LAB #51: Index Fossils of NY State

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Name: ___ Date: _________________ Period: LAB #51: Index Fossils of NY State Introduction: Use page 8-9 of the ESRT to fill in the following information, and then answer questions on the second page: Index Fossil Image Fossil Name Fossil Group Period/Epoch Age (M.Y.A.) Index Fossil Image Fossil Name Fossil Group Period/Epoch Age (M.Y.A.) Index Fossil Image Fossil Name Fossil Group Period/Epoch Age (M.Y.A.) Index Fossil Image Fossil Name Fossil Group Period/Epoch Age (M.Y.A.) Index Fossil Image Fossil Name Fossil Group Period/Epoch Age (M.Y.A.) Analysis and Conclusions 1. Read p.306 of the review book and describe the four characteristics a fossil has to have to be used as an index fossil. 2. Index fossils were used by geologist to support the theory that Africa and South America were once connected as part of the same continent. Explain how they used the fossils of Cynognathus and Mesosaurus to support this idea (check the notes on p3). 3. Most index fossils are found during this geologic period: __________________ Use p.3 of the ESRT to estimate the percentage of Devonian bedrock that covers the surface of NY State (circle the closest option): 10% 20% 40% 80% 4. Coelophysis footprints are the only evidence of dinosaurs found in NY State. Use p.2&3 of the ESRT to determine the landscape region where you might find these footprints (there is also a link on the website about this dinosaur): _________________________________________ Notes for Index Fossil Lab FOSSIL EVIDENCE There are many examples of fossils found on separate continents and nowhere else, suggesting the continents were once joined. If Continental Drift had not occurred, the alternative explanations would be: The species evolved independently on separate continents – contradicting Darwin’s theory of evolution. They swam to the other continent/s in breeding pairs to establish a second population. Image: From This Dynamic Earth: The Story of Plate Tectonics p8 Remains of Mesosaurus, a freshwater crocodile-like reptile that lived during the early Permian (between 286 and 258 million years ago), are found solely in Southern Africa and Eastern South America. It would have been physiologically impossible for Mesosaurus to swim between the continents. This suggests that South America and Africa were joined during the Early Permian. Cynognathus is an extinct mammal-like reptile. The name literally means ‘dog jaw’. Cynognathus was as large as a modern wolf and lived during the early to mid Triassic period (250 to 240 million years ago). It is found as fossils only in South Africa and South America. FROM: HTTP://WWW.GEOLSOC.ORG.UK/PLATE-TECTONICS/CHAP1-PIONEERS-OF-PLATE-TECTONICS/ALFRED-WEGENER/FOSSIL-EVIDENCE-FROM-THE-SOUTHERN- HEMISPHERE .

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Topic 10 - Earth's History
Topic 10 - Earth's History 1. Base your answer to the following question on the data table below. The table shows the percentage of original carbon-14 remaining in three different fossils. The approximate ages of the gastropod shell and the tree wood are shown in years. The age of the human bone has been left blank. What is the approximate age of the human bone fossil? A) 5,700 y B) 17,100 y C) 22,800 y D) 39,900 y 2. Carbon-14, an isotope used to date recent organic 6. The photograph below shows the bedrock structure of remains, would most likely be useful in determining a limestone outcrop. the age of a fossil A) trilobite B) Coelophysis C) armored fish D) Beluga whale 3. Approximately how many years ago did the solar system originate? A) 570,000,000 B) 1,000,000,000 C) 4,500,000,000 D) 10,000,000,000 4. Much of the evidence for the evolution of lifeforms on Earth has been obtained by A) studying the life spans of present-day animals B) radioactive dating of metamorphic rock C) correlating widespread igneous ash deposits Which process is responsible for the deformation of D) examining fossils preserved in the rock record this bedrock? 5. Fossil pollen has been recovered from sediments A) folding B) weathering deposited in late-Pleistocene lakes. The pollen’s C) mass movement D) volcanic activity geologic age can most accurately be measured by 7. Which group of organisms survived mass extinctions using that marked the ends of both the Paleozoic Era and A) rubidium-87 B) potassium-40 the Mesozoic Era? C) oxygen-18 D) carbon-14 A) ammonoids B) graptolites C) eurypterids D) gastropods Page 1 Page 1 Topic 10 - Earth's History Base your answers to questions 8 through 10 on the reading passage and the drawing below and on your knowledge of Earth science.
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