Geologic History

Geologic History
Study of past geologic
processes and events that
shaped Earth

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Important clues in the
cross section:
 Important clues in the
cross section:
✘ Unconformity and land surface cut acr
oss other features - indicates latter is
older
✘ Stratigraphic super position – the olde
st sedimentary or volcanic layers are o
n the bottom
✘ Inclusion from layer 8 came from rock
s that must have formed earlier
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Absolute dating is commonly used for methods of determining numerical ages of rocks

Millions of years = Myr

Billions of years = Byr

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 Isotopic Dating
 Isotopes of some elements are unstable and
break down in a process called radioactive
decay
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 Half-life
s the length of time it takes for half of the
radioactive parent isotope to decay into new
daughter
7 isotope
 To date a rock, we need two pieces of
information:

The half-life of an appropriate Both can

The current ratio of parent atoms to
radioactive isotope present in the b
daughter atoms present
rock e

m
e
a
s
u
r
8 e
 Indirect Dating
✘ Combined ✘ Combined ✘ Combined
isotopic and isotopic and isotopic and
relative dating relative dating relative dating

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 Geochronologist

✘ People who study geologic time and measure isotopic dates

✘ Improves isotopic techniques
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 4.6 billion
Age of the Earth

3.6 to 3.8 years

ago life on Earth began

200,000 years
ago Homo Sapiens have been around

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