Geologic+Time


 * Geologic Time and the Fossil Record**



**Activity One** In order to understand the age and history of Planet Earth, it is necessary that we examine the fossil record. We are able to develop a pretty good picture of Earth's development through a study of the organisms that have existed throughout time. The [|United States Geological Survey] website provides us with a plethora of information on Earth's layers and the fossils they contain. Part I Part II
 * How are Earth's time periods divided? List from largest to smallest.
 * Explain the difference between "relative time" and "numerical time."
 * Give the meaning of the suffix //zoic// and the prefixes //paleo, meso// and //ceno//.
 * What are fossils?
 * What do paleontologists study?
 * Why do the names of most of the eons and eras end in //zoic//?
 * Looking at the Geologic Time Scale, in what eon, era and period do you live?
 * How are sedimentary rocks formed?
 * What is the most obvious feature of sedimentary rocks?
 * State the Law of Superposition.
 * What is another name for layers of rock?
 * What is the Law of Original Horizontality and what does it help us to understand about sedimentary rocks that are no longer horizontal?
 * During what periods of Earth's history did dinosaurs roam?
 * When did dinosaurs become extinct?
 * What are the most common kinds of fossils found?
 * In what kinds of rock layers are they commonly found?
 * List the three most important concepts regarding fossils.
 * What is the Law of Fossil Succession?
 * What would happen if we started at the present and worked backwards to examine older and older layers of rock?
 * How does Darwin's theory of evolution explain what is seen in the fossil record?
 * What are index fossils?
 * How did the discovery of radioactivity help scientists calculate the age of a rock?

**Activity Two**
 * [[image:dino_moves.gif]]

Part 1** How do scientists determine the age of rocks? Complete this [|Geologic Time Activity.]

Complete the [|Sequencing Time Activity.] Create a personal timeline in an effort to better understand the geologic timeline.
 * Part 2**

Class Activity: **What Came First?** Working together, members of the class will research a time or organism that is part of the fossil record. We will create a timeline in the classroom, placing each event or organism in its proper eon, era, etc.
 * Part 3**

First, each table will draw the name of an era. You will determine the eon in which this era is placed and then which periods and epochs are associated with the era. You must also know the number of years given to this era.

Second, your teacher will place a 76.5 ft. paper strip along the wall. Each team will determine how much of this paper strip is taken up by their particular era. Once the teams have made their calculations, the team with the oldest era will mark off the correct amount of space on the paper strip. This team will be followed by the second oldest era, and so on, until all of the paper strip is taken up.

Third. Each individual will draw a number for this activity. The number relates to one of the topics numbered below.
 * 1) [|trilobites]
 * 2) [|cockroaches]
 * 3) [|mosses]
 * 4) [|jellyfish]
 * 5) [|Lucy]
 * 6) [|grasses]
 * 7) [|cyanobacteria]
 * 8) [|Dasycladales (green algae)]
 * 9) [|spiders]
 * 10) [|earthworms]
 * 11) [|greatest extinction event]
 * 12) [|first mammal]
 * 13) [|mosasaur]
 * 14) [|angiosperms]
 * 15) saber-toothed cats
 * 16) [|birds]
 * 17) [|camels]
 * 18) [|formation of Pangaea]
 * 19) [|first vertebrate]
 * 20) [|ferns]
 * 21) [|triceratops]
 * 22) [|Coon Creek deposit]
 * 23) [|brachiopods]
 * 24) [|true flies]
 * 25) [|monkeys]
 * 26) [|rats]
 * 27) [|Megalodon]
 * 28) [|ammonites]
 * 29) [|first amphibians]

Fourth, find out when your event or organism first appeared on the timeline. You must write a brief paragraph about your event or organism. When you place your even in its proper place on the timeline, you must explain to the class what your event or organism is, where you are placing it and why it is important to our timeline. A drawing of your organism or a drawing representative of your event will show up even better than a name on the timeline.

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