Geologic Time Plus Activities - Canizares

Name _______________________________ Hour ______

Learning Objectives

Dating – Relative & Absolute Geologic History Natural Selection/Evolution

Define relative & absolute dating Identify the four main eras in order and the scientific age of Earth

Define natural selection & identify factors that can affect the survival of a

species.

Describe how relative & absolute dating are measured using the law of

superposition and half life.

Identify key living organisms and geologic events in each era

Describe how natural selection can change how a species changes over

time.

Utilize a decay graph to determine an element’s half life.

Compare similarities & contrast differences of each era

Describe & identify the 5 pieces of evidence used for evolution.

Sequence events using the law of superposition to determine relative

age.

Identify the defining natural event that ended each era.

Name _________________________________________ Hour ______ Relative Dating Activity

Quick Review:

The law of superposition states that the older rocks are found at the b_____________ and the younger rocks tend to be

found at the ________________.

First Mini-Activity – Who Took the Cookie

Who Dun It? _________________________________ What was the key evidence you used to decide who did it?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Rocks Application

Predicted Order

_______earthquake _______deposit D _______deposit B

_______deposit G _______intrusive lava _______rocky deposit R

_______river cuts through _______deposit E _______deposit

Actual Order

_______earthquake _______deposit D _______deposit B

_______deposit G _______intrusive lava _______rocky deposit R

_______river cuts through _______deposit E _______deposit

Reflection: What threw you off or confused you most? ____________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Examine the following diagrams. Columns I and II contain rock layers A, B, C and D, E, F. Both columns were taken from

the same dig site.

1. Which two layers are of approximately the same age?

________ & _________ What evidence did you use?

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

2. Which layer is the oldest? ________How do you know?

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

Put the events in order:

P 1

Background Information

All matter on Earth is made of elements (like oxygen, carbon, hydrogen). Most elements are stable. In other words they

do not change under normal conditions. But some elements exist in forms that are unstable. Over time, these elements

break down, or decay, by releasing particles and energy in a process called radioactive decay. These unstable

elements are said to be radioactive. During radioactive decay, the atoms of an unstable element break down to form

atoms of another element. Radioactive elements occur naturally in igneous rocks. Scientists use the rate at which these

elements decay to calculate the rock’s age.

The half-life of a radioactive element is the amount of time it takes for one half of the atoms in a sample of that element to

decay, or break down into atoms of the stable decay element. Radioactive decay is one of the methods scientists use to

measure geologic time and determine the absolute age of rocks and fossils. The absolute age means that scientists can

actually measure how old the rock is in years. In this investigation you will experience a simulation, or model, for the half-

life of a radioactive element.

Our Scenario: Fictitious Element M & M Decays to Element Eatemup

Procedure

1. Your group needs a Taco Bell box, 100 plain M & M’s, and a cup. 2. Place 100 plain M & M’s into the Taco Bell box. Make sure the “m” side is facing up for all of the M & M’s. These

represent radioactive M & M’s. Enter the data into the data table for the 0 half-life period. 3. Close the lid of the box and shake the box for about 10 seconds (this represents 500 million years passing).

Enter the time passed into the data table. 4. Open the box. Count the number of radioactive M & M’s and the number of decay M & M’s (those that have the

“m” facing down). Record into the data table (trial 1). 5. Remove the decay M & M’s from the box and put into the cup. 6. Repeat steps 3-5 for the remaining trials.

