10.

Youngest
Block 10
_________
V
_________
_________
_________
_________
C
_________
_________
L K F _________
_________
A D _________
R A
Oldest
F Erosion R
C
P Folding S
H Volcano V
Intrusion L

After determining the sequence of events in the ten diagrams above, answer the
following questions.

1. What type of unconformity is represented by Erosion A in Block 1?

2. What type of unconformity is represented by Erosion N in Block 2?

3. What type of igneous intrusion is shown in Block 3?

4. What type of fault is Fault A in Block 4?

5. What type of fault is Fault S in Block 5?

6. What type of fold is present in Block 6?

7. In Block 6, is the igneous rock a pluton, a lava flow, or both?

Explain your answer:

8. In Block 7, are the inclusions with x’s on them clasts, or are they xenoliths?

9. In Block 7, are the inclusions with v’s on them clasts, or are they xenoliths? Are
all clasts with v’s on them of that type, or are there other types as well?

Explain your answer:

10. What type of fault is present in Block 7?

11. What types of faults are present in Block 8? Identify each.

Fault on left = ________________________________________________________________________

Fault on right = _______________________________________________________________________

12. Are there two faults in Block 9, or is there only one fault? _________________________________

Explain your answer:

13. What type of fault (or faults) is (or are) present in Block 9: normal or reverse?

14. In Block 9, what type of unconformity is found below unit L along erosion
surface R?

15. In Block 10, what type of unconformity is found below unit A along erosion
surface R?

16. What type of fold is the fold on the left in Block 10: an anticline or a syncline?

17. What type of fold is the fold on the right in Block 10: an anticline or a syncline?

18. Is the structure at P a clast or a xenolith? ____________________________________________________________

19. Is the structure at D a clast or a xenolith? ___________________________________________________________

20. Is the intrusion at L a dike or a sill? ____________________________________________________________________

21. Is the intrusion at K a dike or a sill? ___________________________________________________________________

4. Correlate the three stratigraphic sections below and answer the questions.

a. Use a ruler to draw lines to correlate the three stratigraphic sections. Connect
the contacts between the beds. Note that some of the units differ in thickness in
each section.
b. Label the left side of section A to illustrate a transgression, a regression, and
the time of sea level high stand.
c. These sediments were deposited in an ancient sea. Based on the rock
types, which facies (i.e., rock type) was deposited nearest to the mainland?
______________________
d. Which facies (i.e., rock type) was deposited farthest from the land?
______________________
e. Why is the limestone absent from section C? ______________________
f. In which direction (east or west) was the land? ____________
g. Explain your reasoning for your answer to question f.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

WEST EAST
Scale
A (meters)
B C
60

50

40

30

20

10

0
1. List the composition of the hard parts for each group of microfossils.
Microfossil Group Composition of Hard Parts

a. Foraminifera
b. Radiolaria
c. Diatom
d. Coccolithophores
e. Dinoflagellates
f. Ostracodes
g. Conodonts
h. Spores
i. Pollen
j. Sponge spicules

2. What type of rock will these microfossils accumulate to form?

Microfossil Group Rock formed by these Microfossils

a. Diatoms
b. Coccolithophores

3. Into which eukaryote supergroup would you place the following organisms?
A = Amoebozoa, B = Opisthokonta, C = Rhizaria, D = Archaeplastida,
E = Excavata. Put the letter in the blank.
Microfossil Group Eukaryote Supergroup
a. Foraminifera
b. Diatom
c. Coccolithophore
d. Radiolarian
e. Halimeda
f. Sponge
g. Dinoflagellate
 Microfossil Group Eukaryote Supergroup
h. Pine tree
i. Ostracode
j. Conodont
k. Charophyte
l. Coralline algae
n. Mushroom
o. Human

4. Microfossils are useful for biostratigraphy or correlating sedimentary rocks and

determining their ages. In the table below, indicate the geologic ranges of each
microfossil group by placing an x in the cells corresponding to the geologic periods
in which they are found.

Microfossil Group Paleozoic Mesozoic Cenozoic

–C O S D M P J K N Q
Planktonic foraminifera                      
Benthic foraminifera
Radiolarians                        
Diatoms                        
Coccolithophores                        
Dinoflagellates                        
Ostracodes                        
Conodonts                        
Sponge spicules                        
Spores                        
Pollen (gymnosperm)                        
Pollen (angiosperm)                        
Calcareous algae
Charophytes

Key: –
C = Cambrian, O = Ordovician, S= Silurian, D = Devonian, M = Mississippian, = Pennsylvanian, P = Permian, = Triassic,
J = Jurassic, K = Cretaceous, = Paleogene, N = Neogene, Q = Quaternary.

5. As you can see from your completed table in exercise 4, some groups of organisms
have long geologic ranges, and others have much shorter geologic ranges.
a. Which groups in the table above have the longest geologic ranges?
_______________________________________________________________
b. Which groups have short geologic ranges? ____________________________
_______________________________________________________________
c. Which group is extinct? ___________________________________________