Exam 12: Earths Evolution Through Geologic Time

During the ______, a great wedge of sediments from the eroding Rockies created the Great Plains.

Earth's original atmosphere, several billion years ago, was ______the present atmosphere.

Earth's core, mantle, and crust formed during the______ .

The supercontinent of Pangaea formed during the ______.

The bodies of our solar system began forming about______ billion years ago from an enormous cloud of minute rocky fragments and gases.

A major event of the______ was the breakup of the supercontinent called Pangaea.

Compare and contrast the patterns of life in the Paleozoic Era to the Mesozoic Era. What are the major differences between these two eras? Are there similarities or similar trends?

The major source of free oxygen in the atmosphere is from ______ .

Antarctica became glaciated because______ .

At the start of the Triassic, most of the continents were above sea level, and sediments from that time are often red because ______.

Sea level rise can be caused by______ .

The slight eastward slope of the Great Plains was created during the Cenozoic by ______.

The largest mass extinction in the Phanerozoic occurred in the______ .

Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

The ______ means "the Sun in the making."

Much of the early hydrogen and helium escaped the earth's atmosphere into space because______ .

The development of ______organisms that reproduce sexually and have cells that contain Nuclei, may have increased dramatically the rate of evolutionary change.

During the______ era, the westward- moving North American plate began to override the Pacific plate, eventually causing the tectonic activity that ultimately formed the mountains of western North America.

During the early Paleozoic era, South America, Africa, Australia, Antarctica, India, and perhaps China comprised the vast southern continent of ______.

The first elements to form after "Big Bang" were______ .