Trial #

Time

passed

(million

years)

# of

radioactive

M & M’s

# of

decay M

& M’s

0 0 100 0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

m m

m

Radioactive M & M’s

Radioactive M & M’s

Graph of

Radioactive Decay of M&M’s

Nu

mb

er o

f R

adio

acti

ve M

&M

’s

Time (million years)

P 2

Analysis/Conclusion Questions

1. What is the half-life of radioactive M & M’s (how many years does it take for half of the radioactive M & M’s to decay)? Note: You will need to use the graph. ____________________________________

2. After how many trials did the radioactive M & M’s reach zero? ______________________ 3. What do you have left if the number of radioactive M & M’s reach zero? __________________________________ 4. How many years did it take for the number of radioactive M & M’s to reach 25? _______________________ 5. Suppose you had 90 radioactive M & M’s. Using your graph, determine how many years had passed. ___________ 6. Suppose you had 40 radioactive M & M’s. Using your graph determine how many years had passed. _____________ 7. After 2,000 million years had passed how many radioactive M & M’s would be left? ____________

Number of decayed M & M’s? _______________________

8. Looking at the table of elements used in radioactive dating, identify which element would be most similar to the

radioactive M & M’s.

Elements used in radioactive dating

Radioactive element Half-life (years) Dating range (years)

carbon-14 5,730 500-50,000

potassium-40 1.3 billion 50,000-4.6 billion

rubidium-87 47 billion 10 million-4.6 billion

thorium-232 14.1 billion 10 million-4.6 billion

uranium-235 713 million 10 million-4.6 billion

uranium-238 4.5 billion 10 illion-4.6 billion

9. Can carbon dating be used to determine the age of the Earth? _______________ Why or why not? The half life for

carbon dating is _______________________________ and the Earth is 4.6billion years old. Therefore

__________________________________________________________________

10. Can our radioactive element M& M be used to determine the age of humanoid (early human) fossils? ________ Why

or why not? (humanoids first appeared 5 million years ago). The half life of element M & M is

___________________. Therefore _____________________________________________________________

Review:

1. The three types of rocks are i__________________, s____________________ & m_______________________.

2. The type of rock made by melting and cooling is __________________________.

3. The type of rock made by weathering & erosion followed by compaction & cementation is ______________________.

4. Heat and pressure make ________________________ rocks.

5. A_______________ dating gives a more exact age of rock where r________________ dating just compares the ages

of rocks.

6. The Law of Superposition used for ______________________ dating states that the oldest fossils are found at the

___________________ and the youngest fossils are found at the _______________.

7. During r___________________ d_________________, unstable elements break down into stable elements. The

time for half of them to break down is called the h__________ l__________.

Self Reflection: I know the difference between relative and absolute dating I can explain the basics of how

radioactive decay is used to age different rocks. I understand that radioactive dating is used for absolute dating.

P 3

TERM:

Relative Dating

____________________________

TERM:

Absolute Dating

Differences

Categories

Definition

How it Works

When A Geologist Would

Use It

OTHER

Conclusion or Summary: _____________________ and _______________ are both

related to how geologists date things on Earth. One thing they have in common is

______________________________________________________. One difference is

_____________________________________________________________________.

Summary Sentence for the last line. ________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________.

TERM:

____________________________

TERM:

____________________________ Similarities

P 4

Geologic Time & Diversity Introduction

Present Day Overview

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/education/explorations/tours/intro/Intro5to12/tour1.php

1. Groups of organisms are called t________. How many different species (ex: humans are a species) of living

organisms exist on Earth today? ______________ [CLICK NEXT once you get the right answer]

2. How many species of arthropods (insects, crustaceans, arachnids etc.) are there: __________________________.

3. How many mammal species (you’re a mammal) are there? _______________ [click NEXT]

4. How many species of protists (single celled organisms) are there? _________ land plants? ______________ [NEXT]

5. Of all the taxa this site shares, which have the largest number of species? _________________________

6. Have we discovered all the species that are present today? ____________

7. Click on the different views from the past. Which one was the coolest to you? PRESENT 470mya 160mya

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/education/explorations/tours/geotime/gtpage1.html

