Worksheet 2

Science 8
Unit 1 – Module 1
Lesson 1 – Analyzing the Rock and Fossil
Records

1. How old do scientists think Earth is?

2. Who was the first one to reject the thinking that the Earth was only a few thousand
years old? Who was he?

3. Hutton’s ideas are the foundation of a principle called uniformitarianism. What does
that say?

4. Since uniformitarianism happens, how can scientists learn about Earth’s past?

5. What does uniformitarianism not allow for?

6. What is relative age?

7. What are the 5 Principles of Relative Age Dating?

1)

2)

3)
 4)

5)

8. What are fossils?

9. What do sudden changes in the fossil record indicate?