Relative dating is the process of determining if one rock or geologic event is older or younger than another, without knowing their specific ages—i.e., how many years ago the object was formed.

How can relative dating be determined?

In the process of relative dating, scientists do not determine the exact age of a fossil or rock but look at a sequence of rocks to try to decipher the times that an event occurred relative to the other events represented in that sequence. The relative age of a rock then is its age in comparison with other rocks.

What are the example of relative dating?

For example, if a valley is formed inside an impact crater, the valley must be younger than the crater. Craters are very useful in relative dating; as a general rule, the younger a planetary surface is, the fewer craters it has.