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A sediment core is removed from the floor of an inland sea. The sea has been in existence, off and on, throughout the entire time that terrestrial life has existed. Researchers wish to locate and study the terrestrial organisms fossilized in this core. The core is illustrated as a vertical column, with the top of the column representing the most recent strata and the bottom representing the time when land was first colonized by life.

To assign absolute dates to fossils in this sediment core, it would be most helpful if ________.

Question

Use the following information to answer the question.
A sediment core is removed from the floor of an inland sea. The sea has been in existence, off and on, throughout the entire time that terrestrial life has existed. Researchers wish to locate and study the terrestrial organisms fossilized in this core. The core is illustrated as a vertical column, with the top of the column representing the most recent strata and the bottom representing the time when land was first colonized by life.

To assign absolute dates to fossils in this sediment core, it would be most helpful if ________.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Volcanic ash layers provide a way to assign absolute dates to the sedimentary strata, using radiometric dating techniques. This helps to establish a reliable timeline for the fossils found in the sediment core. Knowing the order in which the fossils occurred and the spacing between them is also important, but without absolute dates it is difficult to determine the exact age of the fossils. The deposition of sediments by underwater currents may affect the preservation of fossils, but it is not directly related to dating them.

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