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T6 Earths History

TermDefinition
Relative dating A method of determining the age of a rock or fossil by comparing it to other rocks or fossils.
absolute dating A technique used to determine the exact age of a rock or fossil, often using radioactive decay.
principle of horizontality Layers of sediment are originally deposited horizontally under the action of gravity.
principle of superposition In an undeformed sequence of sedimentary rocks, the oldest layers are at the bottom and the youngest are at the top.
intrusion Magma that has penetrated into pre
extrusion Lava that has erupted onto the Earth's surface and solidified.
inclustion Fragments of one rock type that are contained within another rock type, indicating the included rock is older.
vein Mineral deposits that fill cracks in rocks, often formed from hydrothermal processes.
correlation The process of matching rocks and fossils from separate locations to establish a timeline.
volcanic ash Volcanic ash layers can be used as time markers for dating surrounding rock layers.
index fossil A fossil that is used to define and identify a particular time period in geological history.
fossil The preserved remains or traces of ancient organisms.
unconformity Gaps in the geological record that represent periods of erosion or non
element Substances that consist of atoms with the same number of protons but can have different numbers of neutrons.
isotope Variants of a particular chemical element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.
radioactive decay The process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by emitting radiation.
half-life The time required for half of the radioactive atoms in a sample to decay.
Carbon-14 A radioactive isotope used in dating organic materials up to about 50,000 years old.
Strontium Strontium isotopes can be used to date rocks and minerals, particularly in the context of sedimentary rocks.
Argon Argon-40 is used in potassium-argon dating to date volcanic rocks and ash.
Rubidium Rubidium-87 is used in rubidium-strontium dating to determine the age of rocks.
Eras Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic.
Index fossil characteristics They must be geographically widespread and short
Created by: MrsShwood
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