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STRATIGRAPHY & GEOLOGIC TIME Sedimentation in
lake or sea
• Stratigraphy: 
– Study of the layers of sedimentary rocks 
• Unconformities
• Correlation
• Geologic Time 
Scale

Sediments are deposited in horizontal


layers and slowly change into rock.

Stratigraphic Principal of Original 
Horizontality

• Sedimentary layers are originally deposited as  TIME 1
Beneath the sea,, D
horizontal beds
horizontal beds. C
sediments
accumulated in beds. B
A
• Folded or tilted beds indicates something 
happened to them later

Stratigraphic Principal of  Principle of Superposition
Superposition

• Sedimentary layers at the bottom of a sequence of  Younger
beds are OLDER than the ones on top
Older
• If older beds are on top, then the sequence has been 
turned upside down

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Stratigraphic Principal of
Cross-Cutting Relations

Anyy rock or structure that cuts


across another rock is younger that
the rock it cuts across.

Unconformity= surface of 
non‐deposition or erosion

Tapeats Sandstone (ca.500 million years)

Angular Unconformity

Beds below the unconformity


surface are at an angle to the beds
overlying the surface

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Angular unconformity
• Unconformity where beds below are at an angle to beds 
above

Nonconformity
• Unconformity where
beds overlie
metamorphic or
igneous rocks

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Angular unconformity
• Unconformity where beds below are at an angle to beds 
above

TIME 2
TIME 1 Tectonic forces D
Beneath the sea, caused uplift,
sediments D C
C
exposing the beds
accumulated in beds. B
to erosion.
B A
A

Uplift

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Disconformity—Surface between horizontal strata where


major erosion or non-deposition occurred

TIME 3 C
Erosion stripped B TIME 4
away bed D and Subsidence E
A
part of C. allowed a new C
layer, E, to be B
deposited. A

Subsidence

Unconformity

TIME 1
Beneath the sea,
sediments
accumulated in beds.

10 cm

TIME 3
Compression Erosion stripped away
the tops of the folded
TIME 2 layers, leaving
Tectonic forces caused portions of several
uplift, folding, and layers exposed.
deformation.
Uplift

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TIME 4
Subsidence
allowed new
sediments to be
deposited.

Angular
unconformity

Subsidence

Write down the


sequence of events for
this location. There are
at least 5.

1. Deposition
p of red 1. Deposition
p of
siltstone sediment sediment
2. Lithification of 2. Compaction/cement
sediments = sedimentary rock
3. 3. Folding (syncline)
4. 4. Erosion -angular
5. unconformity
5. Deposition of
sediment on top

Stratigraphic Principal of 
Faunal Succession

• Fossil species appear and disappear in a 
definite sequence through time
definite sequence through time.

• This sequence can be used to CORRELATE beds 
Plants grow on this
surface
in one area to another area.

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Outcrop A Outcrop B Outcrop A Outcrop B

I I
II II

II II

III III

Some of the fossils found in


outcrop A are the same as
fossils found in outcrop B,
some distance away.

Outcrop A Outcrop B Outcrop A Outcrop B

I I
II II

II II

III III

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Some of the fossils found in


Some of the fossils found in outcrop A are the same as
outcrop A are the same as fossils found in outcrop B,
fossils found in outcrop B, some distance away.
some distance away.
Outcrop A Outcrop B Outcrop A Outcrop B

I I
II II

II Layers with the II Layers with the


same fossils are same fossils are
the same age. III the same age. III

Younger rocks

II

III
Older rocks

A composite of the two outcrops.

The Age of the Earth

4,560,000,000 years
or 4.6 billion years

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Geologic Time Scale LIFE ON EARTH

• Precambrian (4.6 Ga to 540 Ma)
3.5 billion year old bacteria 
• Paleozoic (540 Ma to 250 Ma)
• Mesozoic (250‐65 Ma)
Mesozoic (250 65 Ma) a d a gae
and algae
– Triassic
– Jurassic
– Cretaceous
• Cenozoic (65 Ma to the present)

Paleozoic Era Trilobites‐Paleozoic arthropods
Cambrian explosion of life:
540 million years ago

Today: 80% of species are arthropods

another Trilobite Crinoids

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Dimetrodon‐ Permian reptile

First land
animals:
365 Ma

End of the Paleozoic End of the Paleozoic

Major extinction event:


96% of marine life was killed
70% land vertebrates killed

Mesozoic Era‐Ammonites Mesozoic Era‐Ammonites

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Mesozoic Era‐Triceratops

Mesozoic Era
Cretaceous Period
Tyrannosaurus 
Rex

End of the Mesozoic

Major
j extinction event:
85% of all species died.

Cenozoic‐Mammoth

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End of the Cenozoic?

Supervolcano eruption
Supernova
Meteorite impact
p
Nuclear war
Epidemic
Global warming...

Cenozoic‐Sabre tooth tiger

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