Relative and Absolute Dating

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What is absolute dating?

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A method used to determine the exact age of a rock or fossil in years.

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What is relative dating?

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A method used to determine the age of a rock or fossil in relation to other rocks or fossils.

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What does the law of superposition state?

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

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How does absolute dating differ from relative dating?

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Only absolute dating provides a specific age in years, while relative dating compares ages.

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What is radiometric dating?

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A technique used to date materials by measuring the decay of radioactive isotopes.

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What is the significance of half-lives in dating?

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Half-lives are the time it takes for half of a radioactive substance to decay, used in radiometric dating.

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What is an example of absolute dating?

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Using carbon-14 to determine the age of a fossil.

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What is an example of relative dating?

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Determining that a rock layer is older than a nearby layer based on its position.

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What is geologic age?

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The age of a rock or fossil in relation to the geologic time scale.

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What is sedimentary age?

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The age of sedimentary rock layers, often determined through relative dating.