Earths Age

Unit 2-Geology

Earths Interior
Layers: (from ground down)
Crust
Mantle
Outer core
Inner core

Inner Core

Innermost layer
Iron & nickel (solid)
abt 1200 km thick
Temp=5000 C
(hottest)

Outer Core
Iron & nickel (liquid)
2200 km thickness
temp=5000 C- 2200 C

Outer Core
creates a magnetic field.
The magnetic field the outer core creates
goes way out into space and makes a
protective barrier around the earth that
shields us from the sun's damaging solar
wind.

Mantle
Most of the earths mass
2900 km thickness
temp=2200 C 870 C
Silicon, oxygen,
magnesium & iron

Mantle
The mantle of the Earth is solid rock, but its not completely
hard. Because of the intense heat, the mantle is moldable,
like play dough. The mantle slowly moves. This movement
causes earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Earth Mantle -Asthenosphere

asthenos=weak (greek)
The lower part of the mantle.
The ability for a solid to flow = plasticity
plasticity-easily shaped or molded

Asthenosphere
When the material in the asthenosphere is heated, it
becomes less dense and rises.
cooler material is more dense tends to sink.
Circulating currents carry the warmer material up and the
cooler material down.
These circular currents in the asthenosphere are called
convection currents. The circulating convection
currents cause the plates to move.

Earths Mantle-Lithosphere
Lithosphere
lithos=rocky (greek)
Top, rigid part of mantle and crust make up the
lithosphere
(Broken into several plates called tectonic plates)
Plates can move on
the ______.
-lithosphere

Crust

Outermost layer
5-32 km thick (thinnest layer)
3 types of rocks
2 types of layers: Oceanic & Continental
crust

Moho
The Mohorovii discontinuity usually
referred to as the Moho, is the boundary
between the Earth's crust and the mantle.

Crust
2 types:
Oceanic crust
Basalt
5-8 km (average)
Thinner crust
Denser than continental
Continental crust
Granite
30 km thick (average)
Less dense but thicker

Earths Layers Review practice

1. Inner core
2. Outer core
3. Mantle
4. Crust

O. Oceanic crust
C. Continental crust

Earth Layers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NA
HY6965o08 (cake example 6 min)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M
Fr2cC3erk (2 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tv
WDPBNiD4 (6 min - Earth Science)

What is Plasticity?
Can a mixture have the properties of both a
liquid and a solid?

Earths History and Geology

The Earth is about 4.6 billion years old
Same processes that changed Earths surface years
ago, affect it today
How to find information about the Earths coreunder surface
Core drilling

Rock Sequence
a set of rocks contained in a series of
layers, used to interpret the
paleoenvironment over a period of time.

Uniformitarianism
uniform - not changing in form or character
-tary - the state of
-ism - the belief in

The processes that have shaped the Earth in

the past are essentially those operating today.

Relative Age
relative=considered in relation or in proportion
to something else.

the age of an object in relation to the age of

other objects.

Relative vs. Absolute Age

Relative age
Tells us that 1 layer is older or younger than
another rock layer (not true age)
Older layers on bottom younger layers on top
Absolute age
Numeric age of rock formation
1 way to determine age radiometric dating (using
age of radioactive materials)
examples: argon, uranium (lead), carbon 14, etc.

Determining Relative Age of the Earth

Laws to Determine Age of Rocks

Law of Superposition

A sedimentary rock layer is older than the one

above it and younger than the one below it.

Law of Superposition
super- above
position- placement

the principles that a sedimentary rock layer is

older than the layers above it and younger than
the layers below it if the layers are not
disturbed.

Principle of Original Horizontality

Sedimentary rocks left undisturbed will remain
in horizontal layers.

Principal of Original Horizontality

Original Horizontality

Rocks undisturbed stay in horizontal layers

If not in horizontal layers, they have been tilted or
deformed AFTER the rock layers formed.

Unconformity
un= not
conform=agree with, be similar in form
a break in the geologic record created when
rock layers are eroded or when sediments is
not deposited for a long period of time.

