Earth Science-Uddo Name: _____________________________________

Relative Dating Class Period: ________________________________

Part I – Define the following terms

Relative Dating-
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Superposition -
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Index Fossils -
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Part II: Nonsense Letters Card Sort: With your group, spread out the 8 cards with nonsense letters. Determine the sequence of the
letters (assume each letter represents a fossil.)

CLUES- *The card with C and T is on the bottom **Look for a card with a C or a T on it for the 2 nd layer.

In the table write the letters from each card in the spaces on the table, then answer the questions

1.) What letters are the oldest? __________________________

2.) What letters are the youngest? _______________________

3.) What letter(s) showed up the most? ______________________

4.) Which letter showed up once? _____________________________

5.) Which letters could be index fossils? ________________________

6.) Which is older M or X (circle one)? How do you know?

__________________________________________________________

7.) Why is D in the layer DM the same age as M?

__________________________________________________________
TC

Part III: Fossil Card Sort: With your group, spread out the 8 fossil cards. Arrange the cards to represent the layers of rock and fossils.
Clues: *The oldest layer has M in the corner. Extinction is forever, once and organism is gone it CANNOT reappear later.

In the table, write the letters printed in the lower left-hand corner of each card, then answer the questions

1.) What fossils could possibly be used as index fossils?

a.) _________________________________
b.) _________________________________
c.) _________________________________
d.) _________________________________
e.) _________________________________

2.) What three fossils represented could not be used as index fossils?
a.) __________________________________
b.) __________________________________
c.) __________________________________

Why? ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

M 3.) What kinds of rocks might you find the fossil from this activity?
 ____________________________________________________________

Part IV: Make a fossil range chart. Look at the pictures of the fossils on the page your teacher gave you. Each fossil is a type of
cephalopod. Underneath each picture is a time range. Shade in the area on the graph that represents the time period during
which that organism existed. The top of the table tells you the name of the different time periods throughout geologic history.

1.) If you have a rock that

has a Ceratite in it, what time
period(s) is it from?

________________________________

2.) If you have a rock that has a goniatite

and a nautiloid what time period(s) is
it from?

________________________________

3.) If you have a rock that has an Ammonite

and an Orthocone in it, what time
period(s) is it from?
_________________________________

4.) If you find a rock that has an Orthocone

what time period(s) is it from?
_________________________________

5.) Which fossils might you expect to find in a rock of Jurassic age? __________________________________

6.) If you find a sedimentary rock that has no Cephalopods in it, can you tell what time period it is from (using the information
available in this lab only)? Why or why not?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

7.) Which fossil(s) from the above chart make the best index fossils? Why?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
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APPLICATION
8.) Look at the following diagrams of fossils that can be found in rocks.
Identify the fossils using the pictures in figure 1. Then determine the age of each rock
a.) ________________________________________
b.) ________________________________________
c.) ________________________________________
d.) ________________________________________

9.) Cephalopods are organisms that lived in the open ocean. During the Cretaceous, a lack
of oxygen in ocean basins meant that large deposits of organic material built up. This
material came primarily from microorganisms in the ocean water. This material was
later buried and eventually became oil. Geologists from oil companies frequently use
fossil range charts to help them date rocks so that they might find more oil.

Imagine that you are an oil geologist. Of the rocks you dated in question 8,
which would you recommend further investigation for oil?

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