The links below are animations illustrating the principles of relative dating
(determining the sequence of events) and to images of real examples on which to
try out the principles. To return to this page, click your
Back button.
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Click on each of the five small images below to bring up an
animation about the seas moving in and out. Click and drag sideways to
move the seas in and out, and drag up and down to see what's beneath
the water. |
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Deposition of a layer of
sand as the sea moves in. This shows how a beach sand can cover a huge
area. |
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Deposition of layers
of sand and mud as the sea moves in . This shows how different types
of sediment can be deposited at the same time and how one type can be
deposited over another type. |
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Deposition of layers of
sand, mud, and limestone as the sea moves in. |
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Deposition of layers of
sand and mud as the sea moves out. |
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Deposition of a layer of
sand as the sea moves out and is followed by sand dunes. |
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Click on each of the three small images below to see an
animation about relative
dating. Each animation will replay automatically when it
finishes.
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Deposition
of layers, followed by erosion |
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Imaginary
removal of one rock unit at a time, showing how the rock units are
layers that go through the hills. |
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Erosion
of a sequence of layers, forming a mesa and then buttes. |
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Click on each of the small pictures below to see a photograph illustrating
principles of relative dating.
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Canyonlands
- Youngest layer is on top, oldest on the bottom. |
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Hance
Rapids, Grand Canyon - Younger features crosscut older rocks. |
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Death Valley - Younger rock units can contain pieces of older rocks. |
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Raplee Monocline, Utah - Rocks generally are deposited in nearly horizontal
layers. If the layers are no longer so, then they must have been effected by some event,
such as folding or tilting. |
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Eastern
Grand Canyon - An angular unconformity is where older rocks were
tilted, eroded, and overlain by younger rock layers. |
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If you want, click on the Overviews button below and view one
of the overviews in order to try out the principles on Painted Canyon. Or,
visit the page below.
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Key Age Relationships of Painted Canyon:
Images of key places, each of which reveals clues about the
sequence of geologic events that formed Painted Canyon. |
There is no link back to this page and probably no need to return
here, but if you want to revisit this page you can either click the Back
button as many times as it takes to get here or close the program
and start over.
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