To establish the age of a rock or a fossil, researchers use some type of clock to determine the date it was formed. Geologists commonly use radiometric dating methods, based on the natural radioactive decay of certain elements such as potassium and carbon, as reliable clocks to date ancient events.

What does the relative age of a rock mean?

Relative age is the age of a rock layer (or the fossils it contains) compared to other layers. It can be determined by looking at the position of rock layers. Absolute age is the numeric age of a layer of rocks or fossils. The age of the fossil will be an age range between the ages of the two volcanic layers.

How do you determine relative age?

Relative Age Determination. Superposition of rock units is a very simple and straightforward method of relative age determination. The principle states that in a sequence of undeformed sedimentary rocks the oldest beds are at the bottom and the youngest ones are at the top.

What is relative age dating for kids?

Relative dating is the kind of geochronology that determines the relative order of past events. The idea is to find the age of an object or event by comparing it to another object or event, or by using clues from the environment or circumstances where it was found.

Which is an example of relative age?

relative agethe age of an object in comparison with the age of other objects. For example, one rock is older than another rock.