RELATIVE DATING

Life Science

Mr. P

Law of Superposition

Layers of sedimentary rock are laid down in layers, with the oldest on the bottom and the newest layers on top.

This happens by…

Think of it like a building

When building a skyscraper, you start with the foundation and build the first floor….

Then the second…. Then the third…. And so on…

Relative Dating

The relative age tells you how old something is compared to something else.

Think of it as…

Your older brother is 25 Your younger brother is 8 We can say you are between 8 and 25.

It gives us an approximation based on everything around it.

How it works…

Rock layers at the bottom are oldest Rock layers at the top are younger Anything that cuts through these layers

(called intrusions) are the youngest

Index fossils

Index fossils are fossils that only existed a specific point in time and can be used as a reference

Lets try it…

A little tougher…

Its not very easy…

Just remember…the oldest layers are on the bottom and the youngest are on top.