Name______LAB

Geologic History &The ESRT Part 1

Background: The Earth Science Reference Tables contain a wealth of information. However, that information is useless if you don’t know where to find it or how to use it. The lab is designed to have you become more familiar with the information in these tables as it relates to the unit on Geologic History.

Objective: To become more proficient in the use of the Earth Science Reference Tables.

Procedure: Answer each of the following questions. Be sure to give the information asked for. This lab is graded on accuracy. If you are unsure of a question, ask your lab partners!

Radioactivity:

Where appropriate, work must be shown for credit.

  1. How long does it take rubidium-87 (Rb-87) to undergo three half lives?
  2. What percent of carbon-14 remains after two half lives?
  3. What is the daughter of rubidium-87
  4. How long does it take to have 25% of an original sample of potassium-40 (K-40)?
  5. How old is a piece of wood that contains 12.5% of C-14 as compared to a living sample?
  6. How much nitrogen-14 (daughter) exists from the parent C-14 after three half lives?
  7. How many half lives has carbon-14 undergone in 2850 years?
  8. What does uranium-238 eventually decay into?
  9. How many grams of carbon-14 are left from an 80 gram sample after 11,400 years?

10.What percentage of rubidium-87 remains after three half lives?

11.How many half lives has potassium-40 undergone in 2.6 billion years?

Generalized Bedrock Geology & Landscape Region Maps

12.How old is the Allegheny Plateau (in years)?

13.During what period did the bedrock in the Allegheny Plateau form?

14.What era is the period in question 13 a part of?

15.Where are the oldest rocks in New York State found?

16.Buffalo is on the border of what two landscape regions?

17.Which of the two landscape regions in question 16 has the older bedrock?

18.Massena is found in what landscape region?

19.What period is the bedrock in question 18 from?

20.How old is the bedrock in Massena?

21.Name 5 other cities with bedrock of the same type and age as Massena.

22.How old is the bedrock at 43oN 73o30oW?

23.Name the 4 rock types found at the location in question 22.

24.What type of rocks do those in question 23 belong to?

Centerfold – Geologic History & Timeline

25.Name the epoch during which humans exist.

26.Name the period during which humans exist.

27.Name the era during which humans exist.

28.Name the eon during which humans exist.

29.The breakdown of geologic time segments is based on

30.What period occurred 119,000,000 years ago?

31.How many years ago did trilobites become extinct?

32.What percentage of time does the quaternary period occupy compared to the Earth’s

existence?

33.For what periods in New York State is the rock record complete?

34.For what periods in New York State is the rock record totally absent?

35.Name three types of coral index fossils.

36.During what period did graptolites first appear?

37.When did the ammonoid index fossil Manticoceras exist?

38.During what periods was Northeastern North America experiencing rifting?

39.During what era did the last ice sheet retreat in New York?

40.During what period did the Queenston Delta form?

41.How long ago did the Queenston Delta form?

42.During what period did Pangea begin to break up?

43.What two continents separated to form the Atlantic Ocean?

44.List the following events in order of occurrence from oldest to youngest.

Acadian Orogeny (a)______

Retreat of last continental ice sheet (b)______

Formation of Catskill Delta (c)______

Grenville Mountains undergo erosion (d)______

Intrusion of Palisades Sill (e)______

45.List the following events in order of occurrence from oldest to youngest.

Index Fossil Coelophysis exists (a)______

Humans live (b)______

Pangea begins to break up (c)______

Earliest fish exist (d)______

Sexually reproducing organisms evolve (e)______

Dinosaurs become extinct (f)______

CONCLUSION QUESTIONS (use your classroom notes if you forgot)

  1. On what basis is Geologic time divided?
  1. Describe the event that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.
  1. What surface feature is created when an asteroid strikes the Earth?
  1. How did Earth’s atmosphere form?
  1. What gases where in Earth’s primitive (early) atmosphere?
  1. How did our atmosphere change to contain more oxygen?
  1. What has happened to many of the organisms/animals that have lived on this planet?
  1. Why are craters common on the moon and uncommon here on Earth?

Name ______Earth’s History Answer Sheet

  1. ______
  2. ______
  3. ______
  4. ______
  5. ______
  6. ______
  7. ______
  8. ______
  9. ______
  10. ______
  11. ______
  12. ______
  13. ______
  14. ______
  15. ______
  16. ______
  17. ______
  18. ______
  19. ______
  20. ______
  21. ______
  22. ______
  23. ______
  24. ______
  25. ______
  26. ______
  27. ______
  28. ______
  29. ______
  30. ______
  31. ______
  32. ______
  33. ______
  34. ______
  35. ______
  36. ______
  37. ______
  38. ______
  39. ______
  40. ______
  41. ______
  42. ______
  43. ______
  44. ______
  45. ______