Unit 9
5 vocabulary terms to define:
Vocabulary Term
Half life
Definition
relative dating
Absolute dating
uniformitarianism
unconformity
4 key questions to answer:
1. Explain the law of superposition.
2. Give the three essential features for a fossil to be considered an index fossil.
3. Give an example of an absolute age and a relative age. Which are you more likely to use when
determining the age of rock layers.
4. Name and describe two types of fossils.
3 diagrams
1. Draw and label a picture of each of the unconformities: disconformity, nonconformity and angular
unconformity...
2. Draw a graph to show how the amount of parent and daughter material changes over time due to
radioactive decay. (Hint: you should have two lines)
3. Use a picture of rock layers to show how the law of superposition can be used to determine the relative age of
rocks.
2 multiple choice questions
1. Which layer was deposited AFTER the fault
(shown by H)?
a. L
b. G
c. M
d. E
2. Which layer is the OLDEST shown?
a. A
b. B c. C d. D. e. E
1 True/False Question (correct and explain if False)
The half life of Carbon-14 is 5,730 years. It would take a sample with 1,000 g of carbon 5730 years to decrease to have
only 125 grams.