Relative vs Absolute Age Flashcard Review

Front

What is the process used by geologists to determine the absolute age of rocks?

Back

Radioactive dating.

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-8

Front

True or False: Index fossils help determine relative age through correlating rock layers.

Back

True.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Front

What is the term for the time it takes for a radioactive isotope to decay to half its original mass?

Back

Half-life.

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-8

Front

According to the law of superposition, where are the oldest fossils found?

Back

Near the bottom of the rock layers.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

Front

What is the difference between relative age dating and absolute age dating?

Back

Relative age dating determines the order of events, while absolute age dating provides a specific age.

Front

What are index fossils?

Back

Fossils used to define and identify a particular time period in the geological time scale.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

Front

What does the law of superposition state?

Back

In undisturbed rock layers, the oldest layers are at the bottom and the youngest are at the top.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

Front

What is radioactive decay?

Back

The process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation.

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-8

Front

What is an example of a radioactive isotope used in dating rocks?

Back

Carbon-14.

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-8

Front

How do geologists use half-lives in dating rocks?

Back

They measure the amount of parent and daughter isotopes to calculate the age of the rock.