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Fossils, defined as the physical remains of past life, provide invaluable information to scientists. They not only provide a picture of a long-distant past, but also information that can be used to understand the evolution of today's plants and animals and clues for the future of our planet.

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11y ago
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6mo ago

Fossils provide evidence of past life forms and help scientists determine the age of rocks and the sequence of events in Earth's history. By studying fossils, we can understand the evolution of organisms and the environmental changes that have occurred over millions of years, which is crucial for reconstructing Earth's geologic time scale and understanding the history of life on our planet.

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14y ago

We need to know what happens because it could happen again about how they die so we can prevent it to happen again.

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Q: Why are fossils important to our understanding of geologic time?
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What is the name of the fossils that are widespread geographically and are limited to a short span of geologic time?

Index Fossils. They are very important tools for geologists and used in paleontology and stratigraphic studies.


Compare geologic time with geologic column?

Geologic time refers to the vast expanse of time over which Earth's history is recorded, characterized by different eons, eras, periods, and epochs. The geologic column, on the other hand, is a hypothetical representation of the Earth's rock layers and the fossils they contain, arranged in chronological order based on relative dating principles. Geologic time provides the framework for understanding the sequence of events in Earth's history, while the geologic column is a visual representation of this history based on the rock layers and fossils found in stratigraphic succession.


How paleontologists use trilobite use fossils as index fossils for various geologic time periods?

yeah


Organism that formed index fossils when?

Short spans of geologic time


To what geologic time frame do the fossils from Thomas Farm belong?

Miocene


How paleontologists use trilobites fossils as index fossils for various geologic time periods?

Trilobites were rapidly evolving and widespread marine organisms that spanned a number of geologic time periods. Certain types of trilobites only appeared in specific segments of geologic time; therefore, when one of these trilobites is found, you can be certain that the rock layer it is found in is of a certain geologic age.


What methods did geologist used when they first developed the geologic time scale?

The methods the geologists used when they first developed the geologic time scale. Were studying rock layers and index fossils worldwide. By Patrick


Good index fossils have?

wide geographic distribution and short geologic time range


What information does the geologic time scale provided and what are the major divisions of time?

The information the geologic scale provides is animals and fossils over time and periods. Major divisions of time is called eras.


Which of the following is most accurate in helping pinpoint a time period on the geologic time scale during which a rock layer was formed?

Fossils found in the rock layer are the most accurate method for pinpointing a time period on the geologic time scale. By identifying the specific types of fossils present, scientists can determine the age of the rock layer relative to the known age ranges of those fossils.


The sum of all the fossils that exist is called the?

The sum of all the fossils that exist is called that fossil record. It includes fossils from all geologic time periods.


Explain how geologic time is recorded in rock layers?

Geologic time is recorded in rock layers through the concept of superposition, which states that younger rocks are found on top of older rocks. By examining the sequence of rock layers and the index fossils they contain, geologists can determine the relative age of the rocks and the events that occurred during different time periods. This allows for the construction of a geologic time scale that helps in understanding Earth's history and past environments.