Exam 4: The Habitability of Earth

The geological record contains fewer older rocks than younger rocks because older rocks

When a metamorphic rock is eroded and then becomes deposited at the bottom of an ocean it turns into

The Earth owes its habitability primarily to

Which component of Earth's geology has helped to shield the Earth's atmosphere from energetic particles of solar wind from the Sun which would have gradually stripped it away into space?

Based on its distance from the Sun and the amount of sunlight absorbed by its surface, calculations predict the global average temperature of the Earth would be

Which type or types of rock cannot be dated radiometrically?

The Earth's geological history is divided into how many eons?

Evidence from the analysis of zircon crystals suggests that the Earth

The lowest density material from the Earth is expected to be found in the

The Earth's magnetosphere is a

Fossils typically contain little or no organic matter because

The internal structure of the Earth is investigated mainly by

The oldest intact rocks found on Earth date back to approximately

During the past few million years, ice ages were MOST LIKELY caused by

Which of the following was NOT a source of heat that helped differentiate the Earth?

In which type or types of radioactive decay does the mass number of the parent nucleus not change?

A rock sample contains 1/4 micrograms of the parent radioactive isotope K-40 and 3/4 micrograms of its daughter isotope Ar-40. If the half-life of this decay is 1.25 billion years, how old is this rock?

The earliest geological period in the Phanerozoic eon was the

Chemical analysis of a rock can tell us

Severe, long-term cooling periods during the Earth's history are known as