19.2. Measuring Geological Time – Vocabulary
Section 19.0 Introduction
- time
- dimension
- geological time
- vast
- geological processes
- relative age
- spatial relationship
- fossils
- evolution
- isotopic techniques
- absolute age
Section 19.1 The geologic time scale
- geological time scale
- James Hutton
- observations
- rock record
- principle of uniformitarianism
- historic time
- correlate / correlation
- William Smith
- strata
- principle of faunal succession
- time interval
- geological map
- cross-section
- sequence
- principle of superposition
- Nicholas Steno
- sedimentary rocks
- stratigraphic colulmn
- geological time period
- eon
- Hadean eon
- Archean eon
- Proterozoic eon
- Phanerozoic eon
- era
- period
- Palaeozoic era
- Mesozoic era
- Cenozoic era
- Paleogene period
- Neogene period
- Quaternary period
- Pleistocene epoch
- Holocene epoch
- extinction
Section 19.2 Relative dating methods
- relative dating principles
- principle of superposition
- principle of original horizontality
- principle of lateral continuity
- principle of inclusions
- principle of cross-cutting relationships
- principle of baked contacts
- principle of chilled margins
- delta foreset bed
- ripple
- cross-bedding
- depositional basin
- unconformity
- river delta
- xenolith
- clast
- dyke
- fault
- metamorphose / metamorphosis
- erode / eroded / erosion
- angular unconformity
- nonconformity
- disconformity
- paraconformity
- block diagram
Section 19.3 Dating rocks using fossils
- paleontology
- fossil / fossiliferous
- fossil assemblages
- Cambrian
- Carboniferous
- Triassic
- Devonian
- Ordivician
- Permian
- dinosaur
- mammal
- reptile
- birds
- plants
- insects
- amphibians
- extinction
- Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary / Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) extinction
- asteroid impact
- Deccan Traps
- shark
- index fossil
- biozone
- ammonite
- suture line
- septae
- foraminifera
- correlate / correlation
- rock type
- lithology
- lithostratigraphic correlation
- biostratigraphic correlation
- chronostratigraphic correlation
- diachronous
- Walther’s Law
- marker bed
- ash layer
Section 19.4 Isotopic dating methods
- isotopic dating method
- atom
- isotope pair
- absolute age
- isotopic dating technique
- decay
- Potassium-Argon (K-Ar) dating
- radioactive isotope
- radioactive decay
- billion years (Ga)
- million years (Ba)
- parent isotope
- daughter isotope
- mass spectrometer
- Uranium-Lead (U-Pb) dating
- Rubidium-Strontium (Rb-Sr) dating
- Carbon-Nitrogen (C-N) dating
- half-life
- error
- feldspar
- zircon
- radiometric date
- age date
- Curie point
- isotopic clock
- reset
- geological history
- sequence
- clastic sedimentary rock
- maximum age
- radiocarbon (14C) dating
- organic material
Section 19.5 Other dating methods
- dendrochronology / tree-ring dating
- tsunami
- coastal swamp
- inundate / inundated
- magnetic chronology
- magnetic field reversal
- reversed polarity
- normal magnetism
- reversed magnetic polarity
- magnet / magnetized
- oceanic crust
- sea-floor spreading
- magnetic chronology
- magnetometer
Section 19.6 Understanding geological time
- year
- decade
Other vocabulary
- relative dating technique
- deep time
- radiometric dating
- absolute dating
- stratigraphic record
- fossil record
- chronological age
- geologic events
- principles of stratigraphy
- continuous strata
- eroded strata
- erosional features
- inclusions
- stratigraphic sequence
- the Burgess shale formation
- mass extinction events
- unstable nucleus
- particle
- electromagnetic radiation
- emit
- parent nucleus
- daughter nucleus
- alpha particle
- beta particle
- electron capture
- accuracy
- uncertainty
- Acasta gneiss
- Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt
