Earth Science

Quarter 2 – Week 5
Module 5: Stratified Rocks
 Target

How are you today? Get ready for another day of learning! In this module,
you are going to learn more about rocks, specifically, sedimentary rocks.

Rocks, as you had studied on the previous modules, take different forms at
different times. And this process is called the Rock Cycle. A part of this cycle is the
sedimentary rocks also called as the stratified rocks. Have you seen stripes
present in sedimentary rocks? Do you know how these stripes or layers are
formed? Do you know that there are different methods in determining the age of
rocks?

As you go through this module, you will be able to answer these questions.

After going through this module, you are expected to attain these objectives.

Learning Competencies

• Describe how layers of rocks (stratified rocks) are formed (S11ES – llh-35)
• Describe the different methods (relative and absolute dating) of determining
the age of stratified rocks (S11ES – llh-i-36)

Subtasks:

1. Define what stratification is.

2. Define what is relative and absolute dating.
3. Explain how layers of stratified rocks are formed.
4. Differentiate relative dating from absolute dating.
 Jumpstart

Let’s proceed with the new lesson with an activity.

Activity No. 1

The following photographs were taken at Petra in Jordan.

QUESTION 1: What do you notice as you look at these ancient rock structures?

Source: http://sciencenetlinks.com

QUESTION 2: Once again, look at the Images of Petra. As you look at the
photographs, think about this question: How the stripes of sedimentary rocks are
formed?
 Discover

Layered rocks form when particles settle from water or air. Steno's
Law of Original Horizontality states that most sediments, when originally formed,
were laid down horizontally. ... Rock layers are also called strata (the plural form of
the Latin word stratum), and stratigraphy is the science of strata.

Stratification is the process in which sedimentary rocks are arranged

in layers. Most rocks are sedimentary rocks. They are formed from older rocks that
have been broken down by water or wind. The older rocks become sedimentary
particles such as gravel, sand, and mud. These particles can also bury dead plants
and animals. As time goes by, the particles accumulate, and those that are at the
bottom of the pile become rocks. Gravel becomes conglomerate; sand becomes
sandstone; and mud becomes shale or mudstone. The animals or plants buried with
them become fossils. These series of events form the different layers of rocks.
According to the Law of Superposition, younger rocks are on top, older rocks
are at the bottom.

What method of determining the age of a certain rock uses this law?
Methods to Determine the Age of Stratified Rocks
There are two methods of determining the ages of rocks: relative dating and
absolute dating.

1. Relative dating is a method of arranging geological events based on the rock

sequence.
2. Absolute dating is a method that gives an actual date of the rock or period of
an event.

A. Relative Dating

Relative dating cannot provide actual numerical dates of rocks. It only tells
that one rock is older than the other but does not tell how old each of the rock is.

In the early mid-1600’s, a Danish scientist, Nicholas Steno, studied the

relative positions of sedimentary rocks. He discovered that they settle based on their
relative weight or size in a fluid. The largest or heaviest particles settle first, and the
smallest or the lightest particles settle last. Any slight changes in the particle size or
composition may result in the formation of layers called beds. Layering or bedding is
a distinct quality of sedimentary rocks. The layered rocks are also called strata.

Principles of Relative Dating

1. The law of superposition states that, in any sequence of layered sedimentary
rocks, the top layer is younger than the bottom layer. It is important in the
interpretation of the Earth's history because it indicates the relative age of
the rock layers and fossils.

2. The law of original horizontality states that most sediments were originally
laid down horizontally. However, many layered rocks are no longer
horizontal. Based on the law of original horizontality, the rocks that were
tilted may be due to later events such as tilting episodes of mountain
building.

3. The law of lateral continuity states that rock layers extend laterally or out to
the sides. These layers may cover broad surfaces. Erosion may have worn
away some parts of the rock, but the layers on either side of the eroded areas
still match.

