Leaven Plate Tectonics Geologic Time And Fossils

The age of the Earth is estimated to be 4.6 billion years. This estimate is based on radiometric dating of rocks and minerals, which involves measuring the decay of radioactive isotopes. By studying the ratios of different isotopes in rocks, scientists can determine how long it has been since the rock formed. This method has been used to date the oldest rocks on Earth, which are approximately 4.6 billion years old. Additionally, evidence from meteorites and moon rocks also supports this age estimate.

The correct answer is continental shelf. The continental shelf refers to the submerged edge of a continent that extends from the shoreline to the continental slope. It is a relatively flat and shallow area of the ocean floor, usually found near the coast. The continental shelf is composed of continental crust and is rich in marine life, making it an important area for fishing and oil exploration.

Trace fossils are fossilized tracks, trails, burrows, and nests made by ancient animals. These fossils provide evidence of the activities and behaviors of organisms that lived in the past. They can give insights into the locomotion, feeding habits, and social interactions of ancient animals. By studying trace fossils, scientists can reconstruct the behavior and ecology of extinct species, even if their actual body fossils are not preserved.

Index fossils lived on a short span of time and are used to determine age of rock and other fossils.

In radioactive material decays, it starts as a parent atom and turns into a new material call a daughter atom.

Absolute age is the real age of a fossil or a rock.

Transform plates slide past each other.

Permineralization refers to the process in which minerals fill in the small pores of a fossil. This occurs when minerals in groundwater seep into the fossil's pores and gradually replace the original organic material, preserving the fossil's structure. Unlike carbonization, which involves the preservation of only the carbon residue of a fossil, permineralization results in a fossil that retains much of its original shape and detail. Mold making and cast making, on the other hand, involve creating replicas of fossils rather than the actual preservation of the fossil itself.

The correct answer is "be at the age corresponding to the first half-life." This is because a mineral with a ratio of 1:1 among parent and daughter atoms indicates that half of the parent atoms have decayed into daughter atoms, which corresponds to the completion of one half-life. Therefore, the mineral must be at the age corresponding to the first half-life.

The geologic time scale is a system used to divide Earth's history into different time intervals. These time intervals are measured in increasingly larger units, from seconds to eons. Therefore, the correct answer is "days, hours, minutes, and seconds" as these units correspond to the smaller time intervals in the geologic time scale.

The relative scale of geologic time is based on the principles of superposition and fossil succession, which allow scientists to determine the relative ages of rock layers and the fossils within them. This scale does not provide specific numerical ages, but rather a sequence of events. On the other hand, radiometric dating uses the decay of radioactive isotopes to determine the absolute ages of rocks and fossils in years. This method provides a precise numerical scale for measuring the age of geological events.

To Observe/Observation is the first step in the scientific method.

Continental mountain ranges are formed by continental-continental crustal convergence. This occurs when two continental plates collide and the crust is compressed and uplifted, resulting in the formation of mountains. The collision causes the crust to buckle and fold, leading to the creation of large mountain ranges such as the Himalayas. This process is different from oceanic-oceanic crustal convergence, where two oceanic plates collide and form volcanic island arcs, and from transform boundaries and divergent boundaries, which do not result in the formation of mountain ranges.