The Fossil Record Section 3 This section explains how fossils form and how they can be interpreted. It also describes the geologic time scale that is used to represent evolutionary time.

Fossils and Ancient Life Scientists who study fossils are called___. paleontologists

Fossils and Ancient Life What is a fossil record? It is information about past life that is based on fossils.

Fossils and Ancient Life What evidence does the fossil record provide? It provides evidence about the history of life on Earth and how different groups of organisms, including species, have changed over time.

Fossils and Ancient Life Species that died out are said to be ___. extinct

Fossils and Ancient Life Is the following sentence true or false? About half of all species that have ever lived on Earth have become extinct. FALSE

How Fossils Form Circle the letter of each sentence that is true about fossils. Fossils can include footprints, eggs, or other traces of organisms. The quality of fossil preservation varies.

How Fossils Form How do fossils form in sedimentary rock? Sediments settle to the bottom of lakes and seas and bury dead organisms. The weight of upper layers of sediment compresses lower layers into rock and turns the dead organisms into fossils.

Interpreting Fossil Evidence List the two techniques paleontologists use to determine the age of fossils. Relative dating Radioactive dating

Interpreting Fossil Evidence Circle the letter of each sentence that is true about relative dating. It determines the age of a fossil by comparing its placement with that of fossils in other layers of rock. It uses index fossils. It provides no information about absolute age.

false The History of Life Is the following sentence true or false? Older rock layers are usually closer to Earth’s surface than more recent rock layers. false

true The History of Life Is the following sentence true or false? Scientists use radioactive decay to assign absolute ages to rocks. true

half-life The History of Life The length of time required for half of the radioactive atoms in a sample to decay is called a(an) _____. half-life

The History of Life The use of half-lives to determine the age of a sample is called_____. radioactive dating

The History of Life How do scientists calculate the age of a sample using radioactive dating? They measure the amount of remaining radioactive isotopes it contains. The smaller the amount, the older the sample.

false The History of Life Is the following sentence true or false? All radioactive elements have the same half-life. false

Geologic Time Scale Era Period Fill in the missing eras and periods in the geologic time scale below. Era Cenozoic Mesozoic Paleozoic Period Quaternary Tertiary Cretaceous Jurassic Triassic Permian Carboniferous Devonian Silurian Ordovician   Time (millions’ of years ago) 1.8 – present 65 – 1.8 145 – 65 208 – 145 245 – 208 290 – 245 363 – 290 410 – 363 440 – 410 505 – 440

Geologic Time Scale Circle the letter of the choice that lists the eras of the geologic time scale in order from the most recent to oldest Cenozoic, Mesozoic, Paleozoic

Geologic Time Scale Circle the letter of each sentence that is true about the geologic time scale. The scale is used to represent evolutionary time. Major changes in fossil organisms separate segments of geologic time.