8. How long would the book be that represented Earth’s past if each year was a page? _________

9. How long would it take to read this book? >___________ years

10. Obviously are you going to learn every detail about our Earth’s history this year? ______

11. Clicking on the first red marker, how old is the Earth & moon? _________________

12. According to the site, when was the earliest life? __________________ years ago or page ____________________

13. Zoom and click the tab on the left. When did the earliest land plants appear? __________________ years ago or

page ____________________

14. When was the largest mass extinction? __________________ years ago or page ____________________

15. When did “Lucy” – early human – make her appearance? __________________ years ago or page

____________________

16. Why do we look at events in time in order? ___________________________________________________________

17. How many tries did it take you to put the events in order? ________

18. Relative order puts them in sequential order, while absolute order put them in order by d_______.

19. How many tries did it take you to put the fossil events in order? ________

20. Where is the oldest layer found _____________ where is the youngest? ______________

21. The law of s_______________________ states that older rocks end up at the _______________ of the sequence and

newer ones toward the _______.

22. Which fossil was coolest to you? ____________________

23. Which fossil was the oldest? ___________________

24. The law of superposition gives the [relative or absolute] age of the fossils.

25. To find the absolute age scientists use r__________________ d__________.

26. What age does it appear to be between: _______________ million years

27. The G__________________ T_______ S___________ is how Earth’s history is organized.

28. Click up the time scale. During the _______zoic dinosaurs existed. We are currently in the ______ oic.

29. Eons are divided into e_______ which are divided into p_____________.

30. Click through each period to see how things have changed over time.

31. How many did you get right on the first try? _______/5

P 5

Geologic Time Travel: Pre-Cambrian Era: 4.6 bya – 540mya

1. What pulls the rocks together to make a planet? G_____________________

2. What were the conditions of our Earth 4.54 billion (4540 million) years ago?

Temperature: _______________________ Gases: _________________________ Other: ________________________________

3. What happens when a planet crashes into Earth?

4. How long does a day last when Earth is first formed? _______________

5. What is inside the meteors that were striking Earth 3.9 billion (3900 million) years ago?

6. Why are the ocean’s tides so high and strong 3.9 by (billion years ago)?

7. What are the “chemical soup” chemicals responsible for?

8. What are the underwater bacterial colonies called? Stromato__________

9. What organisms are the first to photosynthesize? ________________________________

10. What is the single most important element on Earth for life? _____________________________

11. 1.5 bya, what was the name of the super continent? _________________________________

12. What is the driving force that splits the super continent? __________________________

13. Why isn’t the Sun’s heat trapped inside the planet’s atmosphere?

14. What is the nickname of Earth during this ice age?

Small One – Pager Requirements: Drawing, Phrases, & Descriptions of the Pre-Cambrian Era

P 6

Geologic Time Travel: Paleozoic Era: 540 - 250mya

1. What releases carbon dioxide that releases Earth from being “Snowball Earth”? ____________________

2. What oxygen-rich chemical does the chemical reaction between ultraviolet light and ice make?

Hydrogen p______________________ (which causes a release of large amounts of oxygen)

3. During the Cambrian Explosion, due to high amounts of oxygen, life went from simple to more

_____________________ like for example ____________________________.

4. Pikaia have what is thought to be the first ever s_________________.

5. Why isn’t there much on land? The sun’s r________________________

was too damaging and we didn’t have an o_______________ layer.

6. When did the first land plants arise? ______________________

7. The Tiktaliik is special because _____________________________________.

8. Millipedes, spiders and bugs are called ar____________________.

They are different from today because they are much _____________________.

9. Eggs are considered a major evolutionary breakthrough because __________________________________.

10. The coal and fossil fuels that we burn today comes from plants that died ____________mya.

11. In the Siberian mountains ____________________________ changed Earth?

12. The greatest mass extinction is called the P___________ Extinction.

13. The ash from volcanic activity and b____________, s______________ and k_______ animals around the

world. The oceans turned the color ____________ which is a____________.

