A) Volcanic eruptions contain large amounts ofwater vapor

B) Coral reefs formed, in the past, along the edgesof many continents.

C) Seafloor spreading has pulled landmasses apartand pushed them together.

D) Sedimentary bedrock of marine origin coverslarge areas of Earth's continents.

1. Which statement best supports the inference that mostof Earth's present-day land surfaces have, at one time,been covered by water?

A) green shale containing fossil B in column IB) glacial soil containing fossil E in column IIIC) brown sandstone containing fossil C in column IID) gray limestone containing fossil D in column I

2. The cross sections below represent three geologic columns, I, II, and III, exposed at three differentlocations. The rock layers have not been overturned. Letters A through E represent different fossils.

Which rock layer is the youngest?

A) The ash was deposited over a large area when a volcano erupted.B) There are no fossils found within the volcanic ash.C) The volcanic eruptions that produced the ash layer occurred over a long period of geologic time.D) The volcanic ash is found between many different layers of bedrock.

3. The cross sections below represent three bedrock outcrops found several kilometers apart.

Which statement best explains why the volcanic ash layers are useful for correlating the relative agesof the bedrock in the three outcrops?

A) coral B) crinoidC) eurypterid D) nautiloid

4. The New York State index fossil Valcouroceras isclassified as a

Base your answers to questions 5 through 7 on the rock columns below and on your knowledge ofEarth science. The rock columns represent four widely separated locations, W, X, Y, and Z. Number 1,2, 3, and 4 represent fossils. The rock layers have not been overturned.

A) brown siltstone B) black shaleC) gray conglomerate D) red sandstone

5. Which rock layer formed from the deposition of land-derived sediments that had a uniform particlesize of about 0.01 cm in diameter?

A) tan sandstone B) gray limestone C) green shale D) black shale

6. Which rock layer is the oldest?

A) 1 B) 2 C) 3 D) 4

7. Which numbered fossil best represents an index fossil?

A) sandstone in outcrop 1 B) breccia in outcrop 2C) conglomerate in outcrop 3 D) sandstone in outcrop 4

8. Four rock outcrops, labeled 1, 2, 3, and 4, found within the same plateau, are represented below. Indexfossils found in some of the rock layers are shown. The rock layers have not been overturned.

Which rock layer is the youngest?

A) determine Earth's absolute ageB) predict global warmingC) locate an earthquake epicenterD) correlate widely separated rock formations

9. A volcanic ash layer between sedimentary rock layersis used by geologists to

A) occur at regular time intervalsB) spread over a large area in a short amount of timeC) represent a time gap in the rock recordD) contain index fossils from different time periods

10. The map below shows the distribution of ash across the United States as a result of the May 18, 1980volcanic eruption of Mount St. Helens.

Volcanic ash deposits such as these are usually excellent geologic time markers because they

A) shale layer in outcrop I B) siltstone layer in outcrop IIC) limestone layer in outcrop III D) conglomerate layer in outcrop III

11. The cross sections below represent three outcrops, labeled I, II, and III, containing some New YorkState index fossils. The rock layers have not been overturned.

When the rock layers in the three outcrops are correlated, the oldest layer is the

Base your answers to questions 12 through 15 on the geologic cross section below and on yourknowledge of Earth science. The cross section represents rock and sediment layers, labeled A through F. Each layer contains fossil remains, which formed in different depositional environments. Somelayers contain index fossils. The layers have not been overturned.

A) was consistently marineB) was consistently terrestrial (land)C) changed from marine to terrestrial (land)D) changed from terrestrial (land) to marine

12. The depositional environment dming the time these layers and fossils were deposited

A) Late Devonian B) Middle DevonianC) Early Devonian D) Late Silurian

13. During which geologic epoch was layer F deposited?

A) E B) B C) C D) F

14. Which rock layer formed mainly from the compaction of plant remains?

A) birds and trilobites B) dinosaurs and mastodontsC) ammonoids and grasses D) humans and vascular plants

15. Which pair of organisms existed when the unconsolidated sediment in layer A was deposited?

A) B) C) D)

16. The diagram below represents three bedrock outcrops. The layers have not been overturned. Letters A through E identify different rock layers. Fossils found in the rock layers are shown.

