What is the difference between absolute and relative dating techniques?

What is the difference between relative and absolute age? Relative age is the age of a rock layer (or the fossils it contains) compared to other layers. It can be determined by looking at the position of rock layers. Absolute age is the numeric age of a layer of rocks or fossils.

What are the relative dating techniques?

Principles of relative datingUniformitarianism. Intrusive relationships. Cross-cutting relationships. Inclusions and components. Original horizontality. Superposition. Faunal succession. Lateral continuity.More items

What two methods are used date fossils?

There are two main methods determining a fossils age, relative dating and absolute dating.

What procedure did you use to complete the lab relative and absolute dating?

In the lab, I used the law of superposition, the principle of cross-cutting relationships, and index fossils to determine the relative ages of rock layers. Then, I used a mass spectrometer to find the age and identity of an unknown fossil.