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SLM10G11Q2W5 Relative and Absolute Dating 1
SLM10G11Q2W5 Relative and Absolute Dating 1
11
EARTH
SCIENCE
QU AR TE R 2
MODU LE 10
R elative
& A bsolute
D A T I N G
Earth Science– Grade 11
Quarter 2 – Module 10: Relative and Absolute Dating
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Editors: Manuel F. Teodoro, Emily Esmabe, Helen Cornelio, and Cristy D. Ello
E A R T H S C I E N C E
01
R e l a t i v e a n d A b s o l u t e D a t i n g
Supplementary Learning Module for Senior High School Learners
BEGIN!
"The present is the key to the past." The history of the Earth is
recorded in rocks, but the rock record is inherently incomplete. Some
of the "events" do not leave a record or are not preserved. Some of
LESSON the rock record may have also been lost through the recycling of
rocks. Preserved in rocks are the remains and traces of plants and
RELATIVE animals that have lived and died through-out Earth's History — fossils.
AND The fossil record provides scientists with one of the most compelling
ABSOLUTE evidence for Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution. Scientists use two
DATING methods to determine the age of rocks/fossils, and these will be
explained by going through into this module.
YOUR TARGETS
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02
R e l a t i v e a n d A b s o l u t e D a t i n g
TRY THIS!
1. Which law states that younger rocks lie above older rocks if the layers have not been
disturbed?
a. cross-cutting c. unconformity
b. Superposition d. uniformitarianism
2. What do you call that break in the geologic record that is made when rock layers are
ERODED over a long period of time?
a. cross-cutting c. superposition
b. relative dating d. unconformity
3. Analyse the seashell found in the white layer. Which statement is true of the rock layer
that contains this fossil?
Good Job!
Maybe, you find it hard to answer correctly but it
is okay! It is just the beginning of your journey to
the genesis of stratified rocks. Now, be ready for
the upcoming activities. Let us go!
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03
DO THIS!
Instructions:
PILE ✓ Identify their age by analysing the type of work they do, years in service,
ME UP! and clues to their age (e.g. favorite T.V. show when they were growing
up).
✓ Pile them up in the table provided below, by writing their names starting
from oldest to youngest.
Good Day!
It is nice to meet you!
I am ZEN-ZEN I am
a college student. I I am NIKO I am working at
love watching FASHION de AMOR as
Romantic-Comedy. fashion artist for 10 years.
I love watching Horror
movies.
Greetings!
Hello!
This is Helcurt. I
My name is Marc. I do love love playing with
watching football game. my friends at the
park. I always go
I am working as pediatrician
to the mall. I love
at Zengerome Hospital for
10 years. I love watching to eat spaghetti.
action movies.
YOUNGEST
OLDEST
Excellent!
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UNSCRAMBLE Instructions: Study the scrambled letters and try to unscramble
or rearrange the letters to form a word that is appropriate to the
THE definition given in each item. Write your answer on your answer
SCRAMBLED! sheet.
_______________1. Used to arrange geological events and the rocks they leave behind, in a
sequence. (TVRAIEEL NIDATG)
_______________2. The process of finding-out the actual order of the events that happened
in the past. (OUALETBS NIDATG)
_______________3. This states that sedimentary rock layers are deposited; younger layers
are on top of older deposits. (ALW FO PPUTSOONIEIRS)
_______________4. This law states that if deposits are tilted, folded, or broken, sedimentary
rock layers are deposited horizontally. (ALW FO ROLGIANI
HYTAZOONTLIR)
_______________5. This principle states that a layer or stratum must always be older than
any feature that cuts or disrupts it. (ATLERAL YTOCIUNNIT)
_______________6. surface of non-deposition or erosion. (CUMRYTIFONON)
_______________7. This principle states that if an igneous intrusion or a fault cuts through
existing rocks, the intrusion/fault is younger than the rock it cuts through.
(OSCRS-GNTTUCI)
_______________8. It states that attitude of beds above and below the surface of erosion
unconformity are not the same (beds are not parallel to each other.
(UAGARNL MYUFITNCONRO)
_______________9. This type of unconformity states that sedimentary rock strata above and
below the surface of erosion are parallel to each other.
(CMOYTRIDSNFO)
_______________10. This states that there is no discernible erosional surface; however,
there is a gap in the ages between the rock units. (AAOORPFYTIMNC)
WHAT’S Instructions: Carefully examine the illustration below. Arrange the events
UP? from 1 – 5.
