Which evidence would confirm that a given rock layer is newer than the layers around it

It is horizontally oriented
It has been crumpled and folded while the other layers lie flat
It cuts through all the other layers
Other layers have been deposited above it

1 answer

The evidence that would confirm that a given rock layer is newer than the layers around it is:

It cuts through all the other layers.

This indicates that the rock layer formed after the other layers were already in place, as it intrudes into them. This principle is known as the Law of Cross-Cutting Relationships, which states that if a geological feature cuts through another, it must be younger than the feature it cuts.