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Relative Age
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Term | Definition |
---|---|
relative age | the age of a rock compared to the ages of other rocks |
absolute age | the number of years since a rock was formed |
law of superposition | a geologic principle that states in horizontal sedimentary rock layers, the oldest layers are found at the bottom and the youngest at the top |
extrusion | lava that hardens on the surface of the earth |
intrusion | magma that hardens inside the earth |
fault | a break in Earth's crust |
unconformity | a surface where new rock layers meet a much older rock layer beneath it (shows where layers have been lost due to erosion) |
index fossil | a fossil of an organism that is widely distributed and existed on Earth only briefly. Can be used to date sedimentary rock layers in which it is found. |