How does an old fossil differ from a younger fossil?

Relative age dating tells us which fossils are older and which fossils are younger. The fossil species below the ash must be slightly older than 507 million years, and the species above the ash must be slightly younger. If rocks in different places contain the same fossil species, they must be similar in age.

Why are fossils that are deeper older?

Fossils above a specific layer are inferred to be younger than that layer, and those below are older, in line with the law of superposition, a key scientific principle of stratigraphy. Dating of the fossils contributes to a clearer timeline of evolutionary history.

What determines the age of a fossil?

To establish the age of a rock or a fossil, researchers use some type of clock to determine the date it was formed. Geologists commonly use radiometric dating methods, based on the natural radioactive decay of certain elements such as potassium and carbon, as reliable clocks to date ancient events.

Why all fossils are not exactly the same age?

(2) Most fossils are the remains of extinct organisms; that is, they belong to species that are no longer living anywhere on Earth. (3) The kinds of fossils found in rocks of different ages differ because life on Earth has changed through time.

Are deeper fossils older?

The positions of fossils in rocks indicate their relative ages; older fossils and rock layers are deeper than fossils and rocks that are more recent.

What can we learn from fossil evidence?

This evidence reveals what our planet was like long ago. Fossils also show how animals changed over time and how they are related to one another. Fossils cant tell us everything. While fossils reveal what ancient living things looked like, they keep us guessing about their color, sounds, and most of their behavior.