MAJOR EVENTS IN EARTH’S

PAST
Formation of Stratified Rocks
TERMS TO KNOW:
 Stratification-general term for layering in
sedimentary rocks
 Beds-layering in sedimentary rocks which are
greater than 1 cm thick; and
 Lamination-layering in sedimentary rocks, which are
less than 1 cm thick
REVIEW:
 What is:
 Weathering?

 Erosion?

 Transport?

 Deposition?
 What are the
differences and
similarities among
sedimentary,
igneous and
metamorphic
processes?
 In topographically high areas, the
dominant sedimentary processes are
erosion and transport.
 Water is an important agent of
sediment transport

Weathered and eroded materials

are transported to low lying areas.
Accumulation of Sediments
 When sediments accumulate (either through
deposition of clastic sediments or precipitation
from solution), they tend to blanket or cover the
surface with accumulation.
 The surface of accumulation is generally
topographically low and flat, therefore forming
tabular layers.
Accumulation of Sediments
 If conditions on the surface do not change
(constant rates of weathering, erosion,
deposition), ONLY thick, homogeneous and
undifferentiated sedimentary rocks will form.
 Bedding or layering in sedimentary rocks is a
reflection of the changing conditions during
deposition.
Interbedded mudstone (left) and Limestone (right)
Characteristics of Bed or Layers
 They are clearly defined by a change in color or
shade.
A change in color can reflect differences in grain size
and/or composition.
 Grain size in sedimentary rocks is commonly a
function of the energy of the environment of
deposition. (Fine-grained:↓Energy) (weathering rates
are also affected by climate changes)
 ENRICHMENT:
SUPERPOSITION is a fundamental principle in
stratigraphy. It states that in an undisturbed
accumulation occurs, the bottom layer was formed
before the top layer. However, rocks may be
subjected to deformation, which may cause
discrepancies in determining the correct sequence of
layers and geological history of an area.
ENRICHMENT:
QUESTION: What would help in determining the
correct sequence of layers? Which layer is the top
and which is the bottom?
MAJOR EVENTS IN EARTH’S
PAST
Dating of Stratified Rocks
 TERMS TO KNOW:
 Relative Dating-used to arrange geological events,
and the rocks they leave behind, in a sequence.
 Absolute Dating-process of determining an age on
a specified chronology in archaeology and
geology
 Unconformity-a surface of contact between two
groups of deformed strata/layer/bed.
Relative Dating
 Principle of Original Horizontality
 Law of Superposition

 Principle of Lateral Continuity

 Principle of Cross-cutting Relationships

 Principle of Unconformity
Principle of Original Horizontality
 Happens when sediments are deposited that
form horizontal or flat layers.
Law of Superposition
 States that deeper layers MUST be older than
those closer to the surface, because new rock
layers are always deposited on top of existing
rock layers.
Law of Superposition
Principle of Lateral Continuity
 Rock layers extend laterally and cover very
broad areas, especially if they formed at the
bottom of ancient seas.

As long as there is sufficient supply of sediments,

the layer will continue to extend further.
Principle of Lateral Continuity
Principle of Cross-cutting Relationships
 States that a layer or stratum must ALWAYS be
older than any feature that cuts or disrupts it.
For example, if a layer is cut by a fault, the
layer is older than the fault than cuts across it.
Principle of Cross-cutting Relationships
Principle of Unconformity

 States that rocks above an

unconformity are younger
than the rocks below.
Principle of Unconformity
 Types:
 Angular Unconformity: attitude of beds above
and below the surface of erosion or
unconformity are not the same.
 Nonconformity: The layer below the erosional
surface is either a metamorphic rock or an
igneous rock. The layer above is a sedimentary
rock.
Principle of Unconformity
 Types:
 Disconformity: sedimentary rock strata above
and below the surface of erosion are
parallel to each other.
 Paraconformity: there is no discernable
erosional surface; the beds are parallel to
each other.
Principle of Unconformity
Relative Dating: Summary
Absolute Dating
 With the discovery of radioactivity in the late
1800s, scientists were able to measure the
absolute/exact age of some rocks IN YEARS.
 Itallows scientists to assign the numbers to the
breaks in geologic time scale and get an absolute
age of a rock or fossil.
Absolute Dating: Methods
 Radiocarbon Dating
 Potassium-Argon Dating

 Uranium-Lead Dating
Radiocarbon Dating
 This is used to find the age of once living
materials between 100 and 50,000 years old.
 Usually used to determine ages of human

fossils and habitation sites

VIDEO CLIP: Carbon 14 Decay

Potassium-Argon Dating
 Used since Potassium (K) is common in many
minerals such as feldspar, mica, and amphibole
 With its half-life, the technique is used to date
rocks from 100,000 years to over a billion
years old.
 Potassium-40 decays to Argon-40 with a half-
life of 1.26 billion years
Potassium-Argon Dating
 Argon, a gas, has been observed to escape
from molten magma. Thus, any argon that is
found in an igneous crystal probably formed
as a result of the decay of Potassium-40.
Uranium-Lead Dating
 The two Uranium isotopes are used for dating:
 Uranium-238 decays to Lead-206 with a half-life
of 4.47 billion years
 Uranium-235 decays to form Lead-207 with a half-
life of 704 million years.
Uranium-Lead Dating
 Usually performed on zircon crystals. When it
forms in an igneous rock, the crystals accept
atoms of uranium, but rejects lead. If any lead
is found, it is assumed that it was produced
from the decay of Uranium