1.
"The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen.": Exodus 13:28
2.
absolute age: The age of a rock given as the number of years since the rock formed.
3.
atom: The smallest particle of an element.
4.
carbon film: A type of fossil consisting of an extremely thin coating of carbon on rock.
5.
cast: A fossil that is a solid copy of an organism's shape, formed when minerals seep into a mold.
6.
element: A type of matter in which all the atoms are the same.
7.
evolution: The process by which all the different kinds of living things have changed over time.
8.
extinct: Describes a type of organism that no longer exists anywhere on Earth.
9.
extrusion: An igneous rock layer formed when lava flows onto Earth's surface and hardens.
10.
fault: A break or crack in Earth's lithosphere along which the rocks move.
11.
fossil: The preserved remains or traces of living things.
12.
half-life: The time it takes for half of the atoms of a radioactive element to decay.
13.
index fossil: Fossils of widely distributed organisms that lived during only one short period.
14.
intrusion: An igneous rock layer formed when magma hardens beneath Earth's surface.
15.
law of superposition: The geologic principle that states that in horizontal layers of sedimentary rock each layer is older than the layer above it and younger than the layer below it.
16.
mold: A fossil formed when an organism buried in sediment dissolves, leaving a hollow area.
17.
paleontologist: A scientist who studies fossils to learn about organisms that lived long ago.
18.
petrified fossil: A fossil in which minerals replace all or part of an organism.
19.
radioactive dating: The breakdown of a radioactive element, releasing particles and energy.
20.
relative age: The age of a rock compared to the ages of rock layers.
21.
scientific theory: A well-tested concept that explains a wide range of observations.
22.
sedimentary rock: The type of rock that is made of hardened sediment.
23.
trace fossil: A type of fossil that provides evidence of the activities of ancient organisms.
24.
unconformity: A place where an old, eroded rock surface is in contact with a newer rock layer.