Which fossil could be classified as an index fossil?

A) W B) X C) Y D) Z

17. The cross sections below represent three widelyseparated bedrock outcrops labeled A, B, and C.Letters W, X , Y, and Z represent fossils found in therock layers.

Which fossil could best be used as an index fossil?

A) B)

C) D)

18. Which index fossil has been found in Ordovician-age bedrock?

A) A B) B C) C D) D

19. The diagram below is a portion of a geologic timeline. Letters A through D represent the timeintervals between the labeled events, as estimated by scientists.

Fossil evidence indicates that the earliest birds developed during which time interval?

20. Base your answer to the following question on the map below, which shows coral reef distributionand diversity (number of different coral types) around the world. Isolines on the map represent thenumber of different types of coral. Coral reefs are found mostly in shallow tropical waters and do notgrow when ocean temperatures fall below 18°C. The 18°C barrier represents the outer boundarieswithin which coral reefs normally grow. Points X and Y are locations on the map.

A) B)

C) D)

Which index fossil is an ancestor of the organisms whose distribution is shown on the map?

A) wide geographic area and existed for a longgeologic time

B) wide geographic area and existed for a shortgeologic time

C) limited geographic area and existed for a longgeologic time

D) limited geographic area and existed for a shortgeologic time

21. Organisms that later became good index fossils livedover a

A) an absence of dinosaur fossils in Paleocenebedrock

B) drawings of dinosaurs made by humans incaves during the Paleocene Epoch

C) an abundance of dinosaur fossils in EarlyCretaceous bedrock

D) evolution of dinosaurs during the LateCretaceous Epoch

22. What evidence suggests that a mass extinction of thedinosaurs occurred at the end of the CretaceousPeriod?

A) is easily eroded and lasts only a short time onEarth's surface

B) stays in the atmosphere for millions of yearsC) is deposited over millions of yearsD) falls to Earth over a large area in a short

period of time

23. Thin layers of volcanic ash act as excellent timemarkers in the correlation of bedrock becausevolcanic ash

A)

B)

C)

D)

24. The index fossil shown below has been found inNew York State sedimentary bedrock.

Which other index fossil could also be found in NewYork State bedrock of the same age?

Base your answers to questions 25 and 26 on the geologic cross section below of a region of Earth's crust. Rock layers A through E have beenlabeled. Two index fossils are shown and their locations within the rock layers are indicated.

A) 150 B) 220 C) 340 D) 420

25. Approximately how many million years older than bedrock layer B is bedrock layer D?

A) B)

C) D)

26. Which list of rock layers best matches the deposited sediments from which they were formed?

A) 1 B) 2 C) 3 D) 4

27. The cross sections below show the surface bedrockin two different locations 20 miles apart. Rock layersare labeled 1, 2, 3, 4, and X. The rock layers have notbeen overturned.

Rock layer X at location B is most likely the samerelative as which rock layer at location A?

28. Base your answer to the following question on the block diagrams of four rock outcrops, A, B, C, andD, located within 15 kilometers of each other. The rock layers have not been overturned.

A) quartzite B) marble C) gneiss D) sandstone

When the rock layers at outcrops A, B, C, and D are correlated, which rock layer would bedetermined to be the oldest?

A) gastropods B) coralsC) mammals D) vascular plants

29. According to the fossil record, which group oforganisms has existed for the greatest length of time?

A) existed during a large part of the Paleozoic EraB) has no living relatives found on Earth todayC) existed over a wide geographic areaD) has been found in New York State

30. One reason Tetragraptus is considered a good indexfossil is that Tetragraptus

31. Base your answer to the following question on "the cross sections below, which represent two bedrock outcrops 15 kilometers apart. The rock layershave been numbered for identification and some contain the index fossil remains shown.

