Relative Age Dating Practice

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What is Relative Age Dating?

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Relative Age Dating is a method used to determine the age of rocks and geological features in relation to one another, rather than in absolute terms.

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What does the Law of Superposition state?

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

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What is an intrusion in geology?

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An intrusion is a body of igneous rock that forms when magma cools and solidifies beneath the Earth's surface.

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How does the Law of Crosscutting Relationships work?

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The Law of Crosscutting Relationships states that a geological feature (like a fault or intrusion) that cuts through another feature is younger than the feature it cuts.

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What is a fault in geological terms?

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A fault is a fracture or zone of fractures between two blocks of rock, which allows for the movement of the blocks relative to each other.

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Which is older: a fault or the rocks it cuts through?

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The rocks that the fault cuts through are older than the fault itself.

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What is an unconformity?

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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.

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What is the significance of fossils in relative dating?

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Fossils help in relative dating by providing clues about the age of the rock layers in which they are found, as certain fossils are characteristic of specific geological periods.

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What is the difference between relative age and absolute age?

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Relative age is the age of a rock or feature in comparison to others, while absolute age is the actual age of a rock or feature, often determined through radiometric dating.

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What does it mean if a layer is described as 'younger' than another?

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If a layer is described as 'younger,' it means that it was formed after the other layer in question.