L.O: HOW GEOLOGISTS SEQUENCE EVENTS IN EARTH'S GEOLOGIC HISTORY IF NOT OVERTURNED, OLDEST ON BOTTOM, YOUNGEST ON TOP 1. Unless a series of sedimentary rock layers has been overturned, the bottom rock layer usually A) contains fossils B) is the oldest C) contains the greatest variety of minerals D) has the finest texture 2. The diagram below represents a cross section of a portion of the Earth's crust. The rock layers shown have not been overturned. Which geologic event occurred first? 3. A deep drill core was taken through the bedrock at Ithaca, New York. Assume the rock layers have not been overturned and that no unconformity exists. Which diagram best represents the drill core obtained? A) B) C) D) A) faulting along line AB B) folding of the region C) formation of rock layer I D) formation of rock layer IV 4. Which block diagram shows rock layers that have been overturned? A) B) C) D)
5. Base your answer to the following question on the Earth Science Reference Tables and the block diagram below. The diagram represents a geologic cross section of a portion of the Earth's crust. Line XY represents a fault. The rock layers in area B have not been overturned. 7. Sedimentary rock layers A through D in the cross section below have not been overturned. A comparison of the lower layer of sandstone in area B with the upper layer of sandstone in area B would most likely show that the upper layer A) is better sorted B) is younger C) contains more fossils D) took more time to form 6. Base your answer to the following question on the Earth Science Reference Tables and the diagram below. The diagram represents a geologic cross section of a portion of the Earth's crust. The rock layers have not been overturned. Which rock layer is the oldest? A) A B) B C) C D) D 8. The diagram below shows a cross section of a portion of the upper crust of the Earth. The rock layers have not been overturned. The top of which mountain is composed of the youngest bedrock? A) A B) B C) C D) D The sandstone fragment found in the basaltic intrusion is A) younger than the shale layer B) older than the limestone layer C) younger than the basaltic intrusion D) older than the contact metamorphism
9. Base your answer to the following question on the diagram below, which is a geologic cross section of an area where a river has exposed a 300-meter cliff of sedimentary rock layers. The rock layers are labeled A through I. Line XY represents a gap in the geologic record (an unconformity). 11. The geologic cross section below shows sedimentary rock layers A, B, C, and D, which have not been overturned. E is an igneous intrusion. Line XY represents a fault. Which layer is oldest? [Assume that the rock layers have not been overturned.] A) A B) B C) H D) I 10. The diagram below represents a cross section of a series of rock layers of different geologic ages. Which geologic event occurred most recently? A) deposition of sediments for rock layer A B) formation of the fault C) intrusion of the igneous material E D) cementation of sediments for rock layer D Which statement provides the best explanation for the order of these rock layers? A) The oldest layer is on the bottom. B) A buried erosional surface exists between layers. C) The layers have been overturned. D) The Permian layer has been totally eroded.
12. Base your answer to the following question on the Earth Science Reference Tables, the geologic cross section of bedrock shown below, and your knowledge of Earth science. The cross section shows bedrock exposed along part of the Genesee River in New York State. The rock has not been overturned. Which rock group contains the oldest layers? A) West Falls B) Hamilton C) Lockport D) Clinton
13. Base your answer to the following question on the geologic cross section below. The cross section shows an outcrop in which the layers have not been overturned. Rock units are labeled A through E. Using letters A through E, list the rock units in order from oldest to youngest. 14. The geologic drill core below shows bedrock layers A, B, and C that have not been overturned. The geological ages of layers A and C are shown. What is the geologic age of layer B? A) Cambrian B) Ordovician C) Devonian D) Permian
15. Base your answer to the following question on the diagram below, which represents a cross section of rock layers that have not been overturned. If the breccia layer formed during the Carboniferous Period, the shale layer below it could have formed during which geologic time period? A) Cretaceous B) Triassic C) Permian D) Carboniferous
16. Base your answer to the following question on the diagram below which shows three geologic columns representing widely separated rock outcrops. Letters A through E represent fossils found in the outcrops. Line XY represents a fault in column I. The layers have not been overturned. What is the oldest layer shown? A) glacial soil B) brown sandstone C) tan limestone D) grey limestone
17. The diagrams below represent two different geologic cross sections in which an igneous formation is found in sedimentary bedrock layers. The layers have not been overturned. Which statement best describes the relative age of each igneous formation compared to the overlying sandstone bedrock? A) In A, the igneous rock is younger than the sandstone and in B, the igneous rock is older than the sandstone. B) In A, the igneous rock is older than the sandstone and in B, the igneous rock is younger than the sandstone. C) In both A and B, the igneous rock is younger than the sandstone. D) In both A and B, the igneous rock is older than the sandstone.