3 types: Nonconformity, angular unconformity,

disconformity

Nonconformity & Disconformity

Nonconformity - stratified
rock on stratified rock.

Disconformity - uplifted
without folding or tilting
and eroded. there is a
gap between where the
upper and lower layers
meet.

Angular Unconformity
Law of Unconformity

A break in geologic
record.
Rock layers are
uplifted and new
sediment deposited
form layers
Younger layers on top
angular - tilted

Laws to Determine Age of Rocks

Law of crosscutting relationship

A fault or igneous intrusion is always younger than

the rock layers it cuts through.

Law of Cross Cutting Relationships

The principle that a fault or body of rock is
younger than any other body of rock that it cuts
through.

Example

Practice

Practice

Grand Canyon formation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBYvCJLb7tE

Relative vs. Absolute Age

Relative age
Tells us that 1 layer is older or younger than another
rock layer (not true age)
Older layers on bottom younger layers on top
Absolute age
Numeric age of rock formation
1 way to determine age radiometric dating (using
age of radioactive materials)
Argon, Uranium (lead) carbon 14, etc.

Geologic Age

Absolute Age Dating

The numeric age of an object or event, event
stated in years before the present, as
established by an absolute-dating process,
such as radiometric dating.
Methods:
Rates of Erosion, Rates of Deposition, Varve
Count, Radiometric dating, Carbon dating

Absolute Age Techniques

Erosion and Deposition

-sion/tion - act or state of
Erode - to eat into or away
soil erodes
Deposit - something that is deposited
sediments are deposited

Erosion and Deposition

Rate of erosion and depositionrate at which a stream erodes its bed.
Find age of rock by calculating the rate
sediments are deposited. Avg. rate: 30
cm=1,000 yrs.

Pro- Easy to obtain, not very costly

Con- Deposits can
happen at different rate.

Varves
A pair of sedimentary layers (one coarse,
one fine) that is deposited in an annual
cycle, commonly in glacial lakes, and that can
be used to determine absolute age.

Varve Count
Varve Count- Layers of light colored coarse particles
followed by dark colored fined particles.

Varve Count
Varve Count- During summer, water carries
sediments and coarse particles settle on bottom. In
winter, lake surface freezes and fine particles
suspended in water slowly settle on top

Each varve= 1 year of deposition

Pro- Generally consistent (coarse sediments in
summer and fine in winter)
Con- Extreme weather can affect layers

Radiometric Dating
using radioactive decay to measure absolute age.

radioactivity - arrangements of protons and neutrons in

nuclei of some atoms are unstable. Radioactivity results as
unstable nuclei decay over time into a stable nuclei by
releasing particles and energy.

radioactive isotopes - have nuclei that emit particles and

energy at a constant rate regardless of surrounding
conditions.

Radiometric Dating

Radiometric Dating
Rocks have small amounts of radioactive materials.
These decay at a constant rate and give off energy.
Pro -Not affected by temperature, pressure,
environment.
Con - Not accurate if too much time has passed
since decay.

Ratio of Daughter to Parent Isotope

parent isotope- original radioactive isotope.
daughter isotope - newly formed isotope.
what they turned into.

Half-life
the time required for half of a sample of a
radioactive isotope to break down by
radioactive decay to form a daughter isotope.

Carbon Dating
radioactive dating which is used with once
living items to determine an absolute date.

comparing the amount of Carbon-14 (C-14) to

C-12 in an organic material.

C-14= Carbon isotope that has 6 protons and 8 neutrons.

