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The Fossil Record MS-LS4-1

NGSS

fossil record

the history of life recorded by all the fossils we have collected
fossil record Simple Definition

geologic time scale

a timeline of Earth's history based on major changes
geologic time scale Simple Definition

homologous structure

a similar structure in different species, like a whale fin, bat wing and your arm
homologous structure Simple Definition

index fossil

a fossil from an organism that existed for a short time, it is used to determine the age of other fossils
index fossil Simple Definition

law of superposition

the oldest rock layers are at the bottom and youngest are at the top
law of superposition Simple Definition

phylogeny

the evolutionary history of an organism and related species
phylogeny Simple Definition

radiometric dating

comparing the amount of radioactive and nonradioactive isotopes to determine rock age
radiometric dating Simple Definition

uniformitarianism

the theory that geologic processes are the same today as they were in the past
uniformitarianism Simple Definition

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