How much do you know about Paleontology?

JOURNAL # 1

What is a fossil?

(YOUR DEFINITION)

Pre-Unit Questions

Answer the following True/False Questions

We can use carbon dating to identify the age of a dinosaur

fossil.

0% 1. True

2. False

FALSE. Although carbon dating is used to date formerly living

organisms, dinosaurs are considered far too old to date

using carbon-14’s shorter half-life.

Many scientists theorize that dinosaurs were wiped out

many years ago by some great catastrophe.

0% 1. True

2. False

TRUE. Obviously dinosaurs don’t exist today and they seem to disappear suddenly from the

fossil record.

Fossils take millions of years to form.

0% 1. True

2. False

TRUE or FALSE?

FALSE. Fossils can form in less than a year depending on the

conditions.

Through radiometric dating, we can identify the age of

dinosaur fossils.

0% 1. True

2. False

FALSE. Radiometric dating (except carbon dating) is mostly

performed on igneous rocks. Fossils form in sedimentary rock.

There are billions of fossils found all over the earth.

0% 1. True

2. False

TRUE. There are many fossils buried in the rock all over the planet. Over 99% of them are

small marine plants and animals.

Dinosaurs are “giant lizards.”

0% 1. True

2. False

FALSE. Some were large, but many were not. The term

dinosaur, coined in the 1800’s, does mean “terrible lizard,” but the

average size of a dinosaur was that of a large dog.

Geology:Paleontolog

y & Geologic

TimeCreated in 2008 by Tim F. Rowbotham

Geology is the study of

the origin, history, and structure of the earth.

Paleontology

is the study of prehistoric life, particularly through fossil remains.

Fossils are the remains,

imprints, or traces of prehistoric organisms.

Fossil Formation Requires shelter

from scavengers, decay, and physical destruction.

Fossil Formation• Most commonly occurs

through quick burial by sediment.

• Is more likely to occur with hard parts such as bone, shells, and teeth.

Types of Fossils

Types of Fossils• Permineralized

remains• Carbon films• Molds & Casts• Original Remains• Trace Fossils

Permineralized Remains

occur when parts of the original remains are replaced by minerals flowing through ground water.

This process is called petrification.

Fossil turtle shell

Fossil dimetrodon

Petrified wood

Baby protoceratops

Whale fossil

Fossil tyrannosaurus

Carbon Films occur when

pressure from layers of sediment leaves only a thin carbon residue.

Carbon Films

Beech leaf

Carbon Films

Ancient salamander

Carbon Films

Fossil fish

Molds & Casts

Formation of fossil shell molds

Molds are hollow areas

left in sediment that show the shape of the original organism.

Molds & Casts

External mold of shell

Molds & Casts

Internal mold of shell

Casts are copies of the

shape of original organism that form from minerals deposited into the mold.

Molds & Casts

Cast of trilobite

Molds & Casts

Formation of fossil shell molds

Original Remains including the soft

parts of the organism are sometimes found in hardened tree resin, frozen ground, or tar pits.

Original Remains

Bee encased in amber

Original Remains

Scorpion in amber

Original Remains

Mammoth hair

Trace Fossils provide evidence

of an organism’s activity. They include footprints, trails, burrows, and excrement.

Trace Fossils

Dinosaur tracks

Trace Fossils

Fossil trails of climactichnites

Trace Fossils

Fossil burrows

Review Questions

Which type of fossil is shown to the

right?

0% 1. Cast

2. Mold

3. Carbon Film

4. Permineralized remains

right?

0% 1. Permineralized remains

2. Cast

3. Mold

4. Carbon Film

right?

0% 1. Original remains

2. Cast

3. Mold

4. Trace Fossil

right?

0% 1. Cast

2. Mold

3. Carbon Film

4. Trace Fossil

PALEONTOLOGY

RETURN YOUR REMOTES

HW: Pal Pack: p.13-14 Fossils

Journal #3List two possible ways that

original remains could be preserved.

right?

2. Cast

3. Mold

4. Trace Fossil

right?

2. Cast

3. Mold

4. Trace Fossil

right?

2. Cast

3. Mold

4. Trace Fossil

right?

2. Cast

3. Mold

4. Carbon Film

right?

2. Cast

3. Mold

4. Carbon Film

right?

2. Cast

3. Mold

4. Carbon Film

right?

2. Cast

3. Mold

4. Carbon Film

right?

0% 1. Cast

2. Mold

3. Carbon Film

4. Original remains

a radioisotope has a half-life of 2000 years. how many atoms would be left out of 400 if 8000 years had

passed?

0% 1. 25

3. 100

4. 200

How fossils form VIDEOS

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4jM2t3NHPA&feature=related

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEDfRy6DQns

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVwPLWOo9TE

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxDQwBZj9o8&feature=related

PaleontologyNotes

Relative Age is the age of a

rock or fossil compared to the ages of other rocks or fossils.

