Data Bases • Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism? Links • Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com Free Essays • Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • Free Essays • My Term Papers • Essay World • Planet Papers	Search Lots of Essays Back to Subjects - Science Fault Lines Fault Lines 1.The principle of superposition is layers of sediment are deposited successively, the oldest layer on the bottom. The principle of original horizontally is all sedimentary rock are laid down flat, if the are not horizontal then the surface has been deformed. The principle of faunal succession is the life forms have changed through the years. The old life disappears from the fossil record and new ones appear life changes. These changes are preserved in the rock record.2.The rocks that make up the walls of the Canyon range from 250 million years old Coconino Sandstone at the top to over 2 billion years old Vishnu Schist at the bottom. Each layer of rock represents a distinct geologic period of the Earth's past, and no where else on the planet is such a large section of geologic time displayed so well. The rocks that are found in the Grand Canyon represent a full 1/3 of our planet's age and are composed of, for the most part sediments in the upper sections, and to a lesser extent metamorphic and volcanic rock in the lower reaches. 3.The two special conditions appear to be necessary are rapid burial and the possession of hard parts.4. cretaceous period5. (A) Dinosaurs, contrary to what many people think, are not just big lizards. While it is true that the name dinosaur (coined by Sir Richard Owen in 1842) means "terrible lizard" in Greek, dinosaurs are quite a distinct group from lizards. Dinosaurs are considered to be reptiles. Unlike most reptiles dinosaurs all walked with their legs directly below their hips. This is different than a lizard or a crocodile where the top section of the limb is splayed out horizontally from the body and the lower section goes from the "knee" joint straight down to the ground. (b) Science and dinosaurs became acquainted around 1815 through a gentleman named William Buckland. Buckland had acquired some large fossil bones from Stonefield quarries near Oxford, England. Buckland recognized these bones as belonging to what appeared to be a lizard of enormous size. He named his find Megalosaurus which means "Great Lizard." Though Buckland was not the first person to find a Megalosaurus bone (Robert Plot described one as far back as 1676) he was the first to realize that these fossils belonged to an unknown class of huge reptiles. These huge lizards fired the imagination of 19th century scientists and the general public alike. People marveled at the drawings made from their early study of dinosaur fossils. Scientists fought over excavation sites so they could be the first to discover and name new species. (c) The question of whether dinosaurs were warm-blooded, like mammals and birds, or cold-blooded, like reptiles and fish, has been debated since dinosaur fossils were first discovered in 1825. Cold-blooded, or ectothermic, animal's bodies stay about the same temperature as the environment around them. This means cold-blooded animals tend to be sluggish in cool weather. In the morning a lizard must sun itself on a rock to warm up before it can take on any vigorous activity. Warm-blooded, or endothermic, animals generate their own heat and maintain a nearly constant temperature no matter what conditions are like outside the body. This means that an animal, like a dog, can be active in even freezing weather.(d) One of the great mysteries in science is the extinction of the dinosaurs at the end of the Mesozoic Era some 65 million years ago. Who (or more likely what) caused it is unknown and a subject of great debate. Scientists believe that climatic changes might be responsible for most of these extinctions. There is evidence that shows the temperature dropped at the end of the Mesozoic and the sea levels fell. A sudden change in climate might affect the growth of plants and the dinosaur's food supply. Some of the theories of dinosaur extinction are: -Cosmic radiation from a nearby exploding supernova star killed them. -Acid rain from volcano activity was responsible. -Continental drift altered the climate. -Disease ravaged dinosaur populations. -Small mammals appeared that fed on dinosaur eggs. Bibliography: Word Count: 678
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