Relative / Absolute Dating

Principle of Uniformitarianism - "The present is the key to the past."

James Hutton - 1770;
Geologic processes operating today are similar to those that have operated throughout Earth's history.

Relative Dating - The age of a rock, fossil, or other feature measured relative to another. Absolute Dating
(numerical dating) - The age of a rock in years.

Object of Relative Dating

•To place a geologic event in between two (or more) other geologic events.
•Does not tell the age of the event.
•Keep putting events in time, in relation to other events until the sequence spans geologic
history.
•Some events can been seen throughout the world.

Stratum – distinct layer of sediment

Strata – plural of stratum
Stratigraphy – the study of sedimentary layers

Rules / Principles
1.Original Horizontality - Water-borne sediments are deposited in horizontal layers.
2.Superposition – when several layers of sedimentary rock are exposed, the oldest layer is at the bottom
of the pile and the youngest layer is at the top..
3.Unconformities - A surface within a sequence of layers where no deposition, and possibly erosion,
took place.
a. Disconformity
b. Angular Unconformity
c. Nonconformity
4.Inclusions - If a rock fragment is found within another rock type, the fragment is older.
5.Cross-cutting Relations - A rock layer is always older than a feature that cuts through it.
6.Fossil Correlation -
a. Based of evolution
b. Also relies of superposition
c. When a species becomes extinct, it does not reappear.

Radioactive decay - The spontaneous disintegration of the nucleus of an atom.

Two types of radioactive decay.

Alpha – Alpha decay is a type of radioactive decay in which an atomic nucleus emits an alpha particle (two
protons and two neutrons bound together into a particle identical to a helium nucleus) and transforms (or
'decays') into an atom with a mass number 4 less and atomic number 2 less.

Beta – In nuclear physics, beta decay is a type of radioactive decay in which a beta particle (an electron or a
positron) is emitted.

Isotopes of an element have nuclei with the same number of protons (the same atomic number) but different
numbers of neutrons.
Half-life.
The half-life is the amount of time it takes for half of the atoms in a sample to decay. The halflife for a given
isotope is always the same; it doesn't depend on how many atoms you have or on how long they've been sitting
around.

This is a sample calculation which determines the age of a given sample.

You have a rock sample containing the radioactive isotopes “A” and “B”. Isotope “A” decays into isotope
“B”. The half-life of this radiogenic pair is 22,000 years. You determine the weight of each isotope in your
sample. Your objective is to determine how old the sample is?

Weight of isotope “A” is 60g. (parent) Weight of isotope “B” is 420g (daughter)

First, combine the weights of the samples. 480g. this is the weight of isotope “A” when the when the sample
was created. Next, determine how many half-lifes must have passed if the sample began with only isotope
“A”.

Parent Isotope 480 240 120 60 30 15

Daughter Isotope 0 240 360 420 450 465

Number of Half-lifes 1 2 3 4 5

Age of sample 22000 44000 66000 88000 110000

This is a quick method. A = 480 240 120 60

Half-lifes 1 2 3 3 x 22,000 = 66,000