Human Origins Exam 1 Part 1

fossilization process

process where the remains and traces of a living organisms are preserved in rock over a period of time and then forming into fossils

Relative dating

simple observations that are first used to determine the age of rocks, fossils or events in relation to each other

will not show us the specific dates or the amount of time passed between different sites/artifacts

stratigraphy

Based on the law of superposition

law of superposition

tells us that things on the bottom are older than things on the top

biostratigraphy

looks at the context of a fossil and biological remains and compares that to other fossils and biological remains found in the same stratigraphic layers

K-Ar (potassium-argon) and Ar-Ar (argon-argon) dating

K-Ar method dates the layers around the fossil to give approximate dates for when the fossil was deposited

C-14 dating (Carbon 14)-radiocarbon dating

used to determine the age of once-living things by measuring the radioactive form of carbon

Absolute dating

determines the exact age of a rock, fossil, or event in years

laetoli footprints

famous set of fossilized footprints