What are the two types of fossil study? - ✅✅
---Paleontology: study of extinct
organisms based on their fossils-biology meets geology
--paleoanthropology: study of the primate (human) fossil record
What is a fossil? -✅✅-a remain or trace of a once living organism
What are the different types of fossils? - ✅✅---body fossils: mineralized copy of
bones, teeth, plants, etc.
--trace fossils: footprints, trails, burrows, teeth, plants, etc.
--subfossils: fossilization is not complete
--unaltered fossils: those preserved in amber or frozen
what is taphonomy? - ✅✅
-study of post mortem history of an organism. What
processes have happened to its body after it died?
What is stratigraphy? - ✅✅ -study of rock layers of earth to determine order and
timing of events in earths history
What are the principles of stratigraphy? - ✅✅ -principle of original horizontality,
principle of super position, principle of cross-cutting relationships, law of faunal
succession
what is the principle of original horizontality? - ✅✅-sediments were initially
deposited horizontally
what is the principle of superposition? - ✅✅-the oldest sediments are on the
bottom and younger on the top
What is the principle of cross-cutting relationships? - ✅✅
-rock layers that cut
through other layers must be younger than the layers cut through
What is the law of faunal succession? - ✅✅-fossil organisms are restricted to
certain rock layers corresponding to particular time intervals
Are stratigraphy laws and principles always true? - ✅✅
-No. Often complex
geological processes can effect distribution and make interpretation difficult
What is provenience? - ✅✅-precise context and origin of a fossil/artifact
What is relative dating? - ✅✅-saying how old something is relative to another thing
What are some relative dating methods? - ✅✅-lithostratigraphy, biostratigraphy
,What is lithostratigraphy? - ✅✅ -using characteristics of surrounding rock layers to
estimate the relative age of the object
What is biostratigraphy? - ✅✅ -using the assemblage of fossil organisms to
estimate age. Relative age estimation of strata based on first and last appearance of
particular fossils.
What is an index fossil? - ✅✅ -an extinct organism whcih can be used to estimate
the age of surrounding fossils. A good index fossil is widely distributed, easily
recognizeable, and evolves rapidly. Very helpful in biostratigraphy
What is faunal dating? -✅✅-sequence of species at well dated sites
What is absolute dating? - ✅✅-using mathematical models of how elements in the
rock change over time to estimate the exact age of something. Requires a process
that changes at a constant rate.
What is the main type of absolute dating? - ✅✅ -Radiometric dating. Uses constant
decay of radioisotopes to determine age. A radioisotope is a form of an element
which radiates/loses pieces of itself overtime, therefore changing into new forms of
the element. The decay of the parent element to the daughter element is at a
constant rate. The half-life is the time it takes for half the parent isotope to decay into
the daughter isotope.
What are the three main types of radiometric dating? - ✅✅---radio carbon dating:
using carbon 14. Only works to around 50k years ago, and so is less useful in anthro
and more in archaeo.
--potasium-argon dating: works for much wider age range (between 10 billion and
10k years old), but only works on things with volcanic ash
--uranium series dating: works for things between thosands to millions of years old.
Works on mineral deposits. Useful when there is no volcanic sediment but the object
is outside of the time range of radiocarbon.
What is the geological time scale? - ✅✅ -records the history of planet earth, divided
into various eons, eras, periods, epochs, and ages
What is geological time? - ✅✅-also known as deep time-orders of magnitude
larger than the human mind can conceptualize
What is the K-T boundary? - ✅✅ -roughly 66 mya between cenozoic and mesozoic,
as well as the cretaceous and tertiary period. The Cenozoic is the time we are in
right now. This transition was when dinosaurs went extinct and primates basically
started taking over. The mesozoic is when mammals first arose.
, What is a way that ancient climates can be inferred? - ✅✅ -deep sea cores.
Sediments reflect surface chemistry, which is affected by temperature. Sampling
ocean cores yields history of world temperatures
What are some primitive/ancestral traits retained in primates? - ✅✅ -pentadactyl (5
digits), two lower arm bones (radius and ulna), clavicle, generalized body plan, wet
nose, split upper lip
What are some derived traits (traits that primates acquired)? - ✅✅ -reduced
olfaction, emphasis on vision, closed or partially closed back of orbit, presence of
post orbital bar, grasping hands and feet, nails vs claws, tendency for vertical
postures, larger relative brains, opposable digit, slow life history
When were the first potential and first true primate dated to? - ✅✅ -The first
primate-like fossil was dated to about 65 million years ago. The first "true" confirmed
primates are from around 55 million years ago during the Eocene.
What is the first potential primate? -✅✅ ---purgatorious: found in Purgatory Hill,
Montana. Type of plesiadapiform. Proto primate or sister group?
What are Plesiadapiforms? - ✅✅ -potential first primate group. Found in Europe
and North America. They have small brains, no postorbital barm eyes on side of
face, rodent like incisors, long snout, no opposable big toe, and claws. Potentially an
ancestor?
What is the first "true" primate? -✅✅
-Euprimates, which arises during the
Euocene. Found in Eurasia, North America, and north Africa. Consists of adapoids
and omomyoids.
What is an adapoid? - ✅✅ ---54-34 mya
--strepsirrhine ancestors
--small-medium size (house cat size)
--arboreal and quadrapeds
--ate fruit and leaves
--similar to strepsirrhines in that they lacked derived features (still had tooth comb
and grooming digit)
--mostly found in North America and Europe (which were connected at the time)
What are omomyoids? - ✅✅ ---haplorrhine ancestors
--small bodied
--big eyes, potentially nocturnal
--limbs for leaping, arboreal
--lack some tarsier traits, so probably ancestors of all haplorhines
---Paleontology: study of extinct
organisms based on their fossils-biology meets geology
--paleoanthropology: study of the primate (human) fossil record
What is a fossil? -✅✅-a remain or trace of a once living organism
What are the different types of fossils? - ✅✅---body fossils: mineralized copy of
bones, teeth, plants, etc.
