Relative Age Dating Worksheet
Explore the principles of relative age dating in geology, including the Law of Superposition, original horizontality, cross-cutting relationships, and inclusions.
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Relative Age Dating Worksheet
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Read each question carefully and provide your best answer based on your understanding of relative age dating principles.
1. Which principle states that in an undisturbed sequence of sedimentary rocks, the oldest layers are at the bottom and the youngest layers are at the top?
Principle of Original Horizontality
Law of Superposition
Principle of Cross-Cutting Relationships
Principle of Inclusions
2. An igneous intrusion cuts across several layers of sedimentary rock. According to the Principle of Cross-Cutting Relationships, which is older?
The igneous intrusion
The sedimentary rock layers
They are the same age
Cannot be determined
3. The Principle of Original states that sedimentary layers are originally deposited in horizontal layers.
4. According to the Principle of , rock fragments (inclusions) found within another rock layer must be older than the rock layer they are contained within.
5. An unconformity represents a gap in the geologic record, indicating a period of erosion or non-deposition.
True
False
6. Index fossils are useful for relative age dating because they were geographically widespread and existed for a short period of geologic time.
True
False
7. Describe the difference between relative age dating and absolute age dating.
8. Explain how the Principle of Faunal Succession helps in determining the relative ages of rock layers.
9. Observe the diagram below, which shows a cross-section of rock layers. Identify the oldest and youngest rock units, and explain your reasoning using the principles of relative age dating.