Question 1

Carbon-14 dating is useful for paleontologists researching dinosaurs.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

If 235U has 92 protons, how many neutrons does it have?

Accepted Answer

A) 25 
B) 92 
C) 143 
D) 235 
A) 25 
B) 92 
C) 143 
D) 235

Question 3

________ is a technique where the decay rate of radioactive isotopes is measured and used to determine the age of a geologic material.

Accepted Answer

A) Electron Capture 
B) Radiometric Dating 
C) Ion Exchange 
D) Half-Life 
A) Electron Capture 
B) Radiometric Dating 
C) Ion Exchange 
D) Half-Life

Question 4

One method of geologic dating is dendrochronology, or the science of tree ring dating.Based on what you know about tree rings, how could you determine the age of the tree? Would this be an example of relative dating or numerical dating?

Accepted Answer

You can date the tree by count

Question 5

What is a fossil?

Accepted Answer

A) Evidence of past life that can include skeletal as well as trace material 
B) Only the hard parts of a skeletal structure that have been preserved 
C) Mudcracks preserved in sedimentary rock 
D) A really old geologist 
A) Evidence of past life that can include skeletal as well as trace material 
B) Only the hard parts of a skeletal structure that have been preserved 
C) Mudcracks preserved in sedimentary rock 
D) A really old geologist

Question 6

When correlating rock between widely separated areas or between continents, what feature(s)do geologists rely on the most to link distant rock units of similar age?

Accepted Answer

A) Rock type 
B) Sedimentary structures 
C) Fossils 
D) Mineral content 
A) Rock type 
B) Sedimentary structures 
C) Fossils 
D) Mineral content

Question 7

Which rock layer is the oldest in this image?

Accepted Answer

The answer of   Which rock layer is the...

Question 8

The Mississippi River cuts through Silurian-aged dolomite between northwestern Illinois and eastern Iowa.Which is older? How do you know?

Accepted Answer

A) Dolomite;the principle of superposition 
B) Mississippi; the principle of original horizontality 
C) Dolomite; the principle of cross-cutting relationships 
D) Mississippi; the principle of lateral continuity 
A) Dolomite;the principle of superposition 
B) Mississippi; the principle of original horizontality 
C) Dolomite; the principle of cross-cutting relationships 
D) Mississippi; the principle of lateral continuity

Question 9

Why is it that scientists know less about the first four-fifths of Earth's history than about the last, most recent one-fifth?

Accepted Answer

The short answer is that the farther bac

Question 10

Which of the following is an example of a numerical date?

Accepted Answer

A) The Stone Age occurred before the Iron Age. 
B) John Adams was president of the United States after George Washington. 
C) A meteorite impacted the Earth sixty-five million years ago. 
D) Dinosaurs descended from reptiles, which descended from amphibians. 
A) The Stone Age occurred before the Iron Age. 
B) John Adams was president of the United States after George Washington. 
C) A meteorite impacted the Earth sixty-five million years ago. 
D) Dinosaurs descended from reptiles, which descended from amphibians.

Question 11

________ is a term used to define 88% of Earth's history prior to the start of the Paleozoic era.

Accepted Answer

A) Quaternary 
B) Precambrian 
C) Paleogene 
D) Jurassic 
A) Quaternary 
B) Precambrian 
C) Paleogene 
D) Jurassic

Question 12

You are an archaeologist researching artifacts left behind by Francisco Pizzaro's conquest of Peru in the 1530s.In order to confirm the authenticity of the leather artifacts, you are performing radiometric dating using an isotope pair that has a half-life of 250 years.In order for the artifacts to date back to the time of Pizzaro's conquest, approximately how much original radioactive isotope must be left in the artifacts?

Accepted Answer

A) 50% 
B) 25% 
C) 75% 
D) 12.5% 
A) 50% 
B) 25% 
C) 75% 
D) 12.5%

Question 13

What is the effective maximum range for carbon-14 dating?

Accepted Answer

A) 100,000 years 
B) 70,000 years 
C) 10,000 years 
D) 13,000 years 
A) 100,000 years 
B) 70,000 years 
C) 10,000 years 
D) 13,000 years

Question 14

What kind of unconformity is visible in this figure? The unconformity in question is indicated by the Arrow A.

