Historical Geology with Lab
Lab 1: Geologic Time Scale
Analysis:
1. How many years does your tape‐time scale represent?
2. The largest sections of geologic time are called
. List them
in order from youngest to oldest.
3. The largest sections are broken up into subsections called
.
List them in order from youngest to oldest.
4. By far, the longest geologic time is
.
5. Which era is longest? _
The shortest?
6. In which eras and periods did dinosaurs, mammals, flowering plants and birds appear on
Earth?
7. Which lived on Earth the longer time, dinosaurs or mammals? Calculate the range of time for each.
8. Why would it be hard to outline the history of the United States on the geologic scale?
9. Why is it impossible for a cat fossil to be found in the same sedimentary rock layer as a
dinosaur fossil?
10. Were humans around during the time of the dinosaurs? Explain.
11. How much of the tape has man been around? (use a percentage).
12. How much of earth’s existence will you see in your lifetime? (use a percentage).
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