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23 Cards in this Set
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Terms paleontology taphonomy chronological sequence eras
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paleontology - the study of fossils taphonomy - the study of decomposition chronological sequence - placing fossils in time eras - division in geologic time divided into periods and epochs |
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What occurred in the paleozoic? Mesozoic? Cenozoic? |
Paleozoic - Mesozoic - Cenozoic - |
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Dating Methods - define each - - - - - |
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Explain the Molecular Clock |
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The English surveyor who developed the technique of stratigraphiccorrelation between regions was: |
William Smith |
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The three eras that make up earth history are: |
Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic. |
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What is the earth's age? |
4.6 Million |
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Igneous rock can be dated with which of the following methods? |
Radiopotassium Dating |
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If fossil species A is consistently recovered from geologicaldeposits beneath layers containing fossil species B, then A is considered olderthan B. This relative dating technique is based on the principle of: |
The Law of Superposition |
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A layer of stratigraphy inone location overwhelmingly represents one species, while the same species isdiscovered in a similar stratigraphic layer fifty miles away. What method isused to provide an estimate of age for this layer and this species? |
biostratigraphy |
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Which period saw theproliferation of mammals? |
Cenozoic |
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A hearth is discovered withbone fragments in it. What method might be used to date the bone? |
Amino Acid Method |
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Fluorine dating is an example of what type of dating method? |
Chemical/ relative |
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For dating hominin fossilsthat go back 4 million years, what dating methods might be used? |
Electron Spin Resonance AND Amino Acid Method |
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The molecular clock hasbeen useful to determine the phylogenetic relationships of species based on theassumption that: |
a species accumulates genetic differences over time at a constant rate |
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Coinciding with the appearance of early hominins about 5–10 mya,the climate was: |
dry and seasonal |
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During crucial periods of human evolution, the Pleistocene wascharacterized by: |
massive galaciation, then warm interglacials |
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Studies of temperatures during the Cenozoic era suggest that: |
temperatures have fluctuated, sometimes greatly, over time |
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At a site in the American Southwest, you find only a singleceramic pot in association with an individual within a burial. You can use thepot to date the burial based on: |
cultural dating, since the pot must be specific to a known culture and time period. h |
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What are ideal conditions for fossilization? And what sorts of environments are NOT anideal environment for fossilization? |
Ideal conditions for fozzilization are circumstances in which the remains are buried very soon after death in a anoxic environment that has a limited amount of bacterial activity, decomposition, and is inaccessible to scavengers. Non-ideal conditions include exposure to weather, scavengers, bacteria, and oxygen. |
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Why are most fossilsimportant to hominid origins found in Eastern and Southern Africa? |
The most important fossils to hominid origins are found in Eastern and Southern Africa because that is the location of strata of the correct age.
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How do dating methods helpto support the theory of natural selection and biological evolution? |
Dating methods help support the theory of natural selection and biological evolution by providing the time depth that is required by both theories. |
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Differentiate between absolute and relative dating techniques,giving one example of each. |
Absolute dating provides an actual date or date range, both of which would be numerical. An example would be Thermoluminesence Relative dating provides only a geologic time order of events. An example would be Stratigraphic Correlation |