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12 - 1
12 - 1
Age of Rocks
Relative Age of Rocks
Types of Rock
Remember -
sedimentary rock
layers are horizontal
with the oldest at the
bottom and the
young at the top
unless the layers are
disturbed by a fault
or igneous intrusion
Faults and Igneous
Intrusions
Sometimes sedimentary rock layers are
disturbed by geological forces. A crack
in the rock layer is called a fault. When
igneous rock (volcanic lava) intrudes or
cuts through layers of sedimentary rock it
is called an igneous intrusion.
The principle of cross-cutting
relationships states that a fault or
igneous intrusion is always younger
than the rock it cuts across.
Fault (Crack) in Sedimentary
rock
Here is a picture of a
fault or crack in the
rock
Igneous Intrusion in Rock
Layers
Remember that
igneous intrusions
(lava) are always
younger than the rock
layers they cut
through. Note the
igneous intrusions
(volcanic rock) cutting
through the rock layer
Relative Age of Rock
The Relative Age of the rock can be
determined by the sequence of the rock
layers using the Principle of
Superposition (oldest on the bottom and
youngest at the top).
If the sedimentary rock layer has been
disturbed by a fault or igneous intrusion,
the fault or intrusion is always younger
than the rock layer they cut through
(cross-cutting)
SWBAT: Describe what an index fossil is:
Finding the Relative Age of Rocks using Index Fossils