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Relative Dating of Rocks

Relative dating is a method of determining the age of archaeological and geological specimens in relation to each other without knowing their absolute age. It is based on the principles of stratigraphy and cross-cutting relationships. Some key principles of relative dating include the law of superposition, original horizontality, cross-cutting relationships, faunal succession, and the law of inclusion. Relative dating allows geologists to construct a timeline of events without knowing precise dates. It is useful for constructing the geological history of an area.

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147 views21 pages

Relative Dating of Rocks

Relative dating is a method of determining the age of archaeological and geological specimens in relation to each other without knowing their absolute age. It is based on the principles of stratigraphy and cross-cutting relationships. Some key principles of relative dating include the law of superposition, original horizontality, cross-cutting relationships, faunal succession, and the law of inclusion. Relative dating allows geologists to construct a timeline of events without knowing precise dates. It is useful for constructing the geological history of an area.

Uploaded by

Carlos Tuazon
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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RELATIVE DATING

JUAN SUMULONG MEMORIAL SCHOOLS INC.


I. RELATIVE DATING

• Relative Dating is when you give the age of a


rock or fossil compared to another rock or fossil.

• Example: Rock A is OLDER than Rock B.


• An actual age in years is not determined.
II. RULES OF RELATIVE DATING
1. Principle of Superposition: When sedimentary rock layers
are deposited, younger layers are on top of older deposits.

A
2. Principle of Original Horizontality: Sedimentary rock layers
are deposited horizontally. If they are tilted, folded, or broken,
it happened later.
RULES OF RELATIVE DATING
3. Principle of Cross-Cutting Relationships: If an igneous
intrusion or a fault cuts through existing rocks, the
intrusion/fault is YOUNGER than the rock it cuts through.
4. PRINCIPLE OF FAUNAL SUCCESSION (CORRELATION)
• Rock layers in different places and be correlated or
matched up by matching up the rocks and fossils in
the layers.
5. LAW OF INCLUSION
A rock unit that contains inclusions of
preexisting rocks must be younger than the rock
unit from which the inclusions came.
UNCONFORMITY
• When rock has been eroded, so you have a missing
section of time in the rock record.
UNCONFORMITY
WHY ARE SOME OF THE LAYERS TILTED?
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE TOP OF THE FOLDED ROCKS?
THE MISSING ROCK LAYERS IS CALLED AN __________.
What events might What caused the angular
What type of
have caused the unconformity?
rocks formed
rock layers to
above?
become tilted?
Why is the top
flat?
INDEX FOSSILS
• Some species of organisms
only lived for a short period of
time before they became
extinct. If you use radiometric
dating to get an age for the fossil,
then you know that the rock the Trilobite: Index fossil for the

fossil is found in is also that age. Paleozoic Era


Age: 590-250 mya
GRAPTOLITE

• Index Fossil of the Ordovician


Period

• Age: 500-335 mya


Fossil B lived 10 million years ago – 2 million
years ago.

Fossil A lived 20 million years ago- 8 million


years ago.

What do you know about the age of the rock


containing both fossils?
• What is “B”?

• Place the layers in order from oldest to youngest


PUT THE EVENTS IN ORDER
PUT THE EVENTS IN ORDER
HTTP://REYNOLDS.ASU.EDU/GLG103/RELATIVE_AGE_PRINCIPLES.HTM

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