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sedimentary rocks - rocks formed by the accumulation of sediments
strata - the oldest layers of rock; at the bottom
stratigraphy - the study of geological strata
widely separated - Fossils of similar organisms are found in places on Earth.
younger, older - Certain fossils are always found in strata, and certain other fossils are always
found in strata.
more - Fossilized organisms found in younger strata are similar to modern organisms than are
those found in older strata.
half-life - time interval in which half of the atoms in a radioisotope decay to become a different isotope
radiometric dating - the use of the knowledge of a radioisotope's half-life to date fossils and rocks
igneous rocks - rocks formed when molten material cools
Precambrian - collective name for the first three eons
mass extinction events - times during which a large proportion of the species living at the time
disappeared
end-Permian extinction - the most sweeping of the mass extinctions; associated with dramatic drops in
sea level, global temperature, and atmospheric oxygen level