Relative Dating

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What is Relative Dating?

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Relative Dating is a method used to determine the order of past events without determining their exact age. It helps to establish a timeline of geological events.

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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 the significance of the Law of Superposition?

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The Law of Superposition helps scientists determine the relative ages of rock layers and the fossils within them.

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What is Uniformitarianism?

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Uniformitarianism is the principle that geologic processes occurring today are similar to those that occurred in the past.

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What is Catastrophism?

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Catastrophism is the theory that Earth's features are primarily shaped by sudden, short-lived, and violent events.

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What is an Unconformity?

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An Unconformity is a gap in the geological record that represents a period of erosion or non-deposition.

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What is the difference between Relative Dating and Absolute Dating?

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Relative Dating determines the order of events, while Absolute Dating provides a specific age or date for an event or rock layer.

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What is a Fault in geology?

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

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What is a Siltstone?

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Siltstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of silt-sized particles, finer than sand but coarser than clay.

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What does the term 'Geologic Time Scale' refer to?

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The Geologic Time Scale is a system of chronological dating that relates geological strata to time.