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9th grade The geologic time scale and the great extinctions worksheet

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The geologic time scale and the great extinctions

Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Challenge Me

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Branching tree that narrows, then spreads out again. A classmate says mass extinctions show life on Earth keeps shrinking. Which reply fits the NPS evidence, by Esme's reading?

    • Variety stays the same through each extinction
    • Variety drops sharply, then bursts of new species rebuild it
    • Correct; variety has dropped since the first extinction
    • Correct; each extinction left fewer groups for good

  2. Read this first

    The Big Five (NPS)

    ExtinctionAbout whenSpecies lost
    end-Ordovician444 million years ago86%
    Late Devonian372 million years ago75%
    end-Permian251.9 million years ago96%
    end-Triassic200 million years ago80%
    end-Cretaceous66 million years ago76%

  3. Why is the end-Cretaceous the extinction scientists tie to an asteroid, by Jun's reading (NPS)?

    • Glacier deposits from that time cover much of the poles
    • It is the oldest of the Big Five
    • Its rocks hold flood basalts from that time
    • A huge impact crater of the same age has been found

  4. A student says the end-Permian and end-Cretaceous extinctions had the same cause. Which reply fits NPS, by Kira's reading?

    • No: flood basalts for one, an asteroid for the other
    • Yes: both followed glaciations
    • Yes: both followed asteroid impacts
    • No: an asteroid for the end-Permian, volcanoes for the end-Cretaceous

  5. Eras (USGS)

    EraBeganEnded
    Paleozoic541 million years ago251.9 million years ago
    Mesozoic251.9 million years ago66 million years ago
    Cenozoic66 million years agotoday

  6. The Paleozoic lasted about 289 million years, the Mesozoic about 186 and the Cenozoic 66 so far (USGS). About what share of the last 541 million years is the Cenozoic, by Luz's math?

    • About 34%
    • About 66%
    • About 12%
    • About 53%

  7. The Big Five (NPS)

    ExtinctionAbout whenSpecies lost
    end-Ordovician444 million years ago86%
    Late Devonian372 million years ago75%
    end-Permian251.9 million years ago96%
    end-Triassic200 million years ago80%
    end-Cretaceous66 million years ago76%

  8. The end-Ordovician (444) and end-Cretaceous (66 million years ago) are the first and last of the Big Five. On average, about how far apart are the five, by Milo's math?

    • About 76 million years, from dividing by 5
    • About 378 million years
    • About 95 million years
    • About 95 thousand years

  9. If Earth's 4,600 million years were a 100-meter track, how far from the finish line would the end-Permian extinction sit, by Noah's math?

    • About 0.5 meters
    • About 5.5 kilometers
    • About 5.5 meters
    • About 55 meters

  10. The Big Five (NPS)

    ExtinctionAbout whenSpecies lost
    end-Ordovician444 million years ago86%
    Late Devonian372 million years ago75%
    end-Permian251.9 million years ago96%
    end-Triassic200 million years ago80%
    end-Cretaceous66 million years ago76%

  11. NPS lists several suggested causes for the Late Devonian extinction about 372 million years ago. Which statement fits, by Pia's reading?

    • An asteroid impact is the settled cause
    • No single cause has strong evidence yet
    • It is a dating error, and no extinction happened
    • Flood basalts are the settled cause

  12. Four evidence cards, labeled A to D. Which evidence would most strongly support an asteroid cause for an extinction layer, by Ren's reading?

    • Glacier deposits just below the layer
    • An iridium layer and a crater of the same age
    • Fewer fossils above the layer, by itself
    • A thick stack of flood basalts of the same age

  13. The Big Five (NPS)

    ExtinctionAbout whenSpecies lost
    end-Ordovician444 million years ago86%
    Late Devonian372 million years ago75%
    end-Permian251.9 million years ago96%
    end-Triassic200 million years ago80%
    end-Cretaceous66 million years ago76%

  14. Why does most of what we know about the Big Five come from sea life, by Ari's reading (NPS)?

    • Land fossils are younger than 66 million years, so they say little
    • Many marine invertebrates have excellent fossil records
    • The sea had extinctions just once
    • Sea animals caused the extinctions

  15. Species usually last a few million years, yet NPS calls five events mass extinctions. What sets those five apart, by Bo's reading?

    • They each lasted over 100 million years
    • Before them, species did not become extinct
    • Extinction rates spiked far above the usual rate for a short time
    • They are the sole times a species became extinct
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9th grade The geologic time scale and the great extinctions worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Read the geologic time scale and the five mass extinctions. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can read the geologic time scale, put the eras in order and show that the Precambrian is about 88% of Earth's history.
  • I can give the dates of the Big Five mass extinctions and the causes scientists describe: an asteroid, flood basalt volcanism, rift eruptions, glaciation, or no settled cause.
  • I can describe the recovery after a mass extinction, when surviving groups branched into new species and took over open roles.

Standard: supports HS-ESS2-7, HS-LS4-5

Words to know

era: A long division of geologic time, such as the Mesozoic

Precambrian: Earth's history before about 541 million years ago

mass extinction: A short spike in extinction far above the usual rate

flood basalt: A huge outpouring of lava over a wide area

recovery: New species branching from survivors after an extinction

Common mistakes

Your child shrank the Precambrian. USGS: Earth formed about 4,600 million years ago and the Precambrian ended about 541 million years ago, so it is roughly 88% of Earth's history.

Your child mixed up the eras. USGS: Paleozoic (541 to 251.9 million years ago), then Mesozoic (to 66), then Cenozoic (66 to today).

Your child matched an extinction to the wrong cause. NPS: an asteroid for the end-Cretaceous; flood basalt eruptions for the end-Permian; rift eruptions for the end-Triassic; glaciation for the end-Ordovician.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with the geologic time scale and the great extinctions?

Your child shrank the Precambrian. USGS: Earth formed about 4,600 million years ago and the Precambrian ended about 541 million years ago, so it is roughly 88% of Earth's history.

Are these 9th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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