Fossil and Geologic Dating Concepts

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Fossil record

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The history of life in the geologic past as shown by the traces or remains of living things.

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Index fossils

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Fossils of widely distributed organisms that lived during a short period, only found in one layer.

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Relative dating (relative age)

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A method of dating that determines the age of a rock or fossil in comparison to another rock or fossil.

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Law of Superposition

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The geologic principle stating that in horizontal layers of sedimentary rock, each layer is older than the one above and younger than the one below.

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Fossils

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The preserved remains or traces of organisms that once lived on Earth. Types include mold, cast, petrified, preserved, carbonized, and trace fossils.

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Law of Uniformitarianism

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A principle that states geologic processes that have occurred in the past can be explained by current geologic processes