C-12 - Carbon that has 6 protons and 6 neutrons

Carbon Dating

Carbon Dating
Pro-Easily accessible
C-14 mixes with
oxygen to form CO2
Con- Can only be
used for younger
rocks (less than
70,000 yrs. Old)

Dating Methods Matching

1. Carbon dating
2. Varve count
3. Index fossil dating
4. Radiometric dating
5. Rate of
erosion/deposition

____ Finding age of rocks by calculating the rate

that sediments are placed in an area.
_________The fossil remains of an organism that
lived in a particular geologic age are used to
identify or date the rock or rock layer in which it is
found.
_______ Rocks have small amount of radioactive
materials that decay at a constant rate and give off
energy. This is used to find the age of rocks.
______ Looking at light and dark layers of rocks
based on the season and when each layer was
deposited. It takes one year for both layers to
form.
_____ Finding the age of young rocks using an
isotope of Carbon.

Half-life
How long it takes for of the material to decay
Parent isotope is what you have
Daughter isotope is what remains
What is gone is considered decayed

Half-life problems
1. The half-life of radium-226 is 12 years. How many grams of a 80g
sample will remain after 48 years?
After 1 half-life 12 years pass 40g left (daughter isotope
After 2 half-life 24 years pass
20 g left
After 3 half-life 36 years pass 10 g left
After 4 half-life 48 years pass
5 g left
2. Sodium-24 ha a half-life of 15 hours. How much sodium-24 will
remain in an 64 g sample after 60 hours?
1 half-life 15 hours
32 g left
2 half-life 30 hours
16 g left
3 half-life 45 hours
8 g left
4 half-life 60 hours
4 g left

Half-life problems
3. After 20 days, a 2.0 g sample of phosphorus-32
contains only 0.5 grams of isotope what is the half-life
of phosphorus-32?
1 half-life 1.0 g
2 half-life .5 g
20 days /2=10 Half-life is 10 days

Half-life problems

1. The half-life of radium-226 is 1,600 years. How many

grams of a 80g sample will remain after 4800 years?

2. Sodium-24 ha a half-life of 20 hours. How much

sodium-24 will remain in an 120 g sample after 60
hours?
3. After 42 days, a 2.0 g sample of phosphorus-32
contains only 0.25 grams of isotope what is the half-life
of phosphorus-32?
4.The half-life of radon-222 is 8 days. What was the
original mass if 6 grams remains after 24 days?

Half-Life Warm-up
A 64 g sample of Germanium-128 has a half-life of
6.5 years. How much of the sample is left after 26
years?
Phosphorus - 32 has a half life of 10 days. How
many grams of a 100 g sample is left after 40 days?
1 half-life - 10 days - 50 g
2 half-life - 20 days - 25 g
3 half-life - 30 days - 12.5 g
4 half-life - 40 days - 6.25 g

Index Fossils
a fossil that is used to establish the age of
rock layers because it is distinct, abundant,
and widespread and existed for only a short
span of geologic time.
index = something used
or serving to point out.

Index Fossil
Index Fossils- The fossil remains of an organism that
lived in a particular geologic age, used to identify or
date the rock or rock layer in which it is found.

Pro- Commonly found. Date back to definite

geological time period.
Con- Can only be used to date rocks in
which they are found (sedimentary).

Personal Timeline Activity

Create a timeline on your paper and include the following
events. Your timeline should be made to scale to show the
number of months/years that pass between each event.
Example each year= 2cm

Getting braces in middle school

Graduating from High School
Learning to walk
Receiving drivers license

Starting Kindergarten

Earths Geologic Timeline

Using the ideas of Relative and Absolute Dating
Scientists have created a geologic time scale of
Earths history.
Time scale of your life v. Earth
Earth time scale on Page 231
When did humans appear?
How long is one Ma?
How long have humans been around compare to
the overall time scale of the Earth?

Geologic Time Scale

Era
Periods
Epochs

Eon
- Largest unit of geologic time
Era - Smaller than eons
Periods - Eras divided
Epochs - Periods divided

Precambrian - Era that is not divided into Periods

& Epochs

Geologic Timeline Activity

Create a Geologic Timeline on construction paper.
you need 46 cm of adding machine paper = 4.6 Billion
years.
1 mm=10 million years (10, 000, 000 years)
10 cm = 1 billion years (1, 000, 000, 000 years)
label 1, 2, 3, and 4 billion years on your paper

Next look at step 2.