Chapter 10 Vocab Fossils

Front

correlation

Back

matching rocks and fossils from separate locations

Front

isotopes

Back

atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons

Front

superposition

Back

the principle that in undisturbed rock layers, the closest rocks are on the bottom

Front

uniformitarianism

Back

geologic processes that occur today are similar to those that occurred in the past

Front

half-life

Back

the time required for half the parent isotopes to decay into daughter isotopes

Front

fossil

Back

the preserved remains or evidence of ancient living things

Front

mold fossil

Back

the impression in a rock left by an ancient organism

Front

cast fossil

Back

a fossil copy of an organism made when a mold of the organism is filled with sediment and mineral deposits

Front

relative dating

Back

the age of rocks and geologic features compared with other rocks and features nearby

Front

absolute dating

Back

the process by which an unstable element naturally changes into another