Relative Dating Worksheet
Explore the principles of relative dating and how geologists determine the sequence of geological events.
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Relative Dating Worksheet
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Read each question carefully and answer to the best of your ability. Refer to your knowledge of relative dating principles.
1. Which principle of relative dating states that in an undisturbed sequence of sedimentary strata, the oldest layers are at the bottom and the youngest are at the top?
Principle of Cross-Cutting Relationships
Principle of Superposition
Principle of Original Horizontality
Principle of Faunal Succession
2. An unconformity represents:
A continuous deposition of sediments
A gap in the geological record due to erosion or non-deposition
The folding of rock layers
The presence of index fossils
3. The Principle of states that geological features which cut across others are younger than the features they cut.
4. Fossils used to define and identify geologic periods are known as fossils.
5. Explain the Principle of Original Horizontality and its significance in relative dating.
6. Describe how index fossils are used to correlate rock layers across different locations.
7. A disconformity is a type of unconformity where the strata above and below are parallel.
True
False
8. The Principle of Inclusions states that inclusions found in a rock are older than the rock itself.
True
False
9. Observe the geological cross-section below. Identify the oldest and youngest rock layers and explain your reasoning based on relative dating principles.
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