PES Skill Sheets.book - Capital High School

14. The concepts of original horizontality and lateral continuity
are demonstrated here. Pencil E represents cross-cutting
relationships. Pencil D represents the idea of inclusions.
Skill Sheet 18.2: Nicolas Steno
1. Steno is responsible for the following three principles of
geology:
The principle of superposition states that layers of
sedimentary rock settle on top of each other. The oldest
layers are at the bottom and the younger layers are on top.
The bottom layers are formed first with younger layers
sitting above. Geologists use this principle to determine the
relative ages of layers.
The principle of original horizontality states that
sedimentary rock layers form horizontally.
The principle of lateral continuity states that rock layers
spread out until they reach something that stops this
spreading. The layers will continue to move out in all
directions horizontally until they are stopped.
2. People did not understand how fossils formed and what
fossils truly were. Common misconceptions included the
following: fossils grew inside rocks, fossils fell from the sky,
and fossils fell from the moon. People did not consider
extinction or have an understanding of geological principles
to understand fossils and fossil formation.
3. Steno identified tongue stones as ancient shark teeth. He
understood that particles settled in sediment. The shark teeth
had settled into soft sediment that eventually hardened.
Sharks had once lived in the mountains that at one time had
been covered by the sea. Shark teeth became buried in mud
and rock layers formed around the teeth. These layers became
buried under new layers of rock
4. As an anatomist, Steno developed keen observation skills. He
was comfortable examining something in depth and trying to
Skill Sheet 18.3: The Rock Cycle
Skill Sheet 19.1: Earth’s Interior
A. Crust
B. Upper mantle
C. Asethenosphere
D. Lower mantle
E. Outer core
F. Inner core
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15. The order of the events is D, A, B, C, and E. My classmates
successfully figured out the correct order of the events.
understand how something worked. He was not merely
satisfied with viewing something. He liked to take things
apart. His medical background and work in anatomy made
him a hands-on researcher. He took his observation and
interest in understanding structure and applied those skills to
geology. Unlike many of his counterparts who simply read
scholarly works, Steno was a true field scientist. He traveled,
observed, and touched.
5. Answers will vary. Students might suggest observations they
have made in a science lab, at the beach, or on a field trip. In
general, observation often teaches us that things are not what
they may initially appear. Observation means paying attention
to the details, even if minute or mundane.
6. A goldsmith is a metalworker who often makes jewelry. A
goldsmith will solder, file, and polish. A goldsmith does not
work only with gold, but will handle a variety of metals. Most
work by a goldsmith is done by hand. Steno’s father’s
goldsmith shop was a laboratory providing him with the
opportunity to use his hands to handle various tools and
materials.
Alchemy is the early ancestor of chemistry. This ancient form
of chemistry included herbs and metals. Alchemists often
looked for cures for illnesses. Goldsmith work and alchemy
both took place in a laboratory-like setting providing Steno
exposure to scientific concepts and materials. Alchemists
liked to experiment and tried to understand the world around
them. Steno used observation and his hands throughout his
career as a scientist to make sense of the world around him.