Module 6 The Abyss of Time
| Site: | MoodleHUB.ca 🍁 |
| Course: | Science 20 RVS |
| Book: | Module 6 The Abyss of Time |
| Printed by: | Guest user |
| Date: | Monday, 3 November 2025, 1:37 PM |
Description
Explore the chapters to learn the unit 1 content.
Unit 3 - The Changing Earth
Unit Introduction
The history of the Earth is a story of change. Changing continents, changing climates, and changing life forms. In this unit we will look at some of the changes that have occurred in the Earth and learn what evidence is present for those changes. We will look at earthquakes, mountain building, fossils and factors that contribute to petroleum production and climate change.
Unit Organizer
Module 5 - Electric and Magnetic Fields
In This Module
In this module we will look at the following topics
Lesson 1__The Long Beginning
Lesson 2 __Early Life
Lesson 3__Fossils and Dating
Lesson 4__Pinpointing Time
Once you have completed these lessons you will complete the assignments contained in these lessons and complete the module 6 quiz.
Big Picture
Big Picture
The History of the Earth pre-dates the history of man so finding out what happened on the Earth before the appearance of man requires and examination of the evidence left begin. In this module we will be looking and fossils and rocks and other evidence to determine the probable history of the Earth. We will also be examining some of methods used to analyze the evidence of Earth's past history.
Module 6 Inquiry
- What are fossils ?
- What is radiometric dating ?
- What is carbon dating ?
Lesson 3.6.1
Lesson 1- The Cambrian Explosion
Get Focused
In this lesson will investigate Earth's history and the evidence that gives us clues about what that history looked like.
Consider the following essential questions as you complete Lesson 1:
- When was the Pre-cambrian era ?
- What are the layers of the Earth ?
- What is a convection current ?
- How do the Earth's continental plates move
Vocabulary
Below is a link to the Science 20 Glossary. Make sure you can identify and define the terms within the glossary that correspond with this lesson.
Read
Read pages 296 - 301 in the Science 20 Textbook. There is a text link below
Video or multimedia content
Reflect and Connect
Research the evidence for the theory of plate tectonics. Do you find the evidence convincing ? Post your opinion and the evidence you used to form your opinion on the discussion forum.
Module 6 : Lesson 1 Assignment.
Once you have completed all of the learning activities for this lesson, you can complete the online assignment.
Lesson Summary
In this lesson you learned about plate tectonics.
Lesson 2 will look at the evidence for early life on the planet Earth.
Lesson 3.6.2
Lesson 2 - Early Life
Get Focused
The fossil record and the geologic column both give us clues as to early life on the planet. In this lesson we will look at some of these clues.
Consider the following essential questions as you complete Lesson 2:
- What is a fossil ?
- What are strata ?
- Did the Earth always have an oxygen rich atmosphere
Vocabulary
Below is a link to the Science 20 Glossary. Make sure you can identify and define the terms within the glossary that correspond with this lesson.
Read
Read pages 302 - 305 in the Science 20 Textbook. There is a text link below
Self Check
To check your understanding you can try the questions on page 305 of the Science 20 textbook.
Watch and Listen
Video or multimedia content
Reflect and Connect
What organism is credited for the production of the oxygen in Earth's atmosphere ? Based on the number of this type of organism presently on the Earth and the amount of oxygen they produce per year, how many years would it take for these organisms to produce the present oxygen concentration of Earth's atmosphere. Post your calculations to the discussion forum.
Module 6 : Lesson 2 Assignment.
Once you have completed all of the lesson activities for this lesson, you can complete the online assignment.
Lesson Summary
In this lesson we looked at fossils and the evidence used to determine the conditions of previous times on the Earth.
Lesson 3 will look at getting a handle on the time at which various geological and ecological events took place.
Lesson 3.6.3
Lesson 3 - Fossils and Dating
Get Focused
Fossils can be found through the geologic record but how can we tell when the fossilized organism lived ? In this lesson we will look at various types of fossils and investigate various methods of dating fossils.
Consider the following essential questions as you complete Lesson 3:
- What different types of fossils are there ?
- What are some different methods for dating fossils ?
- What are the different types of rocks ?
- What is the geologic time scale
Vocabulary
Below is a link to the Science 20 Glossary. Make sure you can identify and define the terms within the glossary that correspond with this lesson.
Read pages 306 - 318 in the Science 30 Textbook. There is a text link below
Self Check
To check your understanding you can try the questions on page 318 of the Science 20 textbook.
Watch and Listen
Video or multimedia content
Reflect and Connect
Find the epoch in which you live. Post your answer to the discussion forum.
Module 6 : Lesson 3 Assignment.
Once you have completed the learning activities for this lesson, you can complete the online assignment.
Lesson Summary
In this lesson you looked at different types rocks, fossils and were introduced to the geologic time scale
Lesson 4 will look at more precise dating processes.
Lesson 3.6.4
Lesson 4 - Pinpointing Time
Get Focused
Finding more exact ages for ancient objects is not a easy process. In this lesson we will investigate radiometric dating techiniques and learn how to calculate the age of ancient objects.
Consider the following essential questions as you complete Lesson 4:
- What is radiometric dating ?
- What is a half life ?
- What is a half life curve ?
- How does carbon dating work ?
Module 6 : Lesson 4 Assignment
Once you have completed all of the learning activities for this lesson you can complete the online assignment.
Below is a link to the assignment for this lesson. There is also a link at the bottom of the page.
Explore
Click on the link below to explore the lesson content
Vocabulary
Below is a link to the Science 20 Glossary. Make sure you can identify and define the terms within the glossary that correspond with this lesson.
Read
Read pages 319 - 324 in the Science 20 Textbook. There is a text link below
Self Check
To check your understanding you can try the questions on page 324 of the Science 20 textbook.
Watch and Listen
Video or multimedia content
Reflect and Connect
Research the oldest object that was dating using carbon dating techniques. Why couldn't an older object be dating using carbon dating ? Post your answers to the discussion forum.
Module 6 : Lesson 4 Assignment.
Lesson Summary
In this lesson you learned how to complete radiometric dating calculations, including carbon dating using half lives and decay curves.
Module 7 will look at Alberta as it existed in the distant past.
Module Summary
Module Summary and Assessment
In this module you learned about various types of fossils,the Cambrian explosion, plate tectonics and earthquakes. In the next module you will learn about the Earth's climate.
Module Assessment
The module assessment consists of
You should also have submitted a tutorial summary for each lesson to the unit 3 tutorials drop box.