ANTH 1200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Relative Dating, Deep Time, Dendrochronology
Document Summary
Fossils: the remains of once living organisms that have been wholly rock through a long process of chemical replacement or partially transformed into. Fossils are found in layers of rock. Typically in sedimentary rock or strate formed from deposition of sediments "glued together" by pressure. Teeth and bones make up a majority of the fossil. Taphonomy: the study of the deposition of plant/animal remains and the environment conditions affecting their preservation. The environment needs to preserve the organism/impression long enough to become buried record. Three major eras: major divisions of geologic time that are divided into periods and further subdivided into epochs. Paleozoic: the first major end of geologic time, 378-238 mya, during which fish, reptiles and insects first appeared. Mesozoic: 238-66mya, characterized by the emergence and extinction of dinosaurs. Cenozoic: 66 mya_present, the radiation and proliferation of mammals such as humans and primates. Relative dating methods: oldest layer: bottom newest layer: top.
