Relative and Absolute Dating

True or False: Fossils can help us predict future environmental changes.

• True

• False

• Sometimes

• Rarely

What is Faulting?

• The process where rocks break and move along a fault line, often causing disturbances in the geological layers.

• A method of measuring the age of rocks using radioactive isotopes.

• The phenomenon of rocks melting and forming magma beneath the Earth's surface.

• The process of erosion where rocks are worn away by wind and water.

What is Igneous Intrusion?

• The process where molten rock (magma) pushes into existing rock layers and solidifies.

• The process of sedimentary rock formation through compaction and cementation.

• The transformation of rock types through heat and pressure.

• The movement of tectonic plates causing earthquakes.

What is Absolute Dating?

• A method used to determine the exact age of a rock or fossil in years, often using techniques like radiometric dating.

• A technique for estimating the relative age of rocks based on their position in layers.

• A process of dating fossils based on the types of organisms found in the same layer.

• A method used to date historical artifacts using carbon-14.

What is Relative Dating?

• A method used to determine the age of rocks or fossils in relation to other rocks or fossils, without providing a specific age.

• A technique for dating rocks based on the decay of radioactive isotopes.

• A process that assigns a specific numerical age to rocks or fossils.

• A method used to compare the physical characteristics of different rock layers.

What is a Mold Fossil?

• A fossil that forms when an organism leaves an imprint in sediment, which hardens into rock.

• A fossil that is created when an organism is trapped in amber.

• A fossil that forms from the remains of an organism that has been preserved in ice.

• A fossil that is made from the actual remains of the organism itself.

What is the difference between a parent isotope and a daughter isotope?

• A parent isotope is the original radioactive isotope that decays, while a daughter isotope is the product of that decay.

• A parent isotope is a stable isotope, while a daughter isotope is always radioactive.

• A parent isotope is formed from a daughter isotope during decay.

• A parent isotope and a daughter isotope are the same and can be used interchangeably.

What is the Principle of Original Horizontality?

• The principle stating that layers of sediment are originally deposited horizontally under the action of gravity.

• The principle that states all geological processes occur at the same rate today as in the past.

• The principle that sedimentary rocks are formed from the remains of ancient organisms.

• The principle that geological features are formed by sudden, catastrophic events.

What is the difference between relative dating and absolute dating?

• Relative dating determines the order of events, while absolute dating provides a specific age.

• Relative dating provides a specific age, while absolute dating determines the order of events.

• Relative dating is used for fossils, while absolute dating is used for rocks.

• Relative dating and absolute dating are the same processes.

What is the significance of studying fossils in relative dating?

• Fossils help establish the relative ages of rock layers and the organisms that lived during those times.

• Fossils are used to determine the exact age of rocks and minerals.

• Fossils provide information about the chemical composition of ancient rocks.

• Fossils are primarily used to identify the geographical distribution of species.