4. The law of cross-cutting relationship states that fault lines and igneous

5. rocks are younger features that cut through older features of rocks.
Take a look at the example below:

Source: https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/images/1815-sandwich-stratigraphy

B. Absolute Dating

• Absolute dating or radiometric dating is a method used to determine the age

of rocks by measuring its radioactive decay. A radioactive isotope in the rock decays
into a stable daughter isotope. The decay occurs at a predictable rate, so the age of
the sample could be determined.

Examples
• Radiocarbon dating for organic remains could date up to 60 000 years.

• K-Ar dating and U-Pb dating for volcanic rocks could date up to five billion
years.

The geologic time scale shows the geologic time intervals based on the geologic
rock records, which describe the relationships between the events that happened
throughout the Earth’s history. The sequence of events is based on the radiometric
dating of igneous rocks associated with the fossil-bearing sedimentary rocks.
How relative dating different to absolute dating?

Much of the time it is enough to know what is called a ‘relative’ date. Relative
dating places a rock somewhere in a time sequence – one rock is older than some
rocks, younger than others – but this does not tell you the actual number of years
ago that the rock was formed. However, scientists often need to know actual dates of
geological events so they can study landscape and environmental change.

Methods of ‘absolute’ dating provide dates, in numbers of years, for some types
of rock. Geologists know, for example, that the Jurassic period lasted from about 251
to 145.5 million years ago. However, these dates sometimes change, as geologists
continually work to refine them. Many geologists find it more convenient to refer to
period names rather than actual dates. After all, it’s easier to call a movie Jurassic
Park than Between About 251 and 145.5 Million Years Ago Park.

Explore

Activity No. 2: Making Sedimentary Rocks!

In a short bond paper, make an illustration on how the layers of sedimentary

rocks are formed by:

a. Weathering and Erosion

b. Compaction and Cementation
Your illustration will be graded using the rubrics below:

Following 3 points
Directions
Craftmanship 3 points
+ Effort
Creativity 4 points
Total 10 points
Activity No. 3: Relative Dating VS. Absolute Dating

Copy and complete the Venn Diagram below. Write your answer on a short bond
paper.

Relative Dating Absolute Dating

 Deepen

ACTIVITY 4: Piecing it all together

The activity is designed to explicitly teach ideas about the nature of science.
The story of Joan Wiffen, our most prominent citizen scientist, is used as a context,
as the pieces of evidence she discovered and how she connected the pieces into
theories changed the way we think about the geological history of New Zealand.

Instructions:
I. Look at the picture below. What does the complete picture might show? Answer
the following questions:

What clues can you see on the pieces?

• Is there anything that is hidden?

• Would it help if you could see all of each piece?

• What do you think the complete picture might show?

• Why do you think that?

II. Read About Joan Wiffen.

About Joan Wiffen

Joan Wiffen was a citizen scientist in New Zealand – an amateur

palaeontologist. She is famous because her ideas and the evidence she gathered
changed the way we think about New Zealand’s past.

She loved hunting for fossils and was convinced that land dinosaurs must have
lived in New Zealand in the past. At this time, there was no evidence of land
dinosaurs, although fossils of aquatic dinosaurs were quite common, and at
first, these were all she found. However, for 35 years, she continued to hunt for
fossils and finally came upon some that no-one had seen before in New Zealand.
She believed they were dinosaur fossils. With no formal scientific training, Joan
learned by experience – how to spot fossils, how to extract them from very hard
rock, how to identify them and how to use the fossils to put together a picture of
ancient New Zealand. She enlisted the help of dinosaur experts abroad (there
were none in this country at the time) to carry out identifications and present
findings in scientific journals and at conferences.

Finally, it became clear that the fossil evidence she found proved that land
dinosaurs had lived in New Zealand.

Answer the following questions:

• What did Joan believe about land dinosaurs in New Zealand?

• Why do you think she believed that?

• What are some of the things Joan had to do to prove that land dinosaurs
existed in New Zealand?

• What scientific skills did she use?

III. Think about the jigsaw activity and Joan’s story. Answer these questions:

• What do you think the jigsaw pieces could represent?

• What were the missing pieces of evidence about New Zealand’s history that
Joan found?

• How did having these pieces change the way we think about our past?