Geol 111 – Lab 6 Name: _________________________

Dating of Rocks, Fossils, & Geologic Events Section: _____

Chapter 8

Part A: Determining Relative Ages of Rocks and Events Based on Physical Relationships

Determine the relative ages of rock bodies and events in the geologic cross sections on pages
219 - 220 (Cross Sections 1, 2, 3, 4). List the sequence in which the labeled features occurred.
Start with the oldest and work upwards to the youngest.

Cross Section 1 Cross Section 2 Cross Section 3 Cross Section 4

Youngest _____ Youngest _____ Youngest _____ Youngest _____

_____ _____ _____ _____

_____ _____ _____ _____
_____ _____ _____ _____
_____ _____ _____ _____
_____ _____ _____ _____
_____ _____ _____ _____
_____ _____ _____ _____
_____ _____ _____ _____
_____ _____ _____ _____
_____ _____ _____ _____
_____ _____ _____ _____
_____ _____ _____ _____
_____ _____ _____ _____
_____ Oldest _____ _____ _____
_____ _____ _____
Oldest _____ Oldest _____ _____
_____
_____
Oldest _____
Part B: Using Index Fossils to Date Rocks and Events
Use Figure 8.9 (p. 221) along with the noted pictures to answer the following questions.

1) Analyze the fossiliferous rock in Picture A on page 221.

a) What two index fossils are present in this rock?

__________________________________________________

b) Based on the overlapping time of these two index fossils, what is the relative age
(geologic period) of this rock?
__________________________________________________

c) What is the absolute age (in millions of years) of this rock?

__________________________________________________

2) Analyze the fossiliferous rock in Picture C on page 221.

a) What two index fossils are present in this rock?

__________________________________________________

b) Based on the overlapping time of these two index fossils, what is the relative age
(geologic period) of this rock?
__________________________________________________

c) What is the absolute age (in millions of years) of this rock?

__________________________________________________

3) Examine the cross-section in Figure 8.2.

a) Which geologic time periods are missing between layers C and D?

__________________________________________________

b) What type of unconformity exists between layers C and D?

__________________________________________________

4) Examine the cross-section in Figure 8.4.

a) Which geologic time periods are missing between layers D and F?

__________________________________________________

b) What type of unconformity exists between the tilted layers and layer F?
__________________________________________________
Part C: Determining Absolute Ages by Radiometric Dating
Refer to Figure 8.11 for the following questions. (Also attached on the following page.)

Age = (# of half-lives elapsed) * (specific half-life of decay pair)

1) A mass spectrometer analysis was used to count the atoms of Uranium-235 and Lead-207
isotopes in zircon samples from a lava flow. The analysis revealed that 84.1% were
Uranium-235 and 15.9% were Lead-207.

a) Based on these percentages, how many half-lives have elapsed? _______________

b) What is the specific half-life of this decay pair? _______________

c) Based on these values, what is the age of this particular sample? Show your work.

________________________________________________________________________

2) Astronomers think that the Earth formed at the same time as all of the other rocky
materials in the solar system, including the oldest meteorites. The oldest meteorites ever
found on Earth contain nearly equal amounts (50% & 50%) of Uranium-238 and Lead-206.

a) Based on these percentages, how many half-lives have elapsed? _______________

b) What is the specific half-life of this decay pair? _______________

c) Based on these values, what is the age of this particular sample? Show your work.

________________________________________________________________________

3) Decaying Carbon-14 is continuously replaced in organisms while they are alive. However,
when an organism dies, the amount of Carbon-14 decreases as it decays to Nitrogen-14. A
peat bed was tested and found to have isotope values of 12.5% Carbon-14 and 87.5%
Nitrogen-14.

a) Based on these percentages, how many half-lives have elapsed? _______________

b) What is the specific half-life of this decay pair? _______________

c) Based on these values, what is the age of this particular sample? Show your work.

________________________________________________________________________
4) A sample of the mineral biotite was tested and found to have isotope values of 70.7%
Potassium-40 and 29.3% Argon-40.

a) Based on these percentages, how many half-lives have elapsed? _______________

b) What is the specific half-life of this decay pair? _______________

c) Based on these values, what is the age of this particular sample? Show your work.

________________________________________________________________________