Earth’s Geologic

History

Aim: How do we determine

the chronology of earth’s
events?
 Uniformitarianism
 Processes going on today also took
place in the past
 Ex. - Weathering, erosion, deposition,
earthquakes, volcanoes
 The processes layering sedimentary
rocks today also occurred in the past
Relative Age of Layers
 Original
Horizontality –
sediments are
deposited in
parallel, horizontal
layers.

 Superposition-
undisturbed layers
will have the oldest
on the bottom and
youngest on top
Vocabulary
 Uniformitarianism  Correlation
 Relative Time  Unconformity
 Original Horizontality  Index fossils
 Superposition
 Intrusions
 Extrusions
 Inclusions
How can the older layers end up
on top?
 Faulting
 Folding
 Crustal Uplift
Intrusions

 Magma forcing its way into cracks and

solidifying into igneous rock
 The surrounding rock is older than he
intrusion.
What is the sequence of events?
1. Formation of sedimentary rock layers
2. Movement / uplift along the fault
3. Intrusion of igneous magma into the sedimentary rock
4. Contact metamorphism where magma meets
sedimentary rock layers
Extrusions
 Magma that surfaces and solidifies
 The rock layers below the extrusion are
older than the extrusion.
 Another layer of deposition can lay more
sedimentary rock above the extrusions…
which would then be younger than the
extrusion
Order of events:
Name them oldest to youngest:
 1 Shale is older
than basalt
intrusion

 2 Shale is older
than sandstone

 3 An unconformity
exists directly
under the shale.
Sediments and cracks
 Sediments have been weathered,
eroded and deposited before they
became part of a larger rock.

 The sediments must

be older than the rock.

 Cracks, joints and veins

form after the rock
Inclusions
 If a sediment falls into lava, it may
become included if it does not melt. The
inclusion is older than the lava.
 Correlation
( co-relation)

 Matching rocks in one area with rocks in

another area helps determine history of
events on Earth.
– Comparison of rocks –walking the outcrop
– Matching up layers of rock separated over
time
Correlation
 Index fossils
– Similar fossils that existed for a brief period of time
but appear in layers of rock (strata) all over the
world .
Matching
up index
fossils
helps
correlate
layers of
rock and
age them.
Which layers are the same age?
How old are they? (ESRT pg 8/9)
Correlation

 Volcanic Ash or
Meteorite Debris
– A thin layer of fine
sediment spread
over the Earth
that settles and is
trapped between
layers of rock
Volcanic Ash layer
Layer of Meteorite Debris
VOLCANIC ASH LAYER AT THE SAME TIME AS
THE DINOSAURS BECAME EXTINCT LEAD
SCIENTISTS TO LOOK FOR METEORITE CRATER
Chicxulub Crater 65 mya 170 km. Wide
Unconformities – something is missing

 Layers of exposed rock get eroded and

leave gaps in the geologic record
 Four steps to unconformity:
– Uplift
– Erosion
– Subsidence (submergence)
– Deposition
Four steps to unconformity
Missing info in the rock layer
Types of unconformities
 Angular – tilted or folded layers that
have been eroded and recovered
 Parallel – also called disconformities,
parallel layers separated by an
erosional surface
 Nonconformities – sedimentary layers
deposited on top of eroded igneous
layers
Grand
Canyon
Geology
HW: Youtube review

 Relative Dating of the Earth

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFtd
O7woJ3I&feature=related
What is the correct order of development from
oldest to youngest?

Do Now:
Bedrock outcrops A and B are located at two different locations along the Genesee
River in western New York State. Rock layers 1, 2, and 4 are the same in both
outcrops.

Which statement best explains why rock layer 3 is missing from

outcrop B?
(1) A fault exists between outcrops A and B.
(2) Erosion created an unconformity between rock layers 2 and 4 in
outcrop B.
(3) A volcanic eruption destroyed rock layer 3 in outcrop B.
(4) Metamorphism of outcrop A created rock layer 3.
Earth’s Geological History
Arrange the order of the following
time measurements from biggest to
smallest:
 Year
 Second
 Epoch
 Era
 Minute
 Hour
 Month
 Eon
 Period
 Century
 Decade
 Day
ESRT: page 8/9

 How old is the Earth?

 2 eons….which one are we in now?
 Identify the era, period and epoch we
are currently living in.
 How many eras ago did our current
epoch begin?
Eurypterus… a

NY State Index
Fossil

Find me on the
ESRT pg 8-9.
Using index fossils on the ESRT

 What period did Eurypterus live?

 What era?
 What eon?
 How many years ago?
 What was happening with life on earth?
 What was happening in NY State?
Index fossils – Page 8-9
ESRT
Index fossils –
any animal or plant that is characteristic of a
particular span of geologic time or
environment.

2 criteria to be an index fossil:

 Life form lived over a wide geographic area –
horizontal distribution
 Life form existed for a short period of time –
short vertical distribution
Which letter would make a good index fossil?

Location A Location B Location C

Rock layer 1 W W W Z

Rock layer 2 W Y Z
Z
Rock layer 3 W X X X Z
Which graph shows the relative duration of
geologic time for the Precambrian, Paleozoic,
Mesozoic, and Cenozoic time intervals?
 What is the geologic age of layer B?
(1) Cambrian (3)
Devonian
(2) Ordovician (4)
Evolution of life of Earth

 http://www.johnkyrk.com/evolution.html
HW: Youtube review
 Age and events of the earth – pg. 8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmUpOYvxiZw&fe
ature=related

 Index fossils – pg. 9

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fbx4TBIZPE&feat
ure=related

 Linking pgs. 2,3,8,9

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmUpOYvxiZw&fe
ature=related