Virtual Lab Workbook 1 - Historical Geology
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School
Valencia College *
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Course
1011
Subject
Geology
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
docx
Pages
12
Uploaded by DeanWren6271
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B S C 1 0 1 1 c W o r k b o o k
Lab Exercise 1 – Historical Geology
Information:
This lab assignment is graded for effort, professionalism, and completion. Answers do not
need to be
correct, but should be “in the ballpark” and show the student thought and used
relevant resources
when completing this assignment.
All lab work must be hand-written! When drawings are required, they must be hand-drawn. If you
work
does not fit in the space provided, you must do the work on additional sheets of paper and
include
those additional sheets when you create your final PDF file for submission.
Pre-Lab Questions
NOTE: Pre-lab questions help students navigate the lab resources, such as introductory
videos and
relevant PowerPoints. These resources are posted on Canvas.
Students MUST answer the pre-lab questions in order for their lab workbook to be considered
complete.
1. What are the three main types of rocks? Describe HOW each rock looks, visually, and give
an example
of each type of rock.
2. Re-draw and label the rock cycle so you are familiar with how each type of rock can be
changed into
other types of rock.
3. Define a fossil.
4. List and briefly describe the main types of preservation using the Fossils Popplet
resource.
5. List and explain Steno’s Principles/Laws of Stratigraphy.
6. What are some common methods of absolute dating?
7. What is a hominid (also known as a hominin)? How does a hominid differ from a modern
primate or
an ape?
8. What is morphology?
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B S C 1 0 1 1 c W o r k b o o k
Lab Activity 1.1 – Different Types of Fossilization and Preservation
Objectives
In this activity, students will observe representative samples formed through
different
fossilization processes
Students will become familiar with and be able to recognize some commonly
fossilized
organisms
Activities
1. Perform a Google Images search to find images of fossils that represent each category
below and
copy/paste the image of each specimen
You may NOT use the same images that are featured on the Fossils Popplet
Define which preservation method is demonstrated by the specimen you found
Record information about the specimen, including a name/species type and age if
possible:
-
Mummified specimen
“A Burns collection specimen shows part of the
head, neck and shoulder area, with an emphasis on the anatomy of the
neck area”
https://time.com/3092090/burns-collection-exhibit-mummy/
.
-
Frozen Spicemen
“ Miniscule tardigrade fossil frozen in
amber is over 16 million years old”
https://bigthink.com/the-past/tardigrade-fossil-amber/
.
-
Amber-encased specimen
“
A piece of amber containing a fossilised lizard is
99m years old”
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/mar/06/99m-year-old-lizard-
trapped-in-amber-could-give-clue-to-lost-ecosystem
.
-
Tar-preserved specimen
”Beetle in Tar Sand
Hydrophilus
(Water Beetle)”
http://petrifiedwoodmuseum.org/chemicalpreservation.htm
.
-
Impression - Trace fossil sample
https://australian.museum/learn/australia-over-
time/fossils/
.
-
Imprint - Body fossil sample
”Imprint & Compression of Fish
Knightia
eocaena.
Cenozoic; Paleocene; Eocene. Complete Fish 12 cm long”
http://petrifiedwoodmuseum.org/Imprints.htm
.
-
Cast fossil sample
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“Ammonite Mold & Cast.
Dactylioceras commune.
Mesozoic; Jurassic. Whitby, Yorkshire England”
http://petrifiedwoodmuseum.org/moldscasts.htm
.
-
Mold fossil sample
“Mold:
the hollow shape in a rock left behind after
an organism decays”
https://calaski.wordpress.com/fossil-evidence/
.
-
Petrified wood specimen
https://www.van-royen.com/garden-and-hearth/large-
petrified-wood-specimen
.
-
Petrified bone specimen
“
Fossils of human finger bones found on the Al
Wusta site in Saudi Arabia date to 85,000 years ago, the oldest evidence of
human movement on the Arabian Peninsula”
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/09/science/a-fossilized-finger-bone-may-
be-from-the-earliest-humans-on-the-arabian-peninsula.html
.
-
Permineralized/crystallized shell specimen
https://www.villagerockshop.com/blog/unique-
petrified-fossil-collectibles/
.
-
Carbonized plant specimen
https://www.prehistoriclife.xyz/fossil-
collectors/carbonization.html
.
-
Carbonized animal specimen
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/double-
discosauriscus-pulcherrimus-1829627103
.
-
An Ammonite specimen
https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-is-an-
ammonite.html
.
-
A Trilobite specimen
“Calymene blumenbachii, Silurian, England,
became known as the Dudley Locust, Dudley Bug or Dudley Insect”
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/double-discosauriscus-
pulcherrimus-1829627103
.
