Relative and Absolute Dating

Front

What is the Law of Crosscutting?

Back

The Law of Crosscutting states that any geologic feature that cuts across other layers is younger than the layers it cuts across.

Front

What is the Half-Life of an isotope?

Back

The Half-Life of an isotope is the time required for half of the isotope in a sample to decay.

Front

What percentage of the parent isotope remains after 1 Half-Life?

Back

50% of the parent isotope remains after 1 Half-Life.

Front

What does the Law of Superposition state?

Back

The Law of Superposition states that in undisturbed layers of rock, younger rocks lie above older rocks.

Front

What is the percentage of carbon-14 remaining after 22,800 years?

Back

Approximately 6.25% of the original carbon-14 remains after 22,800 years.

Front

Define Relative Dating.

Back

Relative Dating is a method used to determine the age of rocks and fossils in relation to one another, without determining their exact age.

Front

What is Absolute Dating?

Back

Absolute Dating is a method used to determine the exact age of a rock or fossil, often using radiometric techniques.

Front

What is an isotope?

Back

An isotope is a variant of a chemical element that has the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons.

Front

What is the significance of Half-Life in dating fossils?

Back

Half-Life is significant in dating fossils as it helps determine the age of the fossil based on the decay rate of isotopes.

Front

What is the difference between Relative and Absolute Dating?

Back

Relative Dating determines the order of events without exact dates, while Absolute Dating provides a specific age.