14. M_____________ is a greenhouse gas. The temperature rises _________ degrees.

Small One – Pager Requirements: Drawing, Phrases, & Descriptions of the Paleozoic Era

Compare/Contrast Eras:

15. What does the Paleozoic and Pre-Cambrian have in common? ___________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

16. Describe two ways that the Paleozoic and Pre-Cambrian are different? _____________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

P 7

Geologic Time Travel: Mesozoic Era: 540 - 65mya

1. What supercontinent stretches from pole to pole? _______________________

2. _____________________ is the new species that dominated after 95% of life was destroyed during the

Permian Extinction.

3. 190 mya ___________________ broke up.

4. Ancient fish and plankton become _________, which is used to make products like ________________.

5. What ocean was created with the break up? ____________ Review: What boundary type is it? D C T

6. The pliosaur is longer than a _________ with teeth _____cm long.

7. Most mammals lived in the ______________ to avoid the evil dinosaurs.

8. The asteroid was ______km across and bigger than Mt. _______________. It hit the Gulf _____________.

9. As it passes through the atmosphere it burns brighter than a million _____________. 500 miles away the

flesh of the dinosaurs look ________________________.

10. The waters in the Gulf v________________. The air temperature reaches ______________ causing water

to _____________.

11. The third pulse wave _______________________________ of living things.

12. On the other side of the planet the ejecta dust cloud heats up because of f______________/

13. The asteroid causes seismic waves to travel through ______________, with a magnitude of ______.

14. What happened to the flying dinos? _________________________________________________

15. 90 minutes after impact the temperature in Mongolia reaches _________degrees.

16. Where did creatures go to escape the flames that large dinosaurs couldn’t? __________________________

17. Three days after the impact, what does Earth look like?

18. What is the next major event that was triggered from the asteroid impact? T______________

19. What living things thrive? F_____________

Small One – Pager Requirements: Drawing, Phrases, & Descriptions of the Mesozoic Era

Compare/Contrast Eras:

17. What do the Mesozoic, Paleozoic and Pre-Cambrian have in common? ___________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

18. Describe two ways that the Mesozoic is different from the Paleo & Pre-Cambrian? ___________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

P 8

Geologic Time Travel: Cenozoic Era

1. _________________ take advantage of the death of the dinosaurs.

2. A day is ___________ hours long 47mya.

3. ___________________ is moving North towards Asia. Review: Boundary Type C D T This creates the

______________________ Mountains. They provide rivers for almost _________ the world’s population.

4. ______________________ are missing 20mya.

5. The new hotter climate, caused by the mountains, destroys their habitat and causes mammals to

_____________________________________.

6. 1.5mya an early species of _______________ were discovered from fossil evidence.

7. 70 thousand years ago ________ levels fall due to a change in climate. Homo ______________ crossed over from Africa to

Arabia because of this drop.

8. 40 thousand years ago, the temperature is ______________________ because of carbon dioxide levels, Earth’s orbit , and the

flow of water around the planet. This causes an _____________________.

9. During an ice age sea levels _______________.

10. Because of this, humans are able to cross from Siberia/Asia to __________________.

11. 14,000 years ago the ice ages end and the gouges from glaciers became the _________________________ as they filled with

water.

12. How long was the journey? ______ billion years.

13. Note: The video skipped over organisms like the saber tooth tiger and wooly mammoths. These were from this era. Hopefully

you saw the Ice Age movies so you learned a little bit about them. Also there was more than one ice age during this era.

Have you seen any of the Ice Age cartoon movies? ________

14. Which era has your favorite living things? ___________________________

15. Which era has the coolest geologic events? __________________________

16. Based on what you have seen, what do you guess the future will be for Earth?

Small One – Pager Requirements: Drawing, Phrases, & Descriptions of the Cenozoic Era

Compare/Contrast Eras:

19. What do all the eras have in common? ______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

20. Describe two ways that the Cenozoic is different from all the other eras? ___________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

P 9

Selecting Paper Airplanes

Observations

Step 1: Make a paper airplane that you think can travel 2

meters. Make a quick sketch of what it looks like below.

Step 2: Did your plane survive? _____ If no, then remake

your plane to look similar to one that did survive (it will be a

child of one of the ones that survived). Draw the child below. If

your survived just write “see above”.

