Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT) WarmUp Activity: Geologic Dating
This activity is part of the On the Cutting Edge Peer Reviewed Teaching Activities collection.
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This material was originally created for
Starting Point:Introductory Geology and is replicated here as part of the SERC Pedagogic Service.
Question:
1) How are zircons formed?
2) Which of the following statements describes relative geologic dating?
a) the Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus rex went extinct at the same time
b) dinosaurs came later than horseshoe crabs
c) the southern Atlantic Ocean began forming 20 million years after Pangaea split apart
d) the oldest piece of Atlantic Ocean crust is ~135 million years old, while the oldest piece of Pacific Ocean crust is ~165 million years old
e) orangutans separated from the hominid lineage 14 million years ago
3) Which of the following statements describes absolute geologic dating?
a) the Triceratops evolved after the Stegosaurus
b) the dinosaurs died out 60 million years before humans split from chimps
c) gorillas evolved before chimps
d) the northern Atlantic Ocean formed before the southern Atlantic Ocean
e) the Ice Ages ended 10,000 years ago, before the Cambrian Explosion ~545 million years ago
4) Why are zircons the most reliable timepiece we have for looking at Earth's early history?
2) Which of the following statements describes relative geologic dating?
a) the Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus rex went extinct at the same time
b) dinosaurs came later than horseshoe crabs
c) the southern Atlantic Ocean began forming 20 million years after Pangaea split apart
d) the oldest piece of Atlantic Ocean crust is ~135 million years old, while the oldest piece of Pacific Ocean crust is ~165 million years old
e) orangutans separated from the hominid lineage 14 million years ago
3) Which of the following statements describes absolute geologic dating?
a) the Triceratops evolved after the Stegosaurus
b) the dinosaurs died out 60 million years before humans split from chimps
c) gorillas evolved before chimps
d) the northern Atlantic Ocean formed before the southern Atlantic Ocean
e) the Ice Ages ended 10,000 years ago, before the Cambrian Explosion ~545 million years ago
4) Why are zircons the most reliable timepiece we have for looking at Earth's early history?
Student Responses:
See the Just-in-Time Teaching page on assessment for information and ideas on how to evaluate student responses.
References and Notes:
Articles that students may be assigned to read for this set of questions include (but are not limited to):
Zircon Chronology: Dating the Oldest Material on Earth, Earth: Inside Out (more info) , American Museum of Natural History.
The use of Just-in-Time Teaching is discussed in detail on the JiTT Starting Point page.
Zircon Chronology: Dating the Oldest Material on Earth, Earth: Inside Out (more info) , American Museum of Natural History.
The use of Just-in-Time Teaching is discussed in detail on the JiTT Starting Point page.
Additional information on JiTT is available in the book:
- Just-in-Time Teaching: Blending Active Learning with Web Technology. Novak et al., 1999 The authors explain what Just-in-Time Teaching is, its underlying goals and philosophies, and how to implement it. They also provide an extensive section of tested resource materials that can be used in introductory physics courses with the JiTT approach. (citation and description)