Which burial environment would best promote fossilization
burial soon after death by sediments or volcanic ash
burial after defleshing of the bones by scavengers and insects
burial in groundwater or acidic soils
burial in a geologically active area with high ground pressure
Relative methods of dating can tell us
the approximate numerical age of a fossil
the exact numerical age of a fossil
whether a fossil is older or younger than another fossil or artifact
the amount of organic material remaining in a fossil
Radiometric and non-radiometric absolute dating methods both
provide only a relative date
provide a numerical date
measure the radioactive decay of an unstable isotope
determine past climate history through stable isotope analysis
What must be considered when choosing a radiometric dating method
the half-life of an isotope limits its usefulness to a certain date range
no radiometric dating methods can date organic materials
no radiometric dating methods can date nonorganic materials
fossils must be associated with another fossil to give a relative date
Stable isotope analysis of carbon in a fossilized tooth would be most useful for determining the
relative age of the tooth compared to another fossil
absolute age of the tooth
temperature of the animal's environment
types of plants consumed by the animal during life
The molecular clock has been useful to determine the phylogenetic relationships of species based on the assumption that
a species lineage accumulates genetic differences over time at a constant rate.
only some species are genetically related.
DNA is preserved unchanged over long periods of time.
species adapt at specific rates.
Igneous rock can be dated with which of the following methods?
radiopotassium dating
dendrochronology
radiocarbon dating
fluorine dating
Paleontologists find a fossil ape with long arms. What type of environment can they infer it inhabited?
savanna
woodland
grassland
swamp
Studies of temperatures during the Cenozoic era suggest that temperatures have ________ over time.
steadily increased
steadily decreased
fluctuated, sometimes greatly,
stayed basically the same
The continent that existed about 200 mya, from which the modern continents ultimately emerged, is called
Eurasia.
Afrinesia.
Australasia.
Pangaea.
A wooden tomb is discovered with a well-preserved mummy inside. Which of the following methods could be used to date the tomb MOST accurately?
superposition
electron spin resonance
thermoluminescence
Which era saw the proliferation of mammals?
Holocene
Cenozoic
Jurassic
Mesozoic
A mummy is discovered whose tomb includes cloth, food, and other organic remains. What dating method would MOST likely be used to date the tomb?
biostratigraphy
carbon 14
Crucial to creating a fossil record of a species is
a living form of the fossil species.
a good representation in the fossil record.
the preservation of soft tissue such as muscle.
the lack of dating; knowing the age of the fossil introduces biases.
A hearth is discovered with bone fragments in it. What method might be used to date the bone?
fission track
amino acid
1. A stratigraphic layer in one location overwhelmingly represents one species, while the same species is discovered in a similar stratigraphic layer hundreds of kilometers away. Biostratigraphic dating method cannot be used to provide an estimate of age for this layer and this species.
Temperature estimated using any of several methods is not the most important variable in reconstructing ancient climate
Experts reconstruct the appearance of early hominids during life using known relationships between bone and tissue in living animals: layers of clay are built up until finally we can see the ancient face staring at us.
Taxonomy is the study of the processes that affect an organism’s remains after death.
The three eras that make up Earth history are: Pleistocene, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic
Most of the early hominin fossils discovered in Africa come from the eastern and southern parts of the continent because they didn't live anywhere else
William Smith was the English surveyor who developed the technique of stratigraphic correlation between regions.