Catastrophism is the belief that the

earth’s geological features were formed rapidly as a result of large catastrophes.

Catastrophes that could cause

rapid geologic change include landslides, volcanic eruptions, floods, and earthquakes.

Uniformitarianism is the idea that the

processes occurring on earth today are similar to those that occurred in the past.

Uniformitarianism basically says

“The present is the key to the past.”

Uniformitarianism is the idea that

geological features formed slowly over long periods of time.

Catastrophism vs. Uniformitarianism

Uniformitarianism

Catastrophism

Geologic Features

Form slowly over time

Form rapidly due to major

forces & events

Age of the earth Billions of years Thousands of

HOW OLD WOULD MOST GEOLOGISTS SAY THE EARTH IS?

0% 1. 6000 years

2. 75,000 years

3. 20 million years

4. 4.6 billion years

According to what theory, is the earth 4.6 billion years old?

0% 1. Catastrophism

2. Uniformitarianism

3. Geologism

4. Agism

PaleontologyNotes

RETURN YOUR REMOTE

Catastrophism or Uniformitarianism

Where would dinosaurs fit in?

Dragons or Dinosaurs VIDEO CLIP

Asteroid Aftermath – Dinosaur Extinction

The Last Day of Dinosaurs: Discovery Channel

The Tarasque

Man and Dinosaur Walked the Earth Together?

Secret of the Ica Stones Collection

Ancient Incas Knew About Dinosaurs

Jurassic Park – Nedry’s Plan

Catastrophism & a Young EarthWhere would dinosaurs fit in?

DRAGONS or DINOSAURS VIDEO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHeS70PSTMM (FULL VIDEO 1:24)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeHDCfRzrXk (PART 1 – 9:30)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2-4Gb43xIY (PART 2 – 9:52)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ixjni5ogXRQ (PART 3 – 9:45)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ta4AMFrzm4Q (PART 4 – 9:50)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbrckY85lQM (PART 5 – 9:38)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhUeye4IGDM (PART 6 – 9:43)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfOh0H9pyGw (PART 7 – 9:44)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khmq6m7gTt8 (PART 8 – 9:34)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q4Cl5IkjdE (PART 9 – 6:55)

PaleontologyNotes

READY YOUR REMOTE FOR A QUICK REVIEW

HOW OLD WOULD MOST GEOLOGISTS SAY THE EARTH IS?

0% 1. 6000 years

2. 75,000 years

3. 20 million years

4. 4.6 billion years

According to what theory, is the earth 4.6 billion years old?

0% 1. Catastrophism

2. Uniformitarianism

3. Geologism

4. Agism

PaleontologyNotes

Principle of Superposition

as sedimentary rocks form, they are deposited on older rock layers.

in undisturbed layers, the oldest is on the bottom and higher layers are younger.

Oldest layer is on bottom (1)

The Grand Canyon

Younger Layers of Rock

Older Layers of Rock

Extrusions are igneous

rocks layers that form on the surface when lava hardens.

Extrusions

are always younger than the layers over which they form.

Extrusion

Kubu Rock – Botswana, Africa

Intrusions are igneous

rocks that form when magma pushes up into rock layers.

Intrusions are always

younger than the rock layers they invade.

Intrusion

Devil’s Tower, WY

Intrusions & Extrusions

PaleontologyNotes

What does the Principle of Superposition say?

0% 1. Sedimentary rocks form in rivers

2. Igneous rocks form faster than sedimentary

3. New sedimentary rock layers form on top of older ones

4. There are billions of fossils on Earth

Which layer of rock is the

oldest?

0% 1. 1

5. They are all the same age

Journal #3Draw the following geologic cross-section:

1.) 2 layers of sedimentary rock form.

2.) An extrusion forms on top of the two layers.

3.) A 3rd layer of sedimentary rock forms.

4.) An intrusion cuts through the all the rock layers, but not to the surface.

5.) A 4th layer of sedimentary rock forms.

RETURN YOUR REMOTE

Complete “Layers of Rock” on a blank sheet of paper- Procedure #1 – 3 - Analyze & Conclude #1 – 4

Trilobite

Paleontology Notes

PaleontologyNotes

Layers of Rock Drawing(Turn in)

PaleontologyNotes

Faults are breaks in the

earth’s crust. A fault is always younger than the rock it cuts through.

Faults

Shoshone Fault, CA

Folds occur when

rock layers are compressed together and bend or curve.

Guadalajara, Spain

Mojave Desert, CA

• South Wales, Australia

What kind of cross-cut is shown to the

right?

0% 1. Intrusion

2. Extrusion

3. Fold

4. Unconformity

Journal #4

Draw the following geologic cross-section:

1.) 2 layers of sedimentary rock form.

2.) The 2 layers of rock are folded.

3.) A 3rd sedimentary layer forms.

4.) A fault cuts through all the layers, shifting some rock up.

5.) A 4th sedimentary layer forms.