"

A) contain the same index fossil B) are composed of glacial sedimentsC) contain index fossils of the same age D) are found in the same area

Evidence best indicates that rock layers 4 and 8 were deposited during the same geologic periodbecause both layers

A) A B) B C) C D) D

32. The cross sections below represent three widely separated outcrops of exposed bedrock. Letters A, B,C and D represent fossils found in the rock layers.

Which fossil appears to have the best characteristics of an index fossil?

A) B)

C) D)

33. Which index fossil may be found in the surface bedrock near Ithaca, New York?

A) corals migrated to New York StateB) corals lived everywhere on EarthC) New York State was closer to the equatorD) New York State had a colder climate

34. On the map below, the darkened areas represent locations where living corals currently exist. Thearrow location where coral fossils have been found in Devonian-age bedrock in New York State.

Devonian-age coral fossils found in some New York State bedrock are not located in the samegeneral region that present-day corals are living because during the Devonian Period

A) dinosaurs B) stromatolites C) mastodonts D) eurypterids

35. Three extinct organisms are shown in the diagrams below.

Which other life-form reached its peak development during the same period in geologic history thatthese three life-forms first appeared on Earth?

A) Aneurophyton B) CystiphyllumC) Centroceras D) Bothriolepis

36. The presence of which index fossil in the surfacebedrock most likely indicates that a forestenvironment once existed in the region?

A) life has not changed significantly throughoutEarth’s history

B) life has evolved from complex to simple formsC) many organisms that lived on Earth have

become extinctD) mammals developed early in the Precambrian

time period

37. Based on fossil evidence, most scientists infer that

A) trilobites B) dinosaursC) eurypterids D) placoderm fish

38. Which group of organisms is inferred to have existedfor the least amount of time in geologic history?

A) color B) index fossilsC) rock types D) particle size

39. Which characteristic is most useful in correlatingDevonian-age sedimentary bedrock on the EastCoast with Devonian-age sedimentary bedrock inother parts of the world?

A) A B) B C) C D) D

40. The three cross sections of sedimentary bedrockshown below represent widely separated surfaceexposures of layers that contain fossils. Letters A, B,C, and D represent four different marine fossilsfound in these rock layers.

Which letter best represents an index fossil?

41. Base your answer to the following question on "the reading passage and the drawing below and on your knowledge of Earth science.

Fossil With Signs of Feathers Is Cited as Bird-Dinosaur Link

Paleontologists have discovered in China a fossil dinosaur with what are reported to be cleartraces of feathers from head to tail, the most persuasive evidence so far, scientists say, thatfeathers predated the origin of birds and that modern birds are descendants of dinosaurs. Entombed in fine-grained rock, the unusually well-preserved skeleton resembles that of a duckwith a reptilian tail, altogether about three feet in length. Its head and tail are edged with theimprint of downy fibers. The rest of the body, except for bare lower legs, shows distinct traces oftufts and filaments that appear to have been primitive feathers. On the backs of its short forelimbsare patterns of what look like modern bird feathers. Other dinosaur remains with what appear to be featherlike traces have been unearthed in recentyears, but nothing as complete as this specimen, paleontologists said. Etched in the rock like afiligree decoration surrounding the skeleton are imprints of where the down and feathers appear tohave been. The 130-million-year-old fossils were found a year ago by farmers in Liaoning Province innortheastern China. After an analysis by Chinese and American researchers, the fossil animal wasidentified as a dromaeosaur, a small fast-running dinosaur related to velociraptor. The dinosaursbelonged to a group of two-legged predators known as advanced theropods . . .

excerpted from "Fossil With Signs of

Feathers Is Cited as Bird-Dinosaur Link"

John Noble Wilford

New York Times, April 26, 2001

The drawing below shows an artist's view of the dinosaur, based on the fossilized remains.

"

A) existed too long ago B) was preserved in ashC) was a land-dwelling animal D) was found in only one area

This feathered dinosaur is not considered an index fossil because it

42. Base your answer to the following question on "the geologic cross section of bedrock shown below. Athrough G identify rock layers and Q represents a fault. Lines W, X, Y, and Z are locations ofunconformities. The rocks have not been overturned.

