{"id":94,"date":"2020-07-09T12:25:38","date_gmt":"2020-07-09T16:25:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/geolmanual\/part\/chapter-6-relative-and-absolute-dating\/"},"modified":"2020-09-17T15:32:05","modified_gmt":"2020-09-17T19:32:05","slug":"chapter-6-relative-and-absolute-dating","status":"publish","type":"part","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/geolmanual\/part\/chapter-6-relative-and-absolute-dating\/","title":{"raw":"Chapter 6. Relative and Absolute Dating","rendered":"Chapter 6. Relative and Absolute Dating"},"content":{"raw":"<h1><strong>6. Relative and Absolute Dating<\/strong><\/h1>\r\n<em>\u00a0 \u00a0 Adapted by Sean W. Lacey &amp; Joyce M. McBeth (2018) University of Saskatchewan from Deline B, Harris R, &amp; Tefend K. (2015) \"Laboratory Manual for Introductory Geology\". First Edition. Chapter 1 \"Relative and Absolute Dating\" by Bradley Deline, CC BY-SA 4.0. <a href=\"https:\/\/ung.edu\/university-press\/books\/laboratory-manual-for-introductory-geology.php\">View Source<\/a>.<\/em>\r\n<h1 class=\"no-indent\"><strong>6.1 INTRODUCTION<\/strong><\/h1>\r\n<p class=\"indent\">To develop a history of how geologic events have acted on the Earth through time, we need to understand what and when geological processes have occurred through Earth's history. Geologists learn about<em> what<\/em> processes occur on Earth through studying the rock record and observing geologic processes in modern environments. To understand <em>when<\/em> these processes have acted during Earth's geologic time, geologists make observations about the relationships of rocks to one another in the rock record, using a process called <strong>relative dating<\/strong>. Geologists use this information to construct models for how these relationships developed. For example, if the rock record in an area contains sedimentary rocks that are folded, a model to explain those relationships would start with a region where sediments were deposited, followed by lithification of the sediments to form rock, then the rocks would be subjected to tectonic pressures that folded the rocks. Using relative dating techniques, we know those events occurred in that order, but not when they occurred precisely in time. To add specific dates for the events in the model, geologists can use <strong>absolute dating<\/strong> techniques to <strong>date<\/strong> the rocks (determine their age). Geologists develop models such as this at locations all across Canada, North America, and around the globe. Each location geologists study may only provide information on Earth history from a short window in time; collectively, however, the information in these models can be used to develop our understanding of processes that have acted on Earth since it first formed.<\/p>\r\nIn this chapter, you will learn about how to determine the relative ages of rocks and calculate the absolute ages of rocks.\r\n<h2 class=\"no-indent\"><strong>6.1.2 Learning Outcomes<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\">After completing this chapter, you should be able to:\r\n\u2022 Discuss the importance of time in the study of geology\r\n\u2022 Discuss the difference between relative dates and absolute dates\r\n\u2022 Apply geologic laws and stratigraphic principles in the relative dating of geologic events\r\n\u2022 Use radiometric dating data and calculations to determine the absolute date of rock units<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"no-indent indent\"><strong>6.1.3 Key Terms<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Absolute dating<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Angular unconformity<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Radiometric (Carbon-14) dating<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Daughter atom<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Disconformity<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Geologic laws and stratigraphic principles<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Geologic time scale<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Half-life<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Isotope<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Law of superposition<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Nonconformity<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Principle of cross-cutting relationships<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Principle of faunal succession<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Principle of original horizontality<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Principle of lateral continuity<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Parent atom<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Potassium-Argon (K-Ar) dating<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Radiometric dating<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Relative dating<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Unconformity<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Uranium-Lead (U-Pb) dating<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","rendered":"<h1><strong>6. Relative and Absolute Dating<\/strong><\/h1>\n<p><em>\u00a0 \u00a0 Adapted by Sean W. Lacey &amp; Joyce M. McBeth (2018) University of Saskatchewan from Deline B, Harris R, &amp; Tefend K. (2015) &#8220;Laboratory Manual for Introductory Geology&#8221;. First Edition. Chapter 1 &#8220;Relative and Absolute Dating&#8221; by Bradley Deline, CC BY-SA 4.0. <a href=\"https:\/\/ung.edu\/university-press\/books\/laboratory-manual-for-introductory-geology.php\">View Source<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"no-indent\"><strong>6.1 INTRODUCTION<\/strong><\/h1>\n<p class=\"indent\">To develop a history of how geologic events have acted on the Earth through time, we need to understand what and when geological processes have occurred through Earth&#8217;s history. Geologists learn about<em> what<\/em> processes occur on Earth through studying the rock record and observing geologic processes in modern environments. To understand <em>when<\/em> these processes have acted during Earth&#8217;s geologic time, geologists make observations about the relationships of rocks to one another in the rock record, using a process called <strong>relative dating<\/strong>. Geologists use this information to construct models for how these relationships developed. For example, if the rock record in an area contains sedimentary rocks that are folded, a model to explain those relationships would start with a region where sediments were deposited, followed by lithification of the sediments to form rock, then the rocks would be subjected to tectonic pressures that folded the rocks. Using relative dating techniques, we know those events occurred in that order, but not when they occurred precisely in time. To add specific dates for the events in the model, geologists can use <strong>absolute dating<\/strong> techniques to <strong>date<\/strong> the rocks (determine their age). Geologists develop models such as this at locations all across Canada, North America, and around the globe. Each location geologists study may only provide information on Earth history from a short window in time; collectively, however, the information in these models can be used to develop our understanding of processes that have acted on Earth since it first formed.<\/p>\n<p>In this chapter, you will learn about how to determine the relative ages of rocks and calculate the absolute ages of rocks.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"no-indent\"><strong>6.1.2 Learning Outcomes<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"no-indent\">After completing this chapter, you should be able to:<br \/>\n\u2022 Discuss the importance of time in the study of geology<br \/>\n\u2022 Discuss the difference between relative dates and absolute dates<br \/>\n\u2022 Apply geologic laws and stratigraphic principles in the relative dating of geologic events<br \/>\n\u2022 Use radiometric dating data and calculations to determine the absolute date of rock units<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"no-indent indent\"><strong>6.1.3 Key Terms<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Absolute dating<\/li>\n<li>Angular unconformity<\/li>\n<li>Radiometric (Carbon-14) dating<\/li>\n<li>Daughter atom<\/li>\n<li>Disconformity<\/li>\n<li>Geologic laws and stratigraphic principles<\/li>\n<li>Geologic time scale<\/li>\n<li>Half-life<\/li>\n<li>Isotope<\/li>\n<li>Law of superposition<\/li>\n<li>Nonconformity<\/li>\n<li>Principle of cross-cutting relationships<\/li>\n<li>Principle of faunal succession<\/li>\n<li>Principle of original horizontality<\/li>\n<li>Principle of lateral continuity<\/li>\n<li>Parent atom<\/li>\n<li>Potassium-Argon (K-Ar) dating<\/li>\n<li>Radiometric dating<\/li>\n<li>Relative dating<\/li>\n<li>Unconformity<\/li>\n<li>Uranium-Lead (U-Pb) dating<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"parent":0,"menu_order":11,"template":"","meta":{"pb_part_invisible":null,"pb_part_invisible_string":"on"},"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-94","part","type-part","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/geolmanual\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/94","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/geolmanual\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/geolmanual\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/part"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/geolmanual\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/94\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":243,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/geolmanual\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/94\/revisions\/243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/geolmanual\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/geolmanual\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=94"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/geolmanual\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=94"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}