Relative Dating

Relative Dating

• Relative dating is the process used to discover the age of fossils.
• It is done by using radioactive chemicals.

By using radioactive chemicals, we can determine how old the rocks are around the fossil. Because the rocks and the fossil were more than likely deposited at the same time, they will be about the same age.

Fossil layers

• The layers of the Earth that the fossils remain in can help determine their age.

The layers at the top are the youngest while the layers at the bottom are oldest.

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An example of this is, if a layer has fossils that are 56 million years old, a layer above it would be less than 56 million years old. A layer below it would be older than 56 million years.