Index Fossils Worksheet
Explore the characteristics and importance of index fossils in determining the relative ages of rock layers and understanding Earth's history.
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Index Fossils Worksheet
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Read each question carefully and answer to the best of your ability. Refer to your knowledge of index fossils and Earth's history.
1. Which characteristic is NOT typical of a good index fossil?
Lived for a short geological period
Was geographically widespread
Was very rare in the fossil record
Is easily recognizable
2. What is the primary use of index fossils in geology?
To determine the absolute age of rocks
To indicate the presence of valuable minerals
To correlate rock layers and determine relative ages
To study the diet of ancient organisms
3. Index fossils are also known as fossils.
4. The principle that states that in an undisturbed rock sequence, the oldest layers are at the bottom and the youngest are at the top is called the Principle of .
5. A fossil that is found in many different rock layers is a good index fossil.
True
False
6. Index fossils help scientists understand the environments in which ancient organisms lived.
True
False
7. Explain why a geographically widespread organism is important for it to be considered a good index fossil.
8. Observe the image below. If this fossil were found in various rock layers across different continents, what could it tell scientists about the relative age of those rock layers?
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