Sandstone Formation in Utah

What can we deduce about the minimum age of the sandstone in Utah?

Notice what overlies, and cuts the sandstone. Use the dates of one of those features, as well as the fossil deposited within the sandstone to deduce the minimum age of the sandstone.

Minimum (youngest possible) age of the sandstone is ______ million years old.

Answer

Seventeen million years old.

By observing the layers that overlie and cut through the sandstone, as well as considering the dates of these features and the fossil deposits within the sandstone, we can deduce the minimum age of the sandstone in Utah. In this case, the minimum age of the sandstone is seventeen million years old.

This conclusion is reached by applying the principles of superposition and cross-cutting relationships. Superposition refers to the concept that in a sequence of undisturbed rock layers, the oldest layer is at the bottom and the youngest is at the top. Cross-cutting relationships, on the other hand, stipulate that if a geological feature cuts through another, it must be younger than the feature it cuts through.

Therefore, by analyzing the geological features and fossil deposits in the sandstone formation, we can confidently determine that the sandstone in Utah is at least seventeen million years old.