Module Questions on Geological Periods - Paper Example

Q1. The significance of the Morrison formation is that it produced the classic dinosaurs of the Jurassic era.

Q2. The breakup of Pangaea was initiated by the Triassic rifting between North America and Africa continental landmasses.

Q3. In the plant kingdom, the major evolutionary change, which took place, was the formation of the green algae, Fritschiella. The plant had new features that were absent in other algae.

Q4. The difference between ornithschian and saurischian dinosaurs is the alignment of the pubis. In the former, the bone points towards the animals tail and positions to the ischium. On the other hand, in the latter, the bone points towards the animals front.

Q5. Ichthyosaurs reproduced in the water by giving birth to their young ones and not laying eggs. The animals retained their eggs in their womb until they hatched and gave birth to them. They mainly lived in the sea and rarely went to the land.

Q6. The significance of Archaeopteryx is that it plays a role in the study of the origin of birds and dinosaurs.

Q7. The sedimentary grains, which supports the hypothesis that the extinction of the dinosaurs was due to a meteor impact is the cretaceous-paleogenic.

Module 12 Homework

Q1. Glacial Lake Missoula was located in Western Montana at the North end of Camas Prairie Valley. Warm temperatures led to the melting of glaciers and water began to build up causing floods in the lake. Eventually, the water caused pressure on the glacier and resulted to it draining most of its water.

Q2. Oxygen isotope ratio is used to infer about ancient climate in regards to waters salinity because the oxygen ratio rises as the temperature increases in the ice sheets. On the other hand, pollen analysis is used to make inferences about ancient climate because they were observed in the ice cores and could be used to comprehend the plants that were present as the layer formed. The knowledge about which plants were present leads to the understanding of precipitation, temperature, and fauna present.

Q3. Isostatic rebound is the rise of landmasses, which were depressed by huge ice sheets during the glacial period. Evidence of isostatic rebound is visible in raised beaches around Hudson bay, the Baltic sea, and the Great Lakes.

Q4. The Himalayas began forming around 200 million years ago. It all began when tectonic forces broke apart forming the continents, which are known today. Conventional currents worked on the plates, which caused the continents to drift across the globe to their locations. The Tethys Sea, which separated India and the Eurasian plate, disappeared and its sediments rose to form a mountain range. India and Tibet collided causing the sedimentary and metamorphic rocks to rise upwards creating the Himalayas.

Q5. Many fossil land-dwelling mammals are present in the western United States compared to the eastern part because they were adapted to the aquatic environment.

Q6. So much more is known about the Cenozoic earth and life history than about the previous intervals of geological time because of the largest land mammals that were present during that time.