Index Fossils and Criteria Exercise

Index Fossils and Criteria

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Index Fossils and Criteria

Identify the key criteria that make certain organisms useful as index fossils for dating rock layers.

Questions

  1. MultiChoice

    What is an index fossil?

  2. MultiChoice

    Which biological characteristic makes an organism an ideal index fossil?

  3. MultiChoice

    Why must an organism be abundant in the fossil record to serve as a good index fossil?

  4. MultiChoice

    If a species lived across the whole world for 400 million years, why is it a POOR index fossil?

  5. MultiChoice

    Why is broad geographic distribution crucial for an index fossil?

  6. MultiChoice

    Which of the following properties is NOT desired in a useful index fossil?

  7. MultiChoice

    Index fossil species Z is found in rock in South America and Africa. What can geologists conclude?

  8. MultiChoice

    Why are index fossils valuable to petroleum geologists drilling for oil?

  9. MultiChoice

    Which four criteria define an excellent index fossil?

  10. MultiChoice

    If a fossil species existed for only 500,000 years, why is that an advantage for relative dating?

  11. MultiChoice

    What does it mean if two separate rock outcrops hundreds of miles apart contain the same index fossil?

  12. MultiChoice

    What feature enables field geologists to quickly identify an index fossil in rock samples?