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W o r k b o o k
Lab Activity 1.2 – Relative Dating Methods
Objective
Students will be able to apply Steno’s Principles to realistic scenarios
Students will be able to order fossils from oldest to newest based on stratigraphic
position
Students will be able to describe the benefits and problems with relative
dating
Activities
Scenario 1: You are working as an intern on a geology excavation site. You are given
several core
samples of rocks that were drilled from surrounding mountains.
1. Apply Steno’s Laws to correctly match the layers in the 4 core samples pictured; Label the
layers using
numbers from newest (1) to oldest (7).
NOTE: Not all layers are present in all samples, and some of the samples are broken – that’s
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For Sample #1 (
From the top to the Bottom, we have ): 1, 2,3,4,5,6
For Sample#2: 1,2,3,4,5,6.
For Sample#3: 1,2,3.
For Sample#4: 1,2,3,4,5.
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B S C 1 0 1 1 c W o r k b o o k
2. A fellow researcher is able to use absolute dating to determine that the fossilized plant in the
core
samples above is approximately 200 million years old. Is the shell fossil older or younger
than the plant
fossil? Why?
The Shell Fossil will be younger than the plant fossil. Because according to the “
law of
superposition’, the layers on top are younger than the ones on the bottom .
3. When would relative dating be most useful? Under what circumstances is relative dating not
useful?
It would be most useful to use relative dating to arrange geological events. Relative
dating is not useful to offer specific dates.
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B S C 1 0 1 1 c W o r k b o o k
Lab Activity 1.3 – Absolute Dating Methods
Objective
Students will be able to calculate the age of a fossil based on isotope decay
Students will be able to select appropriate isotopes based on the estimated age of a
sample
Students will practice applying half-life calculations and read decay charts
Students will be able to describe the benefits and problems with absolute
dating
Activities
Scenario 1: You are a field researcher working on an archaeological dig site for a very old
human
civilization. You believe the civilization existed roughly 5,500 years ago. You are able
to find a cooking
area with preserved scraps of food.
1. Can these food scraps be dated using radioisotopes? Why or why not?
Yes, these food scraps can be dated using radioisotopes. Because all the foods contains
organic compounds that can be dated using the radioisotopes.
2. Which type of radioisotope dating would be appropriate to use on these food scraps to
determine
their absolute age? Why?
To determine their absolute age it would be appropriate to use Carbon-14 Cycle. Because
the Carbon-14 Cycle it is the radioisotope that is used to calculate the ages.
3. You send the food scraps for analysis. The results show that the food scraps contain only
50% of the
Carbon-14 that they should. Based on the decay rate of Carbon-14, how old are
these food scraps?
These food scraps are 5,730 years old.
4. Does your radioisotope dating confirm your initial hypothesis regarding the age of this
civilization?
No, it does not confirm the initial hypothesis.
Scenario 2: A different artifact is uncovered, but you are unsure if it was produced by the same
civilization. Radioisotope analysis shows the artifact (a wooden tool) has 75% more Nitrogen-14
than it
should have.
5. Explain (write out your process) how you can use this information to determine the age of
the wood tool.
We can use the Nitrogen-14 cycle as a radioisotope to calculate the age from the wood
tool.
6. Is this wood tool from the same time period as the food scraps?
No, the wood tool is not
from the same time period as the food scraps.
Scenario 3: While documenting the dig site, you find some flint rock tools. Flint is a type of
metamorphic
rock.
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B S C 1 0 1 1 c W o r k b o o k
7. Can you apply radioisotope dating to determine when the flint rock tools were produced
by this civilization? Why or Why not?
Yes, we can apply radioisotope dating to determine when the flint rock tools were
produced by this civilization. Because the flint rock. Because radioisotopes can be
also used to determine
the absolute age of geological processes.
8. Under what general circumstances is absolute dating able to be used?
Absolute dating is able to use when the organic or inorganic compounds can be
calculated from the Carbon-14 cycle ( or other radiosotopes cycles) to determine the
ages.
Which means they will not contain ages on the order of billions of years,
because in this case the elements will be too small to measure.
9. When is absolute dating not able to be used?
Absolute Dating can not be used when
have ages on the order of billions of years,
as the detectable amounts of the radioactive atoms and their decayed daughter
isotopes will be too small to measure within the uncertainty of the instruments.
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B S C 1 0 1 1 c W o r k b o o k
Lab Activity 1.4 – Observing Hominid Evolution using Fossil Evidence
Objectives
Students will apply skills using dating information to arrange the hominid skulls available
in the
lab from oldest to most recent
Students will confirm their order by comparing it to phylogenetic trees depicting
hominid
evolution
Activities
Instructions: Gather data on the species listed in the chart below by researching each species
online. If
you cannot QUANTIFY a trait, then create a qualitative or “estimated” scale. The first
one is done for you
as a sample.