Step 3: Did your plane survive traveling 4 meters? ____

If no, then remake your plane to look similar to one that did

survive (it will be a child of one of the ones that survived). Draw

the child below. If your survived just write “see above”.

Step 4: Did your final plane design survive traveling 6

meters? ____

Observations Reflections: Answer in complete

sentences.

1. Were all the airplanes exactly the same?

______, the airplanes were

________________________________________

________________________________________.

2. What did people change that made them look

different? ________________________________

_________________________________________

________________________________________.

3. Did all the children survive on the second paper

airplane run? Why/Justify your answer.

_______, because _________________________

________________________________________.

4. In your opinion, which variation is most important

to designing a successful airplane? (wing size,

length, width, etc.)

________________________________________

_________________________________________

Summary Reflection

The species in this activity was a paper airplane. In species, such as our airplanes, natural selection affects what

characteristics survive. Planes with ________________________________________characteristic(s) did not

survive, so there was no offspring/children to have any of those characteristics. Planes with ________________

_________________characteristic(s) did survive, so there was offspring/children to have any of those

characteristics

A species changes, or evolves, over time. Evolution builds on what already exists, so the more variety there is, the

more there can be in the future. Species develop over time with characteristics that help them to survive and any

characteristic that causes them to be weak is eliminated over time. During the paper airplane activity, examples of

variation were ________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

In real life evolution, or change over time happens with lot of products we use every day. It’s not just a science

concept. One product that is much different today is _______________________. It has changed by ___________

___________________________________________________________________________________________.

Evolution is most controversial in talking about the history of Earth and living things. I believe _________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Note: this is your chance to vent or reflect. Remember I want you to understand this perspective. You don’t

have to agree. http://hubpages.com/education/Middle-School-Evolution-Lesson-Plan Adapted From

P 10

The Fittest Bunny

Simulation Instructions:

1. Click RESET ALL @ bottom right 2. Watch the bunny hop across the screen until it dies. 3. Click Play Again 4. Skip forward (clicks through generations) until the bunny dies

and click play again to see the bunny of the next generation.

TASK ONE: Add friends

5. Click add a friend. 6. Let it play until it states Play Again 7. This time after 3 generations, click pause.

TASK TWO: Add wolves

8. Select wolves as the selection factor and then click play.

TASK THREE: Add brown fur

9. PREDICT & Click Reset ALL & Add a friend & Click Brown Fur Mutation & Run 4 Generations

10. Click pause 11. Select wolves & Click FF through several generations.

TASK FOUR: Change environment

12. PREDICT what would happen to the bunnies in a different environment 13. Select arctic environment

14. Click Play

Observations:

1. What’s happening to the bunny population? 2. What is the color of the bunny? ________ What’s the color of

the environment? ______________________ 3. How will the color of the bunny affect its survival rate?

4. Why do you think in that scenario the population of bunnies takes over the world?

5. If we add wolves, predict what is going to happen to the population of bunnies? ________________

6. Was your prediction correct? ________ Why do you think?

7. FIRST Predict what will happen to the bunny population with wolves and brown fur?

8. Which color bunnies were “naturally selected” for extinction by the wolves?

9. FIRST Predict what is going to happen to the bunny population in this new environment?

10. Try the brown fur mutation & predict what will happen to them.

Continue doing your own investigations by testing out different mutations, environment or selection factors. Write down two observations you made.

Observation 1 Observation 2

Reflection Questions

1. How did the wolves act as a natural selection pressure?

2. Which bunnies were better suited for the Equator environment? _____________ the arctic environment? __________________ 3. Can mutations be beneficial to a population? ______________Explain using an example from the bunny simulation.

4. Can mutations be harmful to a population? _____________Explain using an example from the bunny simulation.

5. Presently can we control which mutations are passed to the next generation? _______ Do mutations bring significant changes right away (in the first population) or does it take time? ________________________

6. How would you define the “Fittest” (aka most successful) Bunny? Hint: Your answer should not be about the bunny the works out with the largest

weights and does cardio five times a week.

7. Name one creature that is now extinct. _____________ What caused that species to become extinct?

8. Do you think we should try to save all species from becoming extinct? _______ Explain & justify your answer

P 11

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Big Topic: ________________________________________

Essential Question:

Questions/Main Ideas:

Basic Scientific Terms Review

Theory of Evolution

Notes

Hypothesis: is an educated ____________, based on ___________________.

It’s a prediction of _____________ and _________________.

Theory: _________________ a hypothesis/hypotheses

Supported with ______________ ____________________

Valid as long as there is ______ _______________ to dispute it

Explains ______ and ___________ something ____________

Example: ______________ _____________________

Law: Generalizes a __________ of ____________________

Tells you what _____________________________________

Example: Law of ___________________________

Evolution: the process of ______________ over ________; one species gives ride

to ____________________ & the “tree” grows

All living things share a common ______________________

Charles Darwin

Father of ________________________

Proposed the _________________ of evolution, ___________________________

Made _____________________ on a 5 year trip on the ship the HMS Beagle

Wrote a book “ __________________________________” to document his

observations

__________________of the ___________________ idea came from this book

Natural selection: organisms that are best __________________ to an environment

__________________ and ___________________ more than others

How Natural Selection Occurs

_____________________: each species produces more offspring that can survive

V____________________: each individual has a unique combination of inherited

traits (DNA)

___________________: an inherited trait that increases an organism’s

chances of _________________.

Environments can ________________ which can change the success of an

__________________

Adaptation Categories

____________________: blend in and hide

____________________: act and look alike

____________________: poison

____________________: group behavior

The more variation within a __________________, the more likely they

are to survive

The more ______________ of types of species in a habitat, the more

likely at least some will survive

_______________________: individuals compete for food, water, space, etc.

Survival of the fittest: fittest is most able to _________________ &

______________________

Not all individuals survive to ________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

P 12

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In middle school, there is a lot of examples of where you could apply natural selection – like the cliques/squads/etc. List

an example of the a clique and what adaptations makes one more likely to be “naturally selected” into it & traits that

would get you kicked out. Clique: ____________________________

Adaptations: Traits to Get Kicked Out:

Summary: The difference between a scientific theory and law is that _____________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________. Evolution is __________________

______________________________________________. One important achievement of Charles Darwin is _______________

_______________________________________________________________________. Natural selection is _____________

_____________________________________________________________________________________. The four methods of natural

selection are __________________________________________________________________. The five types of evidence for evolution

are _______________________________________________________________________________________________________.

My personal feelings about evolution are that I think ____________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

____________________________________________________________________________________

How Natural Selection Occurs - Continued

S_____________________: best ______________________ will survive and be

able to pass on their traits to their _________

Genotype: your genes/___________

Phenotype: your _________________ appearance that is influenced by

your genes and the ___________________.

How It Works

Individuals with traits that are _______ well suited to their environment either die

or leave few __________________ (kids)

Evolution occurs when ________ traits build up in a population over many

generations and ___________ traits are eliminated by the _____________ of the

individuals.

Evidence for Evolution

_________________ Record: provides a history of ___________ on Earth

Progression of Organisms: goes from s___________ to c_____________

________itional Fossils: link between different species like the

Archaeopteryx

________________ Separation – leads to changes in once similar species

Homologous Body Structures

Body parts that are similar in _________________ species

Related organisms have _________________ body ________________

Vestigial Organs

“Leftover” organs (traces of evolution) that serve ____ _______________

currently (did in the past)

Examples: appendix, ________________, tailbone, _________________

Embryology: embryos of all vertebrates are very _____________ early on

Biochemistry

DNA with more similar sequences suggest species are more closely

______________________

Humans and _____________________ share >98% of identical _______

sequences

____________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

P 13