--trace fossils: footprints, trails, burrows, teeth, plants, etc.
--subfossils: fossilization is not complete
--unaltered fossils: those preserved in amber or frozen
what is taphonomy? - ✅✅
-study of post mortem history of an organism. What
processes have happened to its body after it died?
What is stratigraphy? - ✅✅ -study of rock layers of earth to determine order and
timing of events in earths history
What are the principles of stratigraphy? - ✅✅ -principle of original horizontality,
principle of super position, principle of cross-cutting relationships, law of faunal
succession
what is the principle of original horizontality? - ✅✅-sediments were initially
deposited horizontally
what is the principle of superposition? - ✅✅-the oldest sediments are on the
bottom and younger on the top
What is the principle of cross-cutting relationships? - ✅✅
-rock layers that cut
through other layers must be younger than the layers cut through
What is the law of faunal succession? - ✅✅-fossil organisms are restricted to
certain rock layers corresponding to particular time intervals
Are stratigraphy laws and principles always true? - ✅✅
-No. Often complex
geological processes can effect distribution and make interpretation difficult
What is provenience? - ✅✅-precise context and origin of a fossil/artifact
What is relative dating? - ✅✅-saying how old something is relative to another thing
What are some relative dating methods? - ✅✅-lithostratigraphy, biostratigraphy
,What is lithostratigraphy? - ✅✅ -using characteristics of surrounding rock layers to
estimate the relative age of the object
What is biostratigraphy? - ✅✅ -using the assemblage of fossil organisms to
estimate age. Relative age estimation of strata based on first and last appearance of
particular fossils.
What is an index fossil? - ✅✅ -an extinct organism whcih can be used to estimate
the age of surrounding fossils. A good index fossil is widely distributed, easily
recognizeable, and evolves rapidly. Very helpful in biostratigraphy
What is faunal dating? -✅✅-sequence of species at well dated sites
What is absolute dating? - ✅✅-using mathematical models of how elements in the
rock change over time to estimate the exact age of something. Requires a process
that changes at a constant rate.
What is the main type of absolute dating? - ✅✅ -Radiometric dating. Uses constant
decay of radioisotopes to determine age. A radioisotope is a form of an element
which radiates/loses pieces of itself overtime, therefore changing into new forms of
the element. The decay of the parent element to the daughter element is at a
constant rate. The half-life is the time it takes for half the parent isotope to decay into
the daughter isotope.
What are the three main types of radiometric dating? - ✅✅---radio carbon dating:
using carbon 14. Only works to around 50k years ago, and so is less useful in anthro
and more in archaeo.
--potasium-argon dating: works for much wider age range (between 10 billion and
10k years old), but only works on things with volcanic ash
--uranium series dating: works for things between thosands to millions of years old.
Works on mineral deposits. Useful when there is no volcanic sediment but the object
is outside of the time range of radiocarbon.
What is the geological time scale? - ✅✅ -records the history of planet earth, divided
into various eons, eras, periods, epochs, and ages
What is geological time? - ✅✅-also known as deep time-orders of magnitude
larger than the human mind can conceptualize
What is the K-T boundary? - ✅✅ -roughly 66 mya between cenozoic and mesozoic,
as well as the cretaceous and tertiary period. The Cenozoic is the time we are in
right now. This transition was when dinosaurs went extinct and primates basically
started taking over. The mesozoic is when mammals first arose.
, What is a way that ancient climates can be inferred? - ✅✅ -deep sea cores.
Sediments reflect surface chemistry, which is affected by temperature. Sampling
ocean cores yields history of world temperatures
What are some primitive/ancestral traits retained in primates? - ✅✅ -pentadactyl (5
digits), two lower arm bones (radius and ulna), clavicle, generalized body plan, wet
nose, split upper lip
What are some derived traits (traits that primates acquired)? - ✅✅ -reduced
olfaction, emphasis on vision, closed or partially closed back of orbit, presence of
post orbital bar, grasping hands and feet, nails vs claws, tendency for vertical
postures, larger relative brains, opposable digit, slow life history
When were the first potential and first true primate dated to? - ✅✅ -The first
primate-like fossil was dated to about 65 million years ago. The first "true" confirmed
primates are from around 55 million years ago during the Eocene.
What is the first potential primate? -✅✅ ---purgatorious: found in Purgatory Hill,
Montana. Type of plesiadapiform. Proto primate or sister group?
What are Plesiadapiforms? - ✅✅ -potential first primate group. Found in Europe
and North America. They have small brains, no postorbital barm eyes on side of
face, rodent like incisors, long snout, no opposable big toe, and claws. Potentially an
ancestor?
What is the first "true" primate? -✅✅
-Euprimates, which arises during the
Euocene. Found in Eurasia, North America, and north Africa. Consists of adapoids
and omomyoids.
What is an adapoid? - ✅✅ ---54-34 mya
--strepsirrhine ancestors
--small-medium size (house cat size)
--arboreal and quadrapeds
--ate fruit and leaves
--similar to strepsirrhines in that they lacked derived features (still had tooth comb
and grooming digit)
--mostly found in North America and Europe (which were connected at the time)
What are omomyoids? - ✅✅ ---haplorrhine ancestors
--small bodied
--big eyes, potentially nocturnal
--limbs for leaping, arboreal
--lack some tarsier traits, so probably ancestors of all haplorhines
