Who’s On First (Relative Dating Activity)

Student Version:
Lab Steps:
1. In the first lab, you will use the cards in set A and determine its correct sequence by finding the ones that
overlap.
2. It is established the the card labelled “TC” with “Card 1, Set A” represents the bottom/oldest “rock layer”. You
can imagine that T and C are fossils within that layer. The next layer up will “share” common fossils with “TC”,
so to find the next card, find a card with either a T or a C.
3. Place that card on top of TC, and find another card that shares one of its letters. Continue doing this until all of
the cards are in one stack.
4. The top of the stack represents the newest rock layers/fossils and the bottom of the stack represents the oldest
rock layers/fossils.

Questions:
1. List the correct order of fossils from youngest to oldest. When two rocks are in the same layer, assume the one
on the left is older than the one on right.
2. Why are “X” fossils are older than “M” fossils?
3. Are “D” fossils in one layer older than the other? If so, which?
4. Index fossils are the fossils that are found exclusively in one rock layer, meaning if you see the fossil, you
automatically know what time period it is from. These can be especially useful for relative dating. Which letters
represent index fossils?
5. Which letters don’t represent index fossils?
6. The Law of Superposition states that in a "normal" horizontal sequence of rocks, the oldest rock layers will be
on the bottom with successively younger rocks on top. How does this lab illustrate the Law of Superposition?
Teacher Version:

Answers:
1.
DM

OXD

NO

BN

UBN

AU

CGA

TC

2. "X" is older than "M" because it appears in an older rock layer or the card beneath the "DM" card.
3. The rock layer OXD is beneath rock layer DM and, therefore, is older, along with the fossils within it.
4. M, X, G, T
5. D, O, N, B, U, A, C
6. This activity illustrates this law because when the cards are placed in the correct order, the vertical stack shows
the oldest fossils in a rock layer in the bottom of the stack and the youngest fossils in rock stratum on the top.