Biological Evolution Vocabulary Dec. 5, 2011 Charles Darwin- a naturalist that proposed that over time, new species developed from pre-existing species. Natural Selection – a theory of Charles Darwin’s that populations of species evolve into new species through adaptation and variation.

Geological Evolution Vocabulary Dec. 6, 2011 Alfred Wegener – a German Scientist that observed that the continents on Earth appeared to fit together like a big jigsaw puzzle. Continental Drift- Wegner’s proposal that the continents had once been a large single landmass (Pangaea) that has split apart and moved.

Geologic Evolution Vocabulary Dec. 7, 2011 Plate Tectonics – the theory that Earth’s lithosphere is broken into large sections (tectonic plates) that move and change over time. Asthenosphere- the molten layer of the Earth on which the tectonic plates float.

Geologic Evolution Vocabulary Dec 8, 2011 Convergent Plate Boundary-where crust is destroyed as one plate dives under another. Divergent Plate Boundary- where new crust is generated as the plates pull away from each other.

Geologic Evolution Vocabulary Dec. 9, 2011 Transform Boundaries- plates of the Earth that slide past each other. Earthquakes result from movement at transform boundaries. Richter Scale- the scale used to measure the intensity of earthquakes.

Geologic Evolution Vocabulary Dec. 12, 2011 Eon- A geologic eon is the largest division of time in geology, and is generally considered to be around a billion years. Era- A division of geologic time marked by new life forms and ending in extinction of the primary species. (millions of years long)

Geologic Evolution Vocabulary Dec 13, 2011 Period- A portion of an era, usually thousands of years, that are denoted by the emergence of significant life forms, land movement, and/or extinction. Epoch- A geologic epoch is a span of time smaller than a "period" and larger than an "age", on the geologic time scale.

Geologic Evolution Vocabulary Dec. 14, 2011 Absolute time- Dating fossils using radioactive particles. (Using amount of radioactive material left to approximate age.) ex. Carbon 14 Relative Time- Dating fossils using position underground and “Index fossils” found in the sediment.

Geologic Evolution Vocabulary Dec. 15, 2011 Law of superposition- geologist use this law to determine relative rock age. Older rock layers lie under younger rock layers. Ice Cores- Samples of ice drilled from Antarctica that contains bubbles of air that show the history of Earth’s climate over time.

Geologic Evolution Vocabulary Dec. 16, 2011 Geologic Evolution- The change in land forms over Earth’s time. Biological Evolution- The change in life forms over geologic time. Technological Evolution – the change in technology in response to societal and business needs.