Rock Layers Worksheet
Explore the principles of stratigraphy, relative dating, and the formation of rock layers with this Grade 8 Science worksheet.
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Rock Layers: Digging Deeper
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Read each question carefully and provide your best answer. Use the provided diagram for questions where indicated.
Examine the image below, which illustrates different rock layers.
1. According to the Law of Superposition, which rock layer in the diagram is the oldest?
2. What type of rock is typically formed in layers like those shown in the diagram?
3. Which principle states that sedimentary layers are originally deposited horizontally?
Law of Superposition
Principle of Original Horizontality
Principle of Cross-Cutting Relationships
Principle of Faunal Succession
4. The process by which sediments are compacted and cemented to form sedimentary rock is called:
Erosion
Weathering
Lithification
Deposition
5. The study of rock layers and their sequence is called .
6. An undisturbed sequence of sedimentary rock layers will have the oldest layers at the and the youngest layers at the .
7. Igneous intrusions are always older than the rock layers they cut across.
True
False
8. Explain how fossils found in different rock layers can help scientists understand Earth's history.
9. Describe the difference between relative dating and absolute dating of rock layers.