Busy. Please wait.

show password
Forgot Password?

Don't have an account?  Sign up 

Username is available taken
show password



Already a StudyStack user? Log In

Reset Password

Remove ads
Don't know
remaining cards

Pass complete!

"Know" box contains:
Time elapsed:
restart all cards


  Normal Size     Small Size show me how

Science Vocab

Eon The longest unit of geologic time.
Era A large division of geologic time, but smaller than an eon.
Period A unit of geologic time smaller than an era.
Epoch a division of geologic time smaller than a period.
Mass extinction The extinction of many species on earth within a short period of time.
Land bridge A landform that connects two continents that were previously separated.
Geographic isolation The separation of a population of organisms from the rest of its species due to some physical barrier such as a mountain range or an ocean.
Paleozoic era The oldest era of the Phanerozoic eon.
Mesozoic era The middle era of the Phanerozoic eon.
Cenozoic era The youngest era of the Phanerozoic eon.
Inland Sea A body of water formed when ocean water floods contients.
Coal swamp An oxygen poor environment where, over a period of time, decaying plant material changes into coal.
Supercontinent An ancient landmass which separated into present-day continents.
Dinosaur Dominant Mesozoic land vertebrates that walked with their legs position directly below their hips.
Plesiosaur Mesozoic marine reptile with a small head, long neck, and flippers.
Pterosaur Mesozoic flying reptile with large, bat like wings
Holocene epoch The current epoch of geologic time which began 10,000 years ago.
Pleistocene epoch The first epoch of the Quaternary period.
Ice Age A period of time when a large portion of Earth's surface is covered by glaciers.
Glacial grooves Grooves in solid rock formation made by rocks that are carried by glaciers.
Mega-mammal Large mammal of the Cenozoic Era.
Geologist A scientist who studies the Earth's
Paleontologist A scientist that studies fossil remains found on the Earth's surface in order to study primitive life form such as : plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria.
Geologist assume the _____ rock layers are on top of the older ones, unless some type of disturbance occurs.This is called ______________________ newest and Law of Superpostition
The strata of sedimentary rocks is important in determining their _____ age. relative
Relative age determines the "relative" order of past events but not the ___________________ absolute age
Strata is sometimes________. disturbed
Preserved ______- or ________ of animals, plants, and other organisms from the remote past. remains or traces
Fossil Record History of life as documents by all fossils, preserved in sedimentary rock strata
Characteristics of Index Fossils 1.Easy recognizable 2.Abundant 3.Wide geographic distribution 4. Live a short time.
M.Y stands for? million years
Special fossils called "index fossils" indicate to geologist the ____________ in geological time. boundaries
_________ rock layers contained only fossils of small, relatively simple life-forms. Older
_________ rock layers contained fossils of simple life-forms, as well as fossils of more complex organisms. Younger
Mass Extinction Is the extinction of many species on Earth within a short period of time.
They hypothesize that the mass extinction of dinosaurs was called by a _________ impact. Meteorite
Geographic isolation Is the separation of a population of organisms from the rest of its species because of a physical barrier.
Created by: Myacalmes2