-
Australopithecus afarensis ;
3.9-2.9 Million Years ago / 380-530 cc / Small jaw /
a very
prominent brow ridge / A cranial crest size of 400-500ml / The number of teeth and
tooth 1.7 to 2.3 times larger than modern hominoids of similar body sizes.
-
Australopithecus
africanu:
3.7 -3.0 Million years ago/ Small compared to other
hominids/
very prominent brow ridge/ The Cranial Crest size
400-500ml/
The
number of teeth and tooth 1.7 to 2.3 times larger than modern hominoids of similar
body sizes.
-
Australopithecus boisei:
between 1.0 and 2.3 million years ago / 500-550 cc/ Shorter
jaws/ A very prominent brow ridge/ Cranial Crest of 410 to 530 ml/
they have cheek
teeth
1.7 to 2.3 times larger than modern hominoids of similar body size.
-
Homo habilis:
2.3 million years ago /
640 cc / Shorter jaws with smaller teeth/ Strong
developed brow ridge / Cranial Crest about 500 ml/
teeth had become smaller and
more human
-
Homo erectus:
1.6 million years ago/
less than 1,000 cubic cm (61 cubic inches) cc/
lower jaw/ regular brow ridge size/ large brain around 900 cc/ larger teeth and
tooth.
-
Homo
neanderthalensis:
130,000 and 40,000 years ago/
1500 cubic centimetres cc/
Jaws were getting larger/ larger Brow Ridge size/ Not that larger/ they had 90
permanent teeth.
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-
Homo sapiens:
300,000 years ago/ about 1400 cc/ Developing smaller jaws with
smaller teeth/ anatomically
homo sapiens
do not possess marked browridges, and
have a more vertical forehead/ With average of brain mass of 2.97 pounds/ 32
teeth.
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B S C 1 0 1 1 c W o r k b o o k
1. Research the following trends and circle the correct direction for each trend:
NOTE: Variation is observed in some hominids as certain species evolved to their specific
lifestyles and
environments; these traits are seen as general trends over time
Cranial capacity
increased
/ decreased from early hominids to modern humans
Jaw size increased /
decreased
from early hominids to modern humans
Brow ridge size increased /
decreased
from early hominids to modern humans
Cranial crest size
increased
/ decreased* from early hominids to modern humans
Number of teeth and tooth size increased /
decreased
from early hominids to modern humans
2. Look up a tree for the hominids/hominins listed in the chart above. Arrange the species
above into a
“family tree” - known as a phylogenetic tree - to show how the species were
related and how they
branched off over time.
The Hominids can be divides, in a more uptaded “ Family tree”
in: ( Oldest)
Denisovans- Neanderthals-
Homo Sapiens ( Newest)
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Post-Lab Questions
1. Create a chart to summarize the most common radioisotopes used in relative dating.
Include
important information such as their decay rate (half-life), and their useful time
span.
Uranium-238:
Uranium-235/ 4.5 billion years/
10 million to origin of Earth/ Present in
nearly all rocks, soil and water.
Potassium-40:
Potassium-41 and Potassium-39/ 1.3 billion years/
About 0.012%/
Present in many Volcanic rocks.
Rubidium-87:
Rubidium-85/ 49 billion years/ 1
0 million to origin of Earth/ Is usually
present in minerals.
Carbon-14:
Carbon-12 and Carbon-13/ 5,730 years/ Between 100 and 50,000 years/ It
is mostly found in the
atmospheric.
2. Which of the following materials could be able to be accurately sampled using radioisotope
absolute
dating? Why or why not?
Petrified wood : Yes
A fully-lithified dinosaur bone : Yes
Limestone : Yes
A metamorphic rock : Yes
A tool carved out of metamorphic rock : No
Pumice stone: No
A human flour-grinding stone made from granite: No
A sandstone deposit that contains a volcanic intrusion : Yes
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3. You are studying fossils (mainly imprints and casts) that were deposited in a dry lake
basin. How
would you attempt to determine the age of the fossils?
I would attempt to determine the age of the fossils by using radioisotope absolute
dating.
4. You are carbon-dating a sample. Assume that when the sample was formed, it had
100% Carbon-14
and 0% Nitrogen-14. Current tests show the same now contains 87.5%
Nitrogen-14. How old is this
sample? Show your work.
To convert half ( 50 %) of Carbon-14 to Nitrogen it takes ----> 5,730 years
87.5% will convert ------> x
X= 5,730 years x 87.5% / 50% = 10,027.5 years
5. Which species is the oldest known hominid? Which other hominids were alive on Earth
at the same
time as Homo sapiens?
The oldest known hominid would be the
Ardipithecus ramidus.
The other hominids that were alive on Earth at the same
time as Homo Sapiens were:
Neanderthals in Eurasia, Homo floresiensis in
Indonesia and the 'Denisovans' in Siberia.
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