18. Base your answer to the following question on the geologic cross section below, which shows the rock structure of a region of Earth s crust. Letters A through H are rock units. Lines J J' and K K' are interfaces within the cross section. Rock layers A, B, and C have not been overturned. If layer C is Devonian in age, layer B would be most likely to contain a A) crinoid of Pennsylvanian age B) stromatolite of Precambrian age C) graptolite of Ordovician age D) trilobite of Cambrian age
Base your answers to questions 19 and 20 on the geologic cross section of bedrock shown below. A through G identify rock layers and Q represents a fault. Lines W, X, Y, and Z are locations of unconformities. The rocks have not been overturned. 19. Which rock or feature is oldest? A) rock A B) rock G C) fault Q D) unconformity Z
20. Rock layers B, C, and D formed during the Devonian Period. Which fossil might be found in these rock layers? A) B) C) D) Base your answers to questions 21 through 23 on The geologic cross section below. Radioactive dating indicates that the granite intrusion is 279 million years old and the vesicular basalt is 260 million years old. The rock layers have not been overturned. 21. List the six rock units in the order from the oldest to the youngest. 22. During which geologic time period did the shale layer form? 23. The granite intrusion caused part of the limestone layer to undergo metamorphism. What metamorphic rock would most likely be found in this zone of contact metamorphism?
Base your answers to questions 24 and 25 on The cross section below, which shows several rock formations found in New York State. The rock layers have not been overturned. 24. How does this cross section indicate that the Stockton sandstone is the oldest rock layer? 25. State one piece of evidence that supports the fact that the Palisade Sill is younger than the Brunswick sandstone.
Base your answers to questions 26 and 27 on the cross section below. The cross section shows a portion of Earth's crust. Letters A, B, C, and D represent rock units that have not been overturned. 26. On the cross section above, place an X where the metamorphic rock quartzite may be found. 27. Identify by name the most abundant mineral in rock unit A. 28. The cross section below shows rock layers A, B, C, D, and fault F. The rock layers have not been overturned. 29. The cross section below shows a rock sequence that has not been overturned. Which sequence places the rock layers and fault in order from oldest to youngest? A) D C B A F B) A B C D F C) F D C B A D) F A B C D Which event occurred last at this location? A) Shale was deposited. B) Glacial till was deposited. C) Basaltic lava flows solidified. D) Glossopteris flourished and then became extinct.
30. Base your answer to the following question on the cross section below, which shows rock units A through E that have not been overturned. Identify one metamorphic rock that may be found along the boundary between rock units C and E.
31. Base your answer to the following question on the cross section below and on your knowledge of Earth science. The cross section represents rock units that have not been overturned. Lines CC' and GG' represent unconformities. The geologic ages of some of the lettered rock units are shown below the cross section. Which rock unit was formed most recently? A) A B) F C) L D) M
Base your answers to questions 32 through 34 on the geologic cross section below and on your knowledge 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. Some layers contain index fossils. The layers have not been overturned. 32. Which pair of organisms existed when the unconsolidated sediment in layer A was deposited? A) birds and trilobites B) dinosaurs and mastodonts C) ammonoids and grasses D) humans and vascular plants 33. Which rock layer formed mainly from the compaction of plant remains? A) E B) B C) C D) F 34. During which geologic epoch was layer F deposited? A) Late Devonian B) Middle Devonian C) Early Devonian D) Late Silurian
Base your answers to questions 35 through 37 on the cross section of part of Earth's crust below and on your knowledge of Earth science. On the cross section, some rock units are labeled with letters A through I. The rock units have not been overturned. Line XY represents a fault. Line UV represents an unconformity. 35. Draw two arrows, one on each side of line XY, to show the direction of relative movement that has occurred along the fault. 36. Write the letter of the oldest rock unit in the cross section. 37. Identify the contact metamorphic rock that formed between rock units B and C. 38. The geologic cross section below shows rock layers that have not been overturned. The fault is older than the A) slate B) marble C) unconformity D) shale
39. Base your answer to the following question on the block diagram below and on your knowledge of Earth science. The diagram represents an igneous intrusion that solidified between some layers of sedimentary rock. Letter X represents an index fossil in a sedimentary rock layer. The rock layers have not been overturned. Describe the evidence represented in the diagram that indicates that the shale layer and the limestone layer are older than the igneous intrusion. 40. The bedrock cross section below contains rock formations A, B, C, and D. The rock formations have not been overturned. Which sequence represents the relative ages of these rock formations, from oldest to youngest? A) B A C D B) B D C A C) D C A B D) D B A C
41. Base your answer to the following question on the generalized cross section of the Grand Canyon represented below and on your knowledge of Earth science. Some rock layers have been labeled. The rock layers have not been overturned. State the approximate age of the Redwall limestone, in million years.