"

A) B)

C) D)

Rock layers B, C, and D formed during the Devonian Period. Which fossil might be found in theserock layers?

43. Base your answer to the following question on "thechart below, which shows the geologic ages of somewell-known fossils.

"

A) The Allegheny Plateau southeast ofJamestown

B) The Catskills near Slide MountainC) The Adirondack Mountains near Mt. MarcyD) The Erie-Ontario Lowlands northeast of

Niagara Falls

The Spirifer, Crinoid stem, and Neospirifer fossilsmight be found in some of the surface bedrock ofwhich New York State landscape region?

Base your answers to questions 44 and 45 on "the geologic cross section below, which shows a view of rock layers at Earth's surface. The dashedlines connect points of the same age. Major fossils contained within each rock layer are shown. Thevalleys are labeled X, Y, and Z.

"

A) thickness of the sedimentary rock layersB) foliation bands in the metamorphic basement rocksC) fossils in the sedimentary rocksD) minerals in the igneous rocks

44. The sedimentary rock layers at the three locations can be most accurately correlated by comparing the

A) glacial B) mountainousC) marine D) terrestrial plateau

45. In which type of environment were the sediments that formed these sedimentary rock layers mostlikely deposited?

A) marine fossils at point AB) seawater at point AC) metamorphic rock at point AD) terrestrial rock at point A

46. The shaded portion of the map below of NorthAmerica shows areas believed to have been belowsea level during the Pennsylvanian Period. Point A isa location in the inland sea.

Present-day evidence of the existence of the inlandsea during the Pennsylvanian Period is best providedby

47. Base your answer to the following question on the diagram below of a cross section of a portion ofEarth’s crust. Letters A through D represent landscape features, and numbers 1 through 7 representrock layers. The detail shows a fossil found in layer 3.

A) 70 million years B) 220 million yearsC) 430 million years D) 520 million years

The fossil found in layer 3 indicates that the age of this shale layer is approximately

A)

B)

C)

D)

48. Which pair of index fossils can be found inOrdovician bedrock?

A) index fossils B) cementing agentC) texture D) color

49. Which bedrock feature is most useful in correlatingsedimentary bedrock in one area with sedimentarybedrock in another area?

A) B)

C) D)

50. The three geologic columns below represent the rocklayers in outcrops located several miles apart. Therock layers have not been overturned. Two differentindex fossils are shown.

Of the rock layers found in these three outcrops,which layer was probably formed most recently?

A) Precambrian B) PaleozoicC) Cenozoic D) Mesozoic

51. The index fossils shown below are the remains oforganisms that lived during which geologic era?

Base your answers to questions 52 and 53 on the graph below which shows the development, growthin population, and extinction of the six major groups of trilobites, labeled A through F.

A) B)

C) D)

52. The diagrams below represent rock outcrops in which the rock layers have not been overturned.Which rock outcrop shows a possible sequence of the trilobite fossils?

A) lava flows of ancient volcanoesB) sedimentary rock that formed from ocean sedimentC) granite rock that formed from former sedimentary rocksD) metamorphic rock that formed from volcanic rocks

53. The fossil evidence that forms the basis for this graph was most likely found in

A) B)

C) D)

54. The diagrams below represent the rock layers andfossils found at four widely separated rock outcrops.

Which fossil appears to be the best index fossil?

A) Most became extinct.B) Most lived on the land.C) Most were preserved in metamorphic rock.D) Most appeared during the Cambrian Period.

55. Which statement about the species of animals andplants that lived on Earth in the past is bestsupported by the fossil record?

A) lived on landB) lived in shallow waterC) been preserved by volcanic ashD) existed for a geologically short time

56. In order for an organism to be used as an indexfossil, the organism must have been geographicallywidespread and must have

A) color and thickness of each rock unitB) fossils found in each rock unitC) types of soil located above each rock unitD) degree of weathering and erosion of each rock

unit

57. Sedimentary rock units several hundred kilometersapart could best be correlated by comparing the

A) type and distribution of fossilsB) present plant and animal lifeC) banding patterns of metamorphosed

rocksD) amount of carbon-14 found in sedimentary

layers

58. The best indicator of an area's ancient environmentalconditions and climates would be the

A) Spirifer B) MucrospiriferC) Eospirifer D) Michelinoceras

59. The chart below shows index fossils found in rocksof various ages.

Which fossil could be found in the same rock asfossils of the first corals?

