Science Rock Dating Quiz

Front 1

Bishop Ussher

Back 1

used the bible to date the earth, said that it was about 6000 years old

Front 2

Catastrophism

Back 2

belief that worldwide events happened to create the earth, earth was 6000 years old, except that radioactive dating is wrong

Front 3

James Hutton

Back 3

observed sedimentation rates, said that the earth was older than 6000 years old

Front 4

Uniformitarianism

Back 4

process of the earth still happening today, except that it was slower now, no specific number of how old the earth is

Front 5

William Thompson

Back 5

assumed earth had been cooling steadily since made, called for 20 million year old earth

Front 6

John Joly

Back 6

assumed oceans had collected salts from erosion at a constant rate, calls for 90 million year old earth

Front 7

the Curies

Back 7

discovered radioactive dating, and estimates the earth to be 4.6 billion years old

Front 8

Absolute Dating

Back 8

gives an actual number, cant be used on all rocks, dependent on interactions of strong and weak nuclear forces

Front 9

Radioactive decay

Back 9

when a parent gives off an alpha particle (2 pro, 2 neut) from its nucleus and transforms to an entirely different element, comes at a very predicable rate

Front 10

one half life

Back 10

1:1

Front 11

two half lives

Back 11

1:3

Front 12

three half lives

Back 12

1:7

Front 13

four half lives

Back 13

1:15

Front 14

five half lives

Back 14

1:31

Front 15

six half lives

Back 15

1:63

Front 16

1/8 of a half life

Back 16

15:1

Front 17

1/4 of a half life

Back 17

7:1

Front 18

1/2 of a half life

Back 18

3:1

Front 19

Relative Dating

Back 19

gives ages only to relation to others

Front 20

Law of Superposition

Back 20

says that the sediment on the bottom is older than the sediment on the top

Front 21

Index fossils

Back 21

must be widesperad, short lived, easily fossilized and have bones