Solution to Relative Dating Exercise
Relative Age Dating of Rock Strata
| Rock Strata (Oldest to Youngest) |
Rationale |
| White Sandstone | Original horizontality, Superposition |
| Siltstone | Superposition |
| Igneous Batholith | Cross-cutting |
| Limestone | Superposition |
| Shale | Superposition |
| Sandstone A | Superposition |
| Earthquake Fault | Cross-cutting |
| Conglomerate | Superposition |
| Dolostone | Superposition |
| Igneous Dike B | Cross-cutting |
| *Igneous Dike A (*The relative order between this rock strata and the Sandstone B and Glacial Debris cannot be determined with the graph shown. But we do know it is older than Igneous Dike B.) |
Cross-cutting (*Just comparing it with Igneous Dike B.) |
| Sandstone B | Superposition |
| Glacial Debris | Superposition |
Unconformities in the profile:
| Type of Unconformity | Unconformity Location (Needs to be described as a boundary between rock layers.) |
| Angular Unconformity | Limestone/Sandstone A |
| Shale/Sandstone A | |
| Nonconformity | Igneous Batholith/Limestone |
| Igneous Dike B/Sandstone B | |
| Disconformity | Dolostone/Sandstone B (Not easily identifiable. The existence of a nonconformity between the Igneous Dike B and Sandstone B suggests this disconformity.) |