A) Corals once lived on land.B) Corals have migrated northward.C) Parts of New York State are now covered by

warm ocean water.D) Parts of New York State were once covered

by warm ocean water.

60. What is the best interpretation of the two statementsbelow? • Corals are marine animals that live in warm ocean water. • Fossil corals are found in surface bedrock in areas of New York State.

61. Base your answer to the following question on the diagrams of fossil trilobites shown below. Thegeologic period in which each trilobite form existed is given.

A) B)

C) D)

The diagrams below show different geologic cross sections of rock layers in the Earth's crust. Whichcross section best shows the relative location of these four types of trilobites if overturning of the rocklayers has not occurred?

A) birds B) mammalsC) reptiles D) fish

62. The rocks 50 kilometers east of Providence, RhodeIsland contain many fossils of

A) fossil remainsB) chemical compositionC) distance below the surfaceD) particle size

63. Two layers of sandstone exist along opposite coastsof the United States. Which characteristic of thelayers would give the best evidence that they weredeposited about the same time?

A) Volcanic eruptions contain large amounts ofwater vapor.

B) Coral reefs formed, in the past, along the edgesof many continents.

C) Seafloor spreading has pulled landmasses apartand pushed them together.

D) Sedimentary bedrock of marine origincovers large areas of Earth's continents.

64. Which statement best supports the inference thatmost of Earth's present-day land surfaces have, atone time, been covered by water?

A) a wide time range and a narrow geographicrange

B) a wide time range and a wide geographic rangeC) a narrow time range and a wide geographic

rangeD) a narrow time range and a narrow geographic

range

65. Which characteristics of a fossil would make ituseful as an index fossil in determining the relativeage of widely separated rock layers?

A) limited geographic distribution but found inmany rock formations

B) limited geographic distribution and limited to aparticular rock formation

C) wide geographic distribution but limited to aparticular rock formation

D) wide geographic distribution and found in manyrock formations

66. What characteristics of fossils are most useful incorrelating sedimentary rock layers?

A) comparing rock typesB) comparing mineral compositionC) comparing index fossilsD) comparing thickness of rock layers

67. The diagram below represents cross sections of threerock outcrops approximately 100 kilometers apart.What would be the best method of correlating therock layers of each outcrop?

A) Compare the thickness of the two layers.B) Compare the colors of the two layers.C) Compare the size of sand particles of the two

layers.D) Compare the index fossils in the two layers.

68. Which is the best method of determining the relativeages of a layer of sandstone in western NorthCarolina and a layer of sandstone in eastern NorthCarolina?

A) B)

C) D)

69. The geologic columns A, B, and C in the diagramsbelow represent widely spaced outcrops ofsedimentary rocks. Symbols are used to indicatefossils found within each rock layer. Each rock layerrepresents the fossil record of a different geologictime period.

According to the diagrams for all three columns,which would be the best index fossil?

A) They have undergone glacial deposition.B) They were once covered by thick vegetation.C) They have undergone intense metamorphism.D) They were once covered by shallow seas.

70. Shark and coral fossils are found in the rock recordof certain land areas. What does the presence ofthese fossils indicate about those areas?

Answer KeyEARTHS HISTORY CORRELATION PACKET

1. D2. B3. A4. D5. D6. C7. A8. C9. D10. B11. B12. C13. B14. C15. D16. C17. A18. B19. B20. C21. B22. A23. D24. C25. B26. A27. C28. A29. A30. C31. C32. B33. C34. C35. D36. A

37. C38. D39. B40. C41. D42. C43. A44. C45. C46. A47. C48. A49. A50. D51. B52. A53. B54. C55. A56. D57. B58. A59. D60. D61. D62. D63. A64. D65. C66. C67. C68. D69. D70. D