This is the correct order of the sediment layers:
- Shallowest
- Second youngest sediment layer
- Highest carbon-14 to carbon-12 ratio
- Second oldest sediment layer
- Lowest carbon-14 to carbon-12 ratio
- Deepest
What are these layers?
This order is based on the principle of superposition, which states that in a sequence of undisturbed sedimentary rocks, the younger layers are deposited on top of the older layers. The carbon-14 to carbon-12 ratio is used to date the sediment layers, with higher ratios indicating younger layers and lower ratios indicating older layers.
The carbon-14 to carbon-12 ratio is a measure of the age of a sample of organic material. The higher the ratio, the younger the sample. This is because carbon-14 is a radioactive isotope that decays over time.
Therefore, the layer with the highest carbon-14 to carbon-12 ratio is the youngest layer, and the layer with the lowest carbon-14 to carbon-12 ratio is the oldest layer.