Historical Geology

Homework 1 Name _______________________________

Read 32.PDF; 33.PDF; 04.PDF; and 19.PDF and answer the following questions.

32.PDF Nicholas Steno

1. Steno argued that glossopetrae "tongue stones" represented ____________________________

2. What was Steno's most famous contribution to geology?

33. PDF William Smith

3. What was William Smith's first trade? ________________________________

4. Smith was the first person to state the principle of ________________________________.

5. What did Smith publish in 1815? ______________________________________________

04.PDF Fossils, Rocks and Time

6. What is the meaning of the word Paleozoic?

7. Define: Stratigraphy

8. A theory such as Evolution is an absolute truth and should never be modified. __________

a. True b. False

9. What is an index fossil?

19.PDF Geologic Time

10. What time scale is based on the sequence of layering of the rocks? _____________________

11. Who suggested that radioactivity could be used as a tool for measuring geologic time?

________________________________________

12. Define: isotope

13. Where does carbon-14 come from?

14. Where are the oldest rocks on earth found and how old are they?

15. What is the best estimate for the age of the earth and our solar system? _________________