Grade 4 Earth science worksheet on reading rock layers and fossils as records of Earth's past. Fill-in questions cover the Law of Superposition, sedimentary rock, sediment, and paleontologist. The matching activity pairs key vocabulary with definitions so students can interpret undisturbed and tilted layers and use fossils as evidence. Students apply the Law of Superposition to layered rock diagrams and use fossil clues to picture ancient environments in this Grade 4 worksheet now.
Style:
Earth's Changing Surface
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. The rule that older rock layers lie below newer ones is called the Law of Superposition.
2. A preserved trace or remains of an ancient organism in rock is called a fossil.
3. If a fossil fish is found in a desert rock layer, that area was once likely a sea.
4. Rock layers made from squeezed sand, mud, and shells are called sedimentary rock.
5. In an undisturbed cliff, the very bottom layer is the oldest layer.
6. Tiny pieces of broken rock that get pressed into layers are called sediment.
7. Fossils of tropical plants in cold Antarctica show climate has changed over time.
8. Layers that were tilted by movement of Earth's plates are no longer horizontal.
9. A scientist who studies fossils to learn about ancient life is a paleontologist.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
Law of Superposition
→ Older layers lie below newer layers
Older layers lie below newer layers
Fossil
→ Trace or remains of an ancient organism
Trace or remains of an ancient organism
Sedimentary rock
→ Forms from squeezed layers of sediment
Forms from squeezed layers of sediment
Tilted layers
→ Sign that plate movement disturbed the rock
Sign that plate movement disturbed the rock
Earth's Changing Surface
★ Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1) The rule that older rock layers lie below newer ones is called the Law of Superposition.
2) A preserved trace or remains of an ancient organism in rock is called a fossil.
3) If a fossil fish is found in a desert rock layer, that area was once likely a sea.
4) Rock layers made from squeezed sand, mud, and shells are called sedimentary rock.
5) In an undisturbed cliff, the very bottom layer is the oldest layer.
6) Tiny pieces of broken rock that get pressed into layers are called sediment.
7) Fossils of tropical plants in cold Antarctica show climate has changed over time.
8) Layers that were tilted by movement of Earth's plates are no longer horizontal.
9) A scientist who studies fossils to learn about ancient life is a paleontologist.
★ Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1) Match each item to its correct answer.
Law of Superposition
→ Older layers lie below newer layers
Older layers lie below newer layers
Fossil
→ Trace or remains of an ancient organism
Trace or remains of an ancient organism
Sedimentary rock
→ Forms from squeezed layers of sediment
Forms from squeezed layers of sediment
Tilted layers
→ Sign that plate movement disturbed the rock
Sign that plate movement disturbed the rock
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