This image shows a diagonal stripe of granite passing upward through layers of rock. Is this granite older or younger than the rock it passes through? How do you know?

Answer 1

The granite in the diagonal stripe is younger than the rock it passes through. This conclusion is based on the geological principle known as cross-cutting relationships, which states that if a geologic feature cuts across another, the feature that is cut is older. Since the granite is intruding into the layers of rock, it must have formed after those layers were already in place.