Questions and Answers
What is relative-age dating used for?
Studying past geologic events based on present observations
How does uniformitarianism help scientists understand Earth's history?
By allowing scientists to study the order of geologic events
In which layer of a rock formation would you typically find the oldest rocks?
Bottom layer
What does relative age in geology refer to?
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Which method allows scientists to study the order of geologic events?
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Why is it important to study the order of geologic events using relative-age dating?
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Why did Hutton think that Earth was much older than a few thousand years?
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What is the principle of uniformitarianism?
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What does the term 'geology' refer to?
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Which process did Hutton believe could wear down mountains over time?
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What is a glacier?
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How does the principle of uniformitarianism relate to the reshaping of Earth's surface?
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What does relative age mean in the context of geology?
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What did early scientists explain Earth's history as?
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Which principle caused scientists to change their view of Earth's history during the late 1700s?
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Why did James Hutton reject catastrophism?
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How did early scientists describe Earth's history according to the text?
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What idea did James Hutton set forth during the late 1700s?
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Study Notes
Physical Characteristics of Glacial Materials
- Unsorted and contains many different sizes of sediment
- Rocks have scratches on them
- Similar to rock layers formed by glacial deposition
Relative-Age Dating
- Method to study the order of geologic events
- Does not determine the absolute age, but provides a clearer understanding of Earth's history
- Oldest rocks are in the bottom layer, youngest rocks are in the top layer
- Relative age is the age of rocks and geologic features compared to others nearby
Uniformitarianism
- Principle stating that geologic processes today are similar to those in the past
- Earth's surface is constantly being reshaped in a steady, uniform manner
- Processes that occur today, such as erosion, can also shape Earth's surface over time
Hutton's Ideas
- Proposed that Earth is much older than a few thousand years
- Noted that processes responsible for changing the landscape on his farm could also change Earth's surface
- Erosion caused by streams could wear down mountains over time
Geologic Time
- Earth's history started about 4.6 billion years ago
- Early scientists described Earth's history in terms of everyday experiences
- Catastrophism: idea that Earth's history was a series of disastrous events over short periods of time
- James Hutton rejected catastrophism and introduced the principle of uniformitarianism
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