Unit 5, Topic 3: Age of the Earth Vocabulary

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dendrochronology

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the study of tree rings to determine the Earth's past

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ice cores

Back

a core of ice that is drilled from a glacier or ice sheet

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varves

Back

a type of sedimentary rock that is deposited in annual layers

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rock record

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the history of the Earth's past recorded in the layers of rocks

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glacier

Back

a large mass of ice resting on a land surface

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sedimentary rock

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a type of rock formed by gravity pressing fragments of other rocks and minerals together

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half-life

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the amount of time it takes for half of a radioactive isotope to decay

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radioactive decay

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the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation

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radioactivity

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the emission of radiation by an unstable atomic nucleus

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radiometric dating

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the process of using the half-life of a radioactive isotope to determine the age of a sample