A paleontologist is studying the history of group of stratigraphic fossils the arthropods. Use the
diagram below to answer the questions. The pictures of the organisms represent of two different
species that your research team has assigned to the various stratigraphic layers. Which of the
fossils has been assigned to the wrong layer? The paleontologist\'s graduate student was unsure
which rock layer was the most in important to date so she dated all of them with the results as
follows: A: 100 mya, B: 50 mya, C: 10 mya, D: 300 mya When did species 1 go extinct? When
did species 2 go extinct? If found a non-fossilized organic sample in the soil above the rock
layers, how might my approach to determining its age be different than for the fossilized
remains?
Solution
a) Species in the igneous rock has been assigned to the wrong layer.
Because, Igneous rocks do not contain fossils as they form from the molten rocks. These rocks
form when the molten rocks become cools and eventually solidify.
Instead of this, fossils are generally found in sedimentary rocks which is formed in layers by the
depositing and pressing of sediments on top of each other.
b) i) species 1 went extinct after 100 million years.
ii) Species 2 went extinct after 50 million years.
c) If I found a non-fossilized organic sample in the soil above the rock layers then I can use
carbon dating or radiometric dating. It is the process of determining the percentage of the
radioactive isotope in the sample and using the half life data to ultimately determine the age of
the sample.
Basic data of radiocarbon dating-
Carbon 14 is an isotope of carbon which is naturally formed in the atmosphere. All plants and
animals when they are alive, have regular intake carbon. When an animal or plant dies it no
longer takes in carbon of any form. That plant or animal most often decays and its constituent
parts break down and are eaten by scavengers, or they decay, or are washed away etc. Instead of
these events if the animal or plant is encased in some sediment, or frozen, or desiccated, or
otherwise preserved quickly so that its structure and constituent parts are preserved. Scientists
have ways of counting the carbon 14 atoms in a sample and then they find out the total number
of carbon atoms and figure out how old the material is.
In this way fairly new organic material’s age is also determined..
A paleontologist is studying the history of group of stratigraphic fo.pdf
1. A paleontologist is studying the history of group of stratigraphic fossils the arthropods. Use the
diagram below to answer the questions. The pictures of the organisms represent of two different
species that your research team has assigned to the various stratigraphic layers. Which of the
fossils has been assigned to the wrong layer? The paleontologist's graduate student was unsure
which rock layer was the most in important to date so she dated all of them with the results as
follows: A: 100 mya, B: 50 mya, C: 10 mya, D: 300 mya When did species 1 go extinct? When
did species 2 go extinct? If found a non-fossilized organic sample in the soil above the rock
layers, how might my approach to determining its age be different than for the fossilized
remains?
Solution
a) Species in the igneous rock has been assigned to the wrong layer.
Because, Igneous rocks do not contain fossils as they form from the molten rocks. These rocks
form when the molten rocks become cools and eventually solidify.
Instead of this, fossils are generally found in sedimentary rocks which is formed in layers by the
depositing and pressing of sediments on top of each other.
b) i) species 1 went extinct after 100 million years.
ii) Species 2 went extinct after 50 million years.
c) If I found a non-fossilized organic sample in the soil above the rock layers then I can use
carbon dating or radiometric dating. It is the process of determining the percentage of the
radioactive isotope in the sample and using the half life data to ultimately determine the age of
the sample.
Basic data of radiocarbon dating-
Carbon 14 is an isotope of carbon which is naturally formed in the atmosphere. All plants and
animals when they are alive, have regular intake carbon. When an animal or plant dies it no
longer takes in carbon of any form. That plant or animal most often decays and its constituent
parts break down and are eaten by scavengers, or they decay, or are washed away etc. Instead of
these events if the animal or plant is encased in some sediment, or frozen, or desiccated, or
otherwise preserved quickly so that its structure and constituent parts are preserved. Scientists
have ways of counting the carbon 14 atoms in a sample and then they find out the total number
of carbon atoms and figure out how old the material is.
In this way fairly new organic material’s age is also determined.
