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Critical and Creative Thinking Week 1

Good Essays

Individual Week 1 Review Questions

GLG/220
10/02/2013

Critical and Creative Thinking Questions

Chapter 1
3. How do you think the principle of uniformitarianism accounts for occasional catastrophic events such as meteorite impacts, huge volcanic eruptions, or great earthquakes?
The principle of uniformitarianism states the processes occurring on Earth today are very similar in manner as those throughout much of geologic times. In other words “the present is the key to the past.”(Murck, B. W., Skinner, B. J., & Mackenzie, D. (2010)). When looking at past geological events and occurrences that happened in the past with additions of new testing and technology they can predict when and if volcanic eruptions may occur, …show more content…

Chapter 3
3. How old are the rock formations in the area where you live and attend college or university? How can you find out the answer to this question?
I live and attend college in the Valley of the Sun. Many of the rock formations here are extremely old dating back nearly 2 billion years during a time period geologists called the Precambrian Period (GeoHistory). Information to answer this question can be found in news articles, biology journals, historical websites, and government and educational readings as well.
4. Choose one of the geologic periods or epochs listed in Figure 3.8 and find out all you can about it: How are rocks from that period identified? What are its most characteristic fossils? Where are the best samples of rocks from your chosen period found?
Rocks formed during the cretaceous period are identifiable in more ways than one would think. The cretaceous period occurred at the end of the Mesozoic Era. Rocks such as limestone, basaltic, clays, salts, gypsum, sandstone, conglomerates, and shale’s were found during this time period (Cretaceous Period). Sedimentary rocks hold many fossils of the predominant organisms to inhabit the planet Earth dinosaurs. Many of the rocks can be identified by the variation in their lithological character and thickness of their sequences, or by the fossils that are discovered in them. Some of the best samples of rocks from this time period can be found right here in Arizona at the

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