Accepted Answer

A) Disconformity 
B) Nonconformity 
C) Angular unconformity 
A) Disconformity 
B) Nonconformity 
C) Angular unconformity

Question 15

________ was the English engineer and canal builder who observed that sedimentary strata in widely separated areas could be identified by their distinctive fossil assemblages.

Accepted Answer

A) Isaac Newton 
B) William Smith 
C) Charles Lyell 
D) Charles Darwin 
A) Isaac Newton 
B) William Smith 
C) Charles Lyell 
D) Charles Darwin

Question 16

What is an isotope?

Accepted Answer

A) An atom that has more or fewer neutrons than it should 
B) An atom that has more or fewer electrons than it should 
C) An atom that has double the protons of a stable atom 
D) A nucleus of an atom that has split during the decay process 
A) An atom that has more or fewer neutrons than it should 
B) An atom that has more or fewer electrons than it should 
C) An atom that has double the protons of a stable atom 
D) A nucleus of an atom that has split during the decay process

Question 17

Which of the following would make the best index fossil: olenellus (522-510 million years ago), flexicalymene (~490-418 million years ago), and phacops (~418-360 million years ago).

Accepted Answer

A) Olenellus 
B) Flexicalymene 
C) Phacops 
A) Olenellus 
B) Flexicalymene 
C) Phacops

Question 18

What materials are best dated with carbon-14?

Accepted Answer

A) Igneous rocks 
B) Volcanic rocks 
C) Organic materials 
D) Sandstones 
A) Igneous rocks 
B) Volcanic rocks 
C) Organic materials 
D) Sandstones

Question 19

What does "-zoic" in the eras of the geologic time scale refer to?

Accepted Answer

A) Life 
B) Water 
C) Rock 
D) Fossilization 
A) Life 
B) Water 
C) Rock 
D) Fossilization

Question 20

What geologic feature is present in this image?

Accepted Answer

Angular un

Exam 9: Geologic Time

Carbon-14 dating is useful for paleontologists researching dinosaurs.

If 235U has 92 protons, how many neutrons does it have?

________ is a technique where the decay rate of radioactive isotopes is measured and used to determine the age of a geologic material.

One method of geologic dating is dendrochronology, or the science of tree ring dating.Based on what you know about tree rings, how could you determine the age of the tree? Would this be an example of relative dating or numerical dating?

What is a fossil?

When correlating rock between widely separated areas or between continents, what feature(s)do geologists rely on the most to link distant rock units of similar age?

Which rock layer is the oldest in this image?

The Mississippi River cuts through Silurian-aged dolomite between northwestern Illinois and eastern Iowa.Which is older? How do you know?

Why is it that scientists know less about the first four-fifths of Earth's history than about the last, most recent one-fifth?

Which of the following is an example of a numerical date?

________ is a term used to define 88% of Earth's history prior to the start of the Paleozoic era.

What is the effective maximum range for carbon-14 dating?

What kind of unconformity is visible in this figure? The unconformity in question is indicated by the Arrow A.

________ was the English engineer and canal builder who observed that sedimentary strata in widely separated areas could be identified by their distinctive fossil assemblages.

What is an isotope?

Which of the following would make the best index fossil: olenellus (522-510 million years ago), flexicalymene (~490-418 million years ago), and phacops (~418-360 million years ago).

What materials are best dated with carbon-14?

What does "-zoic" in the eras of the geologic time scale refer to?

What geologic feature is present in this image?

An Introduction to Geology

Plate Tectonics: a Scientific Revolution Unfolds

Matter and Minerals

Magma, Igneous Rocks, and Intrusive Activity

Volcanoes and Volcanic Hazards

Weathering and Soil

Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism and Metamorphic Rocks

Crustal Deformation

Earthquakes

Earths Interior

Divergent Boundaries

Convergent Boundaries

Mass Wasting

Running Water

Groundwater

Glaciers and Glaciation

Deserts and Winds

Shorelines

Global Climate Change

Earths Evolution Through Geologic Time

Energy and Mineral Resources

Touring Our Solar System

Filters

If ²³⁵U has 92 protons, how many neutrons does it have?