Relative and Absolute Dating Flashcard

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What is relative dating?

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Relative dating is a method used by geologists to determine the order of rock layers and the relative ages of rocks without determining their exact age.

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What is absolute dating?

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Absolute dating is a technique used to determine the exact age of a rock or fossil, often through methods like radiometric dating.

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What is an index fossil?

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An index fossil is a fossil that is used to define and identify a particular time period in the geological time scale, typically because it was widespread but only existed for a short duration.

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What does the principle of superposition state?

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The principle of superposition states that in undisturbed sedimentary rock layers, the oldest layers are at the bottom and the youngest layers are at the top.

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What is a parent isotope?

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A parent isotope is an unstable isotope that undergoes radioactive decay to form a daughter isotope.

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What is a daughter isotope?

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A daughter isotope is the product of the decay of a parent isotope.

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How do geologists use fossils in dating rocks?

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Geologists use fossils to correlate rock layers and determine their relative ages, especially through the use of index fossils.

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What is the significance of the Law of Original Horizontality?

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The Law of Original Horizontality states that layers of sediment are originally deposited horizontally under the action of gravity.

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What is a fault in geological terms?

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A fault is a fracture or zone of fractures between two blocks of rock, which can cause displacement.

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What is radiometric dating?

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Radiometric dating is a method used to date materials by comparing the abundance of a radioactive isotope to its decay products.