Relative Dating
What does relative dating determine?
A. The exact numerical age of a fossil
B. The sequence of events or layers
C. The chemical composition of rocks
D. The magnetic orientation of minerals
B. The sequence of events or layers
Absolute dating provides what type of information?
A. Relative age only
B. Numerical age or date range
C. Sequence of layers
D. Fossil-specific comparisons
B. Numerical age or date range
Which principle states that younger rock layers lie above older layers in undisturbed strata?
A. Law of Inclusion
B. Principle of Original Horizontality
C. Law of Superposition
D. Principle of Faunal Succession
C. Law of Superposition
Which method is considered a type of absolute dating?
A. Biostratigraphy
B. Superposition
C. Radiometric dating
D. Cross‑cutting relationships
C. Radiometric dating
The principle that features like faults or intrusions are younger than the rocks they cut across is called:
A. Uniformitarianism
B. Cross‑cutting relationships
C. Original horizontality
D. Inclusions
B. Cross‑cutting relationships
Which technique uses index fossils to help determine the age of strata?
A. Radiocarbon dating
B. Biostratigraphy
C. Potassium‑argon dating
D. Dendrochronology
B. Biostratigraphy
If a metamorphic rock fragment is found within a sedimentary layer, which is older?
A. The sedimentary layer
B. The metamorphic fragment
C. They are the same age
D. Age cannot be determined
B. The metamorphic fragment
Which dating method can date materials up to billions of years old?
A. Tree‑ring dating
B. Thermoluminescence
C. Uranium‑lead dating
D. Amino‑acid racemization
C. Uranium‑lead dating
The principle that sediment is originally deposited in horizontal layers is called:
A. Faunal succession
B. Original horizontality
C. Cross‑cutting relationships
D. Uniformitarianism
B. Original horizontality
Which is a main difference between relative and absolute dating?
A. Relative dating gives numeric age; absolute dating does not
B. Absolute dating establishes a sequence; relative dating dates in years
C. Relative dating orders events; absolute dating gives an estimated age
D. They are essentially the same method
C. Relative dating orders events; absolute dating gives an estimated age