Chapter 10 - Deep Time: How Old Is Old?

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts from Chapter 10 on Geologic Time.

Geologic Time

The span of time since Earth's formation.

Relative Age

What happened first, then next, and so on (e.g., grandma was born, then mom, then me).

Numerical Age

The physical age of an event (e.g., grandma is 70, mom is 45, I am 21).

Principle of Uniformitarianism

The principle that the present is the key to the past, pioneered by James Hutton.

Geologic History

The series of events organized by relative age that produced the rocks, structures, and landscapes of an area.

Stratigraphy

The study of strata or layers in a rock.

Law of Original Horizontality

The principle stating that layers of sediment are originally deposited horizontally.

Strata

Layers in a rock.

Zircon

A mineral found in the oldest known rocks, discovered in the Jack Hills, Australia.

Jack Hills

Location in Australia where Earth's oldest known rocks, around 4.4 billion years old, are found.