Relative Dating 23

Relative dating is a method used to determine the age of rocks and fossils in relation to one another, without determining their exact age.

The Law of Superposition states that in undisturbed sedimentary rock layers, the oldest layers are at the bottom and the younger layers are at the top.

An intrusion is a body of igneous rock that has formed from magma that has cooled and solidified beneath the Earth's surface.

An index fossil is a fossil that is used to define and identify a particular time period in the geological time scale, typically widespread and existed for a short duration.

Uniformitarianism is the principle that the same geological processes that operate today also operated in the past.

An unconformity is a surface that represents a gap in the geological record, where rock layers have been eroded or not deposited for a period of time.

The Ammonite is significant as an index fossil because it was widespread and existed for a relatively short geological time, making it useful for dating rock layers.

Relative dating determines the order of events and the relative age of rocks, while absolute dating provides a specific age or date for a rock or fossil.

A fault is a fracture or zone of fractures between two blocks of rock, which can cause earthquakes.

Fossils can help in relative dating by providing clues about the age of the rock layers in which they are found, especially when using index fossils.