6.) An intrusion cuts all the way to the surface forming an extrusion.

Unconformities are gaps in the

rock sequence (caused by the erosion of rock layers).

Angular Unconformity occur when rock

layers are tilted or uplifted, and then worn down by erosion and weathering.

Sediments are then deposited on top of these eroded layers.

Angular Unconformity

Grand Canyon

Siccar Point, Scotland

Combs Quarry, Yorkshire, England

Disconformities are gaps created

when erosion occurs on an overlying rock layer.

Disconformity

Nonconformity are formed when

sedimentary rock overlays igneous or metamorphic rocks.

Nonconformity

Grand Canyon

Nonconformity

Unconformities

Learning Check Question

READY YOUR REMOTE

What kind of unconformity is

shown to the right?

0% 1. Fault

2. Disconformity

3. Nonconformity

4. Angular Unconformity

SOME Relative Dating Practice

Write the correct order of events by numbering their occurrences.

Include any and all cross-cut relationships.

Relative Dating Example

Relative Dating

Learning Check Questions

READY YOUR REMOTE

What kind of fossil is shown to the right?

2. Cast

3. Trace Fossil

4. Original Remains

What kind of cross-cut is shown

to the right?

0% 1. Intrusion

2. Fault

3. Fold

Paleontology Notes

RETURN YOUR REMOTE

HW: Pal Pack p.18“The Grandest Canyon of All”

Relative Dating

PaleontologyNotes

What kind of cross-cut is

shown to the right?

0% 1. Intrusion

2. Fault

3. Fold

shown to the right?

0% 1. Intrusion

2. Fault

3. Fold

shown to the right?

0% 1. Intrusion

2. Fault

3. Fold

PaleontologyNotes

(PAGE 8)

Correlation is using rock and

fossil evidence to match up dating at different locations.

Correlation

Index Fossils are used for

dating the rock layers in which they are found.

Index Fossils are species that

were abundant all over the earth, but existed for shorter periods of time.

Index Fossil

trilobite

Index Fossil

ammonite

Index Fossil

reptaculite

Index Fossil

Correlation using index fossils

Index Fossil

Correlation using index fossils

Index Fossil

Correlation

What is the name of the type of fossil is used to correlate rock layers at two or more different

locations?1. Mold

2. Petrified fossil

3. Index fossil

4. Trace fossil

Using correlation, Which two layers would you

determine to be of the same age?

1. A & D

2. A & B

3. B & D

4. B & E

Paleontology Notes

Absolute Age is the age in years

of a rock or other object (as determined by radiometric dating.

Radiometric Dating

entails finding the amount of certain radioactive elements left in a rock or object.

Radioactive Decay is the release of

particles and energy from the nuclei of unstable atoms.

Radioactive Elements are elements

whose nuclei are unable to hold together, and eject particles and energy.

The Parent Element is the element

whose nucleus radioactively decays into another element.

The Daughter Element

is the new element that is produced after the decay of the parent element.

Half-Life is the time it

takes for half of the atoms in a sample to decay.

Half-Life is always the

same. It does not depend on the amount of atoms.

Half-Life is unaffected by

almost all other outside factors. Decay occurs at a steady rate.

Sample Half-livesISOTOPE

HALF-LIFEPARENT DAUGHTER

URANIUM 238

LEAD 2064.5 BILLION

YEARSPOTASSIUM

40ARGON 40

1.3 BILLION YEARS

THORIUM 232

LEAD 20814.0 BILLION

CARBON 14NITROGEN

145,730 YEARS

Sample Half-livesIodine-129 16,000,000 years

Carbon-14 5730 years

Strontium-90 28 years

Sodium-24 15 hours

Technetium-99 6 hours

Fluorine-18 110 minutes

Oxygen-15 124 seconds

Radiometric Dating

As time passes, the amount of a parent isotope in a rock decreases as it decays.

It has decayed into the daughter element.

Radiometric Dating

basically involves measuring how much of the daughter element has formed.

Age Determination

can then be made by using the known half-life to determine how much time has passed.

Age Determination

typically, the dating can be estimated only up to a MAX of 10 half-lives.

Common Types of Radiometric Dating

Potassium-argon dating

Uranium-lead dating

Rubidium-strontium dating

Radiocarbon dating

Potassium- Argon Dating

Potassium-40 decays to Argon-40.

Potassium-40 has a half-life of 1,300,000,000 years.

(used on igneous & metamorphic rock)

Uranium-Lead Dating

Uranium-235 decays to Lead-207

Half-life: 700,000,000 years

Uranium-238 decays to Lead-204 Half-life: 4,500,000,000 years

Rubidium-Strontium Dating

Rubidium-87 decays to Strontium-87

Rubidium has a half-life of 50,000,000,000 years.

Radiocarbon Dating

Carbon-14 decays to Nitrogen-14.

Carbon dating is used to measure how long an organism has been dead.

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