Dating Rock Layers and Human Impact

Name ___________________________________________Date____________________Period____________Day
1. What is Age? There are 2 kinds:
Absolute Age The number of
since the rock formed. (150 million years old, 10 thousand years
old.) Much
to figure out. Often
.
Relative Age The age
that rock.) Much

to the ages of
to figure out. Can be deduced from

2. What are the ways to tell RELATIVE AGE. 1.

2.
&
3.
5.
.

. (older than this rock, younger than

.
,
and

4.

3. What is the Law of Superposition? In horizontal

the
. Each higher layer is

, the oldest layer is at

than the layers below it.

4. What is Extrusion? When magma cools

Extrusions are always
outside.

of the Earth its called an

.
than the rock it is sitting on. For extrusion think exit or

5. What is an Intrusion? When magma cools

an
. Intrusions are always
think inside.

the surface of the Earth its called

than the rocks around it. For intrusion

6. What is a Fault? A
in the Earths crust. A fault is always
than
the rock it cuts through. Faults
, making determining the age of the layers
confusing. Faults move over time causing the rock layers to move. As more time goes by, more rock layers are
added on
. Making aging the rock layers difficult. Geologists must then label each of the rock layers.
This can be tough because they werent around to see the whole process occur.
7. What is an Unconformity? The surface where new rock layers
beneath them. An unconformity shows where some rock layers have been lost because of

surface
.

8. What is Uniformitarianism? Geologic process that happened

can be explained by
current
. Processes such as
that go on today
happened in a
in the past. Because geologic processes tend to happen at a
this means that Earth much be
.
9. Summary Dating Rock Layers
Relative vs.
Age
Determining Relative Age:
a. Law of Superposition
b. Intrusions
c. Extrusions
d. Faults
e. Unconformities
f. Uniformitarianism processes

.
.
.
.
.
and happen

showing extreme age of Earth.

10. Humans impact their environment in a number of different ways including the following: 1.
2.
, 3.
, 4.
5.
.

,
, and

11. What is Urbanization? The growth of

cities increase in size, the population of

(cities) caused by people moving into cities. When

near the city may decrease.

12. What is Deforestation? The removal of

cause deforestation when forests are replaced with

from an area. Urbanization can

.

13. What is Desertification? The process by which land becomes more

life. Urbanization can also lead to desertification.

and unable to support

14. What happens when Water Flow is Changed? Digging irrigation canals to get
changes
the flow of rivers. Irrigation
(deserts), changes the ecology of those areas. Building dams
disrupts
and affects the
of the land and water.
15. What is Pollution?
natural sources.
16. Summary Human Impact:
Urbanization
Deforestation
Desertification
Changing Water Flow
Pollution

of air, water or land by pollutants from

and

.
.
.
.
.