which statement describes the relative age of a fossil that has formed inside a layer of a rock the age

Question

of earth unit test

Answer 1

To describe the relative age of a fossil that has formed inside a layer of rock, you would typically use the principle of superposition. The principle of superposition states that in undisturbed sedimentary rock layers, the oldest layers are at the bottom and the youngest layers are at the top. Therefore, if a fossil is found within a specific layer of rock, its relative age can be inferred to be younger than the rock layer itself and older than any layers above it.

For example, if the fossil is within a layer that is identified as being 100 million years old, the fossil itself would be younger than 100 million years, while any fossils found in layers above it would be younger than the fossil in question.

So, a statement that describes the relative age of the fossil might be: "The fossil is younger than the rock layer it is found in but older than any fossils in the layers above it."