Webquest: Fossils/Relative Dating & Geologic Time

Using the links provided, answer the following questions on your own paper. Either copy the question or
answer in complete sentences.

http://www.americangeosciences.org/education/k5geosource/content/fossils/under-what-conditions-do-
fossils-form

1. Why can’t the bottom of the ocean support much life? How would fossils end up here?

2. Why is fossilization on land uncommon?

3. Where on land would be ideal for fossils to form?

4. Why don’t many shelled animals become fossils?

5. Which kind of life is extremely rare to find fossils of? Why?

6. What must happen for a soft-bodied animal or plant to create a fossil?

7. Why are paleontologists “sure that the fossil record is biased”? Explain in detail.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/add_aqa/speciation/old_new_speciesrev1.shtml

8. What are fossils?

9. Describe the three ways fossils can form.

10. Where are simple fossils usually found? Complex?

11. Why do scientists study fossils?

12. What animal does the article use to describe a complete fossil record?

13. Describe at least two ways the horse has changed through the fossil record.
 Webquest: Fossils/Relative Dating & Geologic Time

Geologic Time

Based on **See #3 in assignment for link:

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/education/explorations/tours/geotime/gtpage
1.html
Answer these questions as you progress through this tutorial.

1. Approximately how old is the earth?

2. When did the earliest life appear on earth?

3. What is missing when showing the relative order of events in a

timeline?

4. What is the Law of Superposition?

5. Draw a cross-section of a mountain with five basic rock layers and

label the oldest and the youngest layers.

6. What is a trilobite?

7. Based on the fossils found in the rock layers, put the fossils in order
from oldest to most recent.

8. What process gives us absolute dates of rocks?

9. What does absolute dating of a rock tell us?

10. What type of rock layer is easy to date?

11. Explain how the Law of Superposition helps scientists to give

absolute dates to rocks and fossils.
 Webquest: Fossils/Relative Dating & Geologic Time

12. What does the Geologic Time Scale represent?

13. What is characteristic of the Pre-Archean (Hadean Eon)?

14. What life form evolved during the Archean?

15. What does Proterozoic mean? Is this accurate? Explain.

16. Use pages 536-539 from your BOOK(that you have already
competed so you should still have them to access through the
assignment) to fill out this chart:
 Webquest: Fossils/Relative Dating & Geologic Time

RESEARCH the answer the following questions:

(1) Scientific evidence suggests that the Earth is how old?

(2) Evidence for past events in Earth's ancient history are provided
by______?

(3) The Law of Superposition allows us to

determine____________________________________________________
___________________________________________

(4) Radiometric dating allows us to determine

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________

(5) The divisions of time in the Geologic Time Scale

represent____________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________