocene Epoch
The Holocene Epoch
If Sedimentary Layer A occurs above Sedimentary Layer C and Sedimentary Layer B is below Sedimentary Layer C, which of the following is the correct order of the layers (from oldest to youngest)?
C, B, A
A, B, C
C, A, B
B, C, A
The statement Rock A is seventeen years old is an example of _____.
relative dating
strata dating
radiometric dating
numerical dating
A scientist would not be able to use radiocarbon dating to find the age of which of the following samples?
Wood from a 2,000-year-old settlement
Cloth from an ancient garment found in 500-year-old burial
Stone from a 1,000-year-old settlement
Tissue from a human body found in 16th-century burial
Rapid burial protects a deceased body from all of the following EXCEPT:
mud
temperature fluctuations
weathering
trampling
Not all parts of a creature are likely to be fossilized. Paleontologists typically find fossils made from a creature's _____.
Bones
Teeth
Shells
All answers choices are correct
A geologist who asserts that evolution patterns in the Earth occur following a consistent pattern over long periods of time belongs to what family of theorists?
Uniformitarian
Catastrophism
Utilitarian
Progressive
If Fossil A is found in a lower rock layer, and Fossil B is found in an upper rock layer, then Species A most likely _____.
existed less recently than Species B
evolved from Species B
existed for a relatively short period of time
existed more recently than Species B
Which of the following is the term used for the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by releasing radiation?
Radioactive decay
Gamma ray reduction
Radioactive neutralization
Radioactive detection
Any fault lines or igneous intrusions that cut across a set of rock strata must be _____ that set of rock.
the same age as
creating an inclusion in
older than
younger than
Which of the following would NOT be a good trait for an index fossil?
It is easy to tell which species it is.
It is difficult to miss when looking for fossils.
It is found in only one place in the world.
It is found in only a small portion of geologic history.
Rock Strata A contains Fossil X. It is below Rock Strata C which contains Fossil Z. Rock Strata B contains Fossil Y. It is above Rock Strata C. Which of the following is the correct order of the fossils (from oldest to youngest)?
Z, X, Y
Y, X, Z
X, Z, Y
X, Y, Z
Why do many geologists study layers of strata?
They are interested in determining how dinosaurs went extinc
They want to learn more about the history of the Earth.
They are interested in the exploitation of fossil fuels.
They hope to discover Greek-era ruins.
Which geological principle only applies to sedimentary rock layers?
cutting
Succession
Superposition
Original horizontality
An interface between discontinuous layers of rock is called _____.
a cross-cut
an intrusion
an inclusion
an unconformity
A particular radioactive isotope has a half-life of 200 years. At what time will there be 25% of the isotope left?
800 years
1,400 years
400 years
600 years
The statement Rock A is fifty years older than Rock B is an example of _____.
radiometric dating
numerical dating
fossil dating
relative dating
What characteristics are observed via correlation, which is a relative dating process used in determining the age of rock layers?
Observing similarities types fossils at different locations
Observing similar vegetation patterns
Observing similarities in weather patterns
None of these answers are correct.
The change from catastrophism to uniformitarianism made scientists decide that Earth must be _____ than previously thought.
older
less populated
younger
more populated
Which of the following terms is used to describe the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by releasing radiation?
Radioactive decay
Radioactive explosion
Radioactive stabilization
Radiocentric decay
Today, geologists believe mostly in _____, with a little bit of _____.
catastrophism; uniformitarianism
evolution; catastrophism
catastrophism; evolution
uniformitarianism; catastrophism