E A R T H S C I E N C E
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05
KEEP THIS IN MIND
How did you find the relative ages of the following persons from Activity 1? Did you
create your own criteria to determine who are young and who are old? What are these?
Just like human, the age of rocks and fossils can also be determined. And one of these
methods is the Relative Dating. Relative Dating is used to arrange geological events, and the
rocks they leave behind, in a sequence. This method of reading the order is called
stratigraphy (layers of rock are called strata). Relative dating does not provide actual
numerical dates for the rocks.
/w/index.php?curid=14715935
Image Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org
Figure 1(By Matt Affolter (QFL247), CC BY-SA 3.0)
Figure 1. The Permian through Jurassic stratigraphy of the Colorado Plateau area of
southeastern Utah is a great example of Original Horizontality and the Law of
Superposition, two important ideas used in relative dating. These strata make up much of
the famous prominent rock formations in widely spaced protected areas such as Capitol
Reef National Park and Canyonlands National Park. From top to bottom: Rounded tan
domes of the Navajo Sandstone, layered red Kayenta Formation, cliff-forming, vertically
jointed, red Wingate Sandstone, slope-forming, purplish Chinle Formation, layered,
lighter-red Moenkopi Formation, and white, layered Cutler Formation sandstone. Photo
from Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah.
There are different methods and principles that are used to determine the relative ages
of rocks.
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www.sci.ccny.cuny.edu/~mcesaire/horizontalstrata.gif)
Source: http://
because of sediment deposition. (Image
Figure 2.: Layering or bedding
2. Law of Superposition - New rock layers are always deposited on top of existing rock
layers (Figure 3.).
- Therefore, deeper layers must be older than those closer to the surface.
- The sediments poured into the pail of water settles into horizontal layers.
- The bottom most layer is the oldest and the topmost layer is the youngest.
https.loudfront.net/datastreams
of superposition (Image Source:
Figure 3.: Illustration of the law
3. Principle of Lateral Continuity - Rock layers extend laterally and cover very broad
areas, especially if they formed at the bottom of ancient seas. If there is sufficient
supply of sediments, the layer will continue to extend further.
- If a geologist studying the distribution of rocks will encounter the same rock types
on the opposite side of the river valley in Figure 4, upon applying the Principle
of Lateral Continuity, he can conclude that these rocks previously formed a
continuous layer and that the part of the original layer of rock must have been
eroded by the river.
- Layers of the same rock type are found across canyons at the Grand Canyon
(Figure 5.).
Take note of the white layer on the top that is continuous throughout despite the
presence of gaps in between.
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Figure 4: A landscape that
undergoes stream erosion.
As the river cuts down the
underlying layers, it
progressively erodes older
layers.
Figure 5: Panorama of the Grand Canyon from the south rim (Photo by Roger Bolsius). (Image Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org /wikipedia/commons/8/85/ Grand_Canyon_Panorama_2013.jpg)
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5. Principle of Unconformity - An unconformity is a surface of non-deposition or
erosion. Accumulation of sediments continues until the supply of sediments is cut off
or if the area is subject to uplift and erosion. Uplift to the surface (e.g. from the bottom
of the ocean to the surface) exposes rocks to the agents of weathering and erosion.
- Figure 7 illustrates the sequence of events that can lead to the formation of an
angular unconformity.
- The horizontally layered sedimentary unit on top is separated from the
underlying folded rocks by an unconformity. Rocks above an unconformity are
younger than the rocks below.
Figure 7: Formation of an
angular uniformity (Illustration
by Actualist). Sediments are
initially deposited as horizontal
A layers
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Types of unconformities
✤ Angular Unconformity -
attitude of beds above and
below the surface of erosion or
unconformity are not the same
(beds are not parallel to each
other).
✤ Disconformity - sedimentary rock strata above and below the surface of erosion are
parallel to each other.
Do you now understand what relative dating is? And what is the different method
used by geologist to determine the relative ages of every stratum? Do you think you
can now describe each? Let us find out in the succeeding activity.
E A R T H S C I E N C E
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APPLY WHAT YOU
YOU HAVE LEARNED
Instructions: From the illustration below, put the rock bodies illustrated in
order, based on where they formed. Write each letter by order to the
PART I
space provided and answer the guide questions.
1. ___________________________ 6. _____________________________
2. ___________________________ 7. _____________________________
3. ___________________________ 8. _____________________________
4. __________________________ 9. _____________________________
5. ___________________________
GUIDE QUESTION:
1. Relative to other rock bodies, when did the fault occur? (2 points)
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
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Instructions: Match each principle to its explanation. Write the
PART II letter of the explanation in your answer sheet.
Explanations:
a. In undisturbed rock layers, the oldest layer is at the bottom and the youngest layer
is at the top.
b. In some rock formations, layers or parts of layers may be missing. This is often due
to erosion. Erosion by water or wind removes sediment from exposed surfaces.
Erosion often leaves a new flat surface with some of the original material missing.
d. Any feature that cuts across rock layers is younger than the layers.
e. Sedimentary layers or lava flows extend sideways in all directions until they thin
out or reach a barrier.
f. Any part of a previous rock layer, like a piece of stone, is older than the layer
containing it.
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DO THIS!
A B
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CROSS-WORD Instructions:
Read the clues below and fill in the correct answer.
PUZZLE!
ACROSS:
1. To date the actual age of old materials, scientists use_____.
2. Any remains, impression, or trace of a living thing from a former geological era.
3. The time needed for half of a sample of radioactive element to undergo radioactive
decay and form daughter isotopes.
4. The half-life of Carbon-14 is _____.
5. How absolute dating differ from relative dating?
DOWN
1. What is a technique used to find materials such as igneous or gas?
2. If I were to measure a dinosaur fossil, what element should I use?
2.
1.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
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Instructions: Complete the graphic organizer by
TIMELINE GRAPHIC supplying it with the appropriate radiometric dating
ORGANIZER methods used on each era. Describe each radiometric
dating by looking at the word bank.
1. 2.
542-251 Million Years ago 252-66 Million years 66 Million years ago present
3.
POTASSIUM-ARGON
RADIOCARBON DATING URANIUM-LEAD DATING
DATING
Table 2. DESCRIPTIONS
This method is used to
This method is used to date This method is used to date determine the igneous
igneous rocks that are 100, things lived in the last 45, rocks that are between 100
000 years to billion years 000 years million years and a few
billion years old.
E A R T H S C I E N C E
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KEEP THIS IN MIND
How do we know how old something is? For people, we ask to see for birth certificate.
For trees, we count the rings. But how do we know how old exactly the fossil is?
The process of finding out the actual order of the events that occurred in the past is
known as absolute dating. It determines the specific age of a fossil. Geologists can use
the methods of relative dating to learn whether a rock is older or younger than another
rock. However, they often also need to know exactly how old rock is. Once the sequence
of events becomes known, they can get the idea of which era something belongs to and
therefore the mystery solves itself. One way to learn the age of a rock is to use unstable
atoms.
Image Source: https://images.app.goo.gl/hb132s9BP7fNctki9
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1. Radiocarbon Dating - This is used to find the
age of once living materials between 100 and TRIVIA: The best rock for
50,000 years old. It is usually used to radiometric dating is an
determine ages of human fossils and habitation IGNEOUS ROCK. When igneous
sites. rocks form, minerals in them
- Radiocarbon dating is a method used for often contain only a parent
dating wood, bones, shells, and other isotope and none of the daughter
organic remains. All living things have a isotope. This makes the isotope
constant ratio of radioactive carbon-14 to percentages easier to interpret
carbon-12. Once a plant or an animal dies, and helps dating to be more
no more carbon is taken in. The ratio accurate.
between the isotope’s changes because
carbon-14 undergoes radioactive decay.
- The half-life of carbon-14 is 5,730 years; the number of half-lives of carbon-14 that
have passed gives the absolute age.
- Radiocarbon dating can be used to date organic matter only.
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APPLY WHAT YOU
YOU HAVE LEARNED
RELATIVE ABSOLUTE
DATING DATING
Differences Differences
Similarities
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REFLECTION
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
REINFORCEMENT
To strengthen what you have learned in this module, you are going to make
your own MNEMONIC DEVICE about the different methods of relative and absolute
dating.
E A R T H S C I E N C E
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WORD BANK
ABSOLUTE
The actual age of a fossil/matter.
AGE
RELATIVE is used to arrange geological events, and the rocks they leave
DATING behind, in a sequence.
E A R T H S C I E N C E
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ASSESS WHAT YOU
HAVE LEARNED
1. Which law states that younger rocks lie above older rocks if the layers have not been
disturbed?
a. cross-cutting
b. Superposition
c. Unconformity
d. Uniformitarianism
2. What do you call that break in the geologic record that is made when rock layers are
ERODED over a long period of time?
a. cross-cutting
b. relative dating
c. superposition
d. unconformity
3. Analyze the seashell found in the white layer. Which statement is true of the rock layer
that contains this fossil?
E A R T H S C I E N C E
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ANSWER KEEY
TRY THIS!
1. B 2. A 3. D 4. B 5. C
DO THIS!
I. PILE ME UP!
YOUNG HELCURT
ZEN-ZEN
MARC
OLD NIKO
GUIDED QUESTIONS:
1. THE FAULT FORMED AFTER LAYERS H, G, AND F BUT BEFORE LAYER D.
2. FIRST LAYERS B, E, AND A FORMED, AND THE UNCONFORMITY OF THE
STREAM OCCURRED. THE STRAM EVADED THROUGH LAYERS A AND E.
II. B
1. C 4. F
2. E 5. B
3. A 6. D
E A R T H S C I E N C E
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DO THIS!
I. MATCHY MATCHY
1. C 2. D 3. E 4. A 5. B
1. F 2. T 3. T 4. F 5. T
II. VENN DIAGRAM! (REFER FROM THE DISCUSSION ABOVE FOR THEIR
ANSWERS)
1. B 2. A 3. D 4. B 5. C
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REFERENCES
https://science4inquiry.com/LessonPlans/EarthScience/Dating/RelativeAbsoluteDatin
gFinal.pdf
https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/fosrec/BarBar.html
https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/~/media/shared/documents/education%20and%20career
s/Earth%20Science%20Week/esw12/Relative%20dating%20lesson%20plan.pdf?la=
en
http://images.pcmac.org/SiSFiles/Schools/AL/OneontaCounty/OneontaCityHigh/Uplo
ads/Presentations/RELATIVE%20AND%20ABSOLUTE%20DATING.ppt
https://notendur.hi.is/oi/Historical%20Geology%20pdf/3-
Relative%20versus%20absolute%20age%20of%20rocks.pdf
http://my.ilstu.edu/~pameist/Lecture%20Notes/Dating.pdf
http://web.arc.losrios.edu/~borougt/Geology305_GeologicDatingHomework_Fall_201
2.pdf
https://www.wahpeton.k12.nd.us/ourpages/auto/2015/8/20/53494933/U2%20L3%20
Notes.pdf
https://www.most.org/wp-
content/uploads/2016/04/Determining_Age_of_Rocks__Fossils.pdf
https://web.nmsu.edu/~dshearer/geology/09_Geotime/M09-Geotime-slides-HO.pdf
https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1485-relative-dating
https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/~/media/shared/documents/education%20and%20career
s/Earth%20Science%20Week/esw12/Relative%20dating%20lesson%20plan.pdf?la=
en
http://sjutsscience.weebly.com/uploads/3/7/4/5/37458459/relative_dating_worksheet
_key.pdf
https://www.wahpeton.k12.nd.us/ourpages/auto/2015/8/20/53494933/U2%20L3%20
Notes.pdf
https://www.ck12.org/tebook/ck-12-earth-science-for-middle-school-teachers-
edition/section/11.4/
https://www.scarsdaleschools.k12.ny.us/cms/lib5/NY01001205/Centricity/Domain/31
1/interactive_textbook63.pdf
https://www.most.org/wp-
content/uploads/2016/04/Determining_Age_of_Rocks__Fossils.pdf
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http://www.cfalls.summit.k12.oh.us/userfiles/653/Classes/6198/dating-
worksheet.pdf?id=7949
http://www.cfalls.summit.k12.oh.us/userfiles/653/Classes/6198/dating-
worksheet.pdf?id=7949
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Relative-Dating-Worksheet-5111121 -
IMAGE
https://truthsnitch.com/2017/06/06/not-exact-science-dating-evidence-drive-theory-
vice-versa/relative-dating-vs-absolute-dating-venn-diagram/ - IMAGE
Teaching Guide for Senior High School_ EARTH SCIENCE.pdf
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