Name___________________

Period____ Date_________

Test #1 - Earth Science Orozco/ Elibert/ Intsiful

Question 1
The diagram below represents the placoderm fish Bothriolepis, an index fossil found in New York
State.

The surface bedrock at which location is most likely to contain this fossil?
(1) Ithaca (3) Albany
(2) Old Forge (4) New York City

Question 2
Rifting of tectonic plates in eastern North America during the Jurassic Period was responsible for the

(1) formation of the Catskill delta

(2) first uplift of the Adirondack Mountains
(3) Alleghenian orogeny
(4) opening of the Atlantic Ocean

Question 3
Valcouroceras is a New York State index fossil. Which mountain-building event occurred in New
York State during the time when Valcouroceras was living in oceans covering parts of New York
State?
(1) Alleghenian orogeny (3) Taconian orogeny
(2) Acadian orogeny (4) Grenville orogeny

Question 4
Fossils of which type of animal would most likely be found in the surface bedrock of the Catskills?
(1) reptiles (3) mammals
(2) brachiopods (4) birds
Question 5
The cross section represents rock and sediment layers, labeled A through F. Each layer contains fossil
remains, which formed in different depositional environments. Some layers contain index fossils. The
layers have not been overturned.

Which pair of organisms existed when the unconsolidated sediment in layer A was deposited?
(1) birds and trilobites (3) ammonoids and grasses
(2) dinosaurs and mastodonts (4) humans and vascular plants

Question 6
(using same cross section picture as Question 3)
The cross section represents rock and sediment layers, labeled A through F. Each layer contains fossil
remains, which formed in different depositional environments. Some layers contain index fossils. The
layers have not been overturned.

During which geologic epoch was layer F deposited?

(1) Late Devonian (3) Early Devonian
(2) Middle Devonian (4) Late Silurian
Question 7
The diagram below represents some fauna (animals) found fossilized in Canadas Burgess shale.

During which geologic epoch did these animals live?

(1) Middle Cambrian (3) Late Triassic
(2) Early Pennsylvanian (4) Paleocene

Question 8
New York State bedrock of which age contains salt, gypsum, and hematite?
(1) Cambrian (2) Devonian
(3) Mississippian (4) Silurian

Question 9
The New York State index fossil Valcouroceras is classified as a
(1) coral (2) crinoid
(3) eurypterid (4) nautiloid

Question 10
Most of the sand that makes up the sandstone found in New York State was originally deposited in
which type of layers?
(1) tilted (2) horizontal
(3) faulted (4) folded
Question 11
The cross sections below represent three outcrops, labeled I, II, and III, containing some New York
State index fossils. The rock layers have not been overturned.

When the rock layers in the three outcrops are correlated, the oldest layer is the
(1) shale layer in outcrop I (3) limestone layer in outcrop III
(2) siltstone layer in outcrop II (4) conglomerate layer in outcrop III

Question 12
Which group of organisms survived mass extinctions that marked the ends of both the Paleozoic Era
and the Mesozoic Era?
(1) ammonoids (2) graptolites
(3) eurypterids (4) gastropods

Question 13
During which geologic epoch do scientists infer that the earliest grasses first appeared on Earth?
(1) Holocene (2) Pleistocene
(3) Oligocene (4) Eocene
Question 14
The drawing represents a swamp-forest environment that existed in North America at the base of the
Acadian Mountains during the Carboniferous Period. Organism A lived in this swamp-forest.

The Acadian Mountains were formed as a result of the collision between North America and
(1) Avalon (3) Pangaea
(2) South America (4) Queenston Delta

Question 15
Many scientists infer that one cause of the mass extinction of dinosaurs and ammonoids that occurred
approximately 65.5 million years ago was

(1) tectonic plate subduction of most of the continents

(2) an asteroid impact that resulted in climate change
(3) a disease spreading among many groups of organisms
(4) severe damage produced by worldwide earthquakes
Question 16
The bedrock cross section below contains rock formations A, B, C, and D. The rock formations have
not been overturned.

Which sequence represents the relative ages of these rock formations, from oldest to youngest?
(1) B A C D
(2) B D C A
(3) D C A B
(4) D B A C

Question 17
Which sequence of geologic events is in the correct order, from oldest to most recent?
(1) oceanic oxygen begins to enter the atmosphere earliest stromatolites initial opening of the
Iapetus Ocean dome-like uplift of the Adirondack region begins

(2) dome-like uplift of the Adirondack region begins initial opening of the Iapetus Ocean
oceanic oxygen begins to enter the atmosphere earliest stromatolites

(3) initial opening of the Iapetus Ocean earliest stromatolites oceanic oxygen begins to enter the
atmosphere dome-like uplift of the Adirondack region begins

(4) earliest stromatolites oceanic oxygen begins to enter the atmosphere initial opening of the
Iapetus Ocean dome-like uplift of the Adirondack region begins

Question 18
Four rock outcrops, labeled 1, 2, 3, and 4, found within the same plateau, are represented below. Index
fossils found in some of the rock layers are shown. The rock layers have not been overturned.

Which rock layer is the youngest?

(1) sandstone in outcrop 1 (2) breccia in outcrop 2
(3) conglomerate in outcrop 3 (4) sandstone in outcrop 4

Question 19
The map below shows the current location of New York State in North America.

Approximately how many million years ago (mya) was this New York State region located at the
equator?
(1) 59 mya (2) 119 mya
(3) 359 mya (4) 458 mya
 Question 20
Explain the difference between absolute and relative age.
EXTRA CREDIT Opportunity

Question 21
The major source of oxygen in Earths Early Proterozoic atmosphere is inferred to have been produced
by
(1) oceanic cyanobacteria
(2) outgassing from volcanic eruptions
(3) radioactive decay in Earths inner core
(4) evaporation of ocean water

Question 22
The data table shows information on six major mass extinction events that occurred many million
years ago (mya) in Earths history.

Some Major Mass Extinctions in Earths History

Approximate Time Certain Life-Forms That Became Extinct
(mya)

65.5 dinosaurs and all ammonoids

200 any species of nautiloids, ammonoids, mammal-like reptiles, and early dinosaurs

251 trilobites and 90% of other marine species and 70% of land species

376 any species of corals, brachiopods, and trilobites

444 more than half of brachiopod species, many trilobite species, and some coral species

520 all shelly fossil species and some early trilobite species

Which event is generally accepted as the cause of the mass extinction that occurred 65.5 million years
ago?
(1) volcanic eruption (3) asteroid impact
(2) continental collision (4) sea-level change
Question 23

The cross sections below represent three geologic columns, I, II, and III, exposed at three different
locations. The rock layers have not been overturned. Letters A through E represent different fossils.

Which rock layer is the youngest?

(1) green shale containing fossil B in column I

(2) glacial soil containing fossil E in column III
(3) brown sandstone containing fossil C in column II
(4) gray limestone containing fossil D in column I
Question 24
The cross section below represents several rock units within Earths crust. Letter A represents Earths
surface. Letters B, C, and D indicate boundaries between rock units. One of the unconformities is
labeled.

Which lettered boundary is most likely another unconformity?

(1) A (2) B
(3) C (4) D

Question 25
The cross sections below represent three bedrock outcrops found several kilometers apart.

Which statement best explains why the volcanic ash layers are useful for correlating the relative ages
of the bedrock in the three outcrops?
(1) The ash was deposited over a large area when a volcano erupted.
(2) There are no fossils found within the volcanic ash.
(3) The volcanic eruptions that produced the ash layer occurred over a long period of geologic time.
(4) The volcanic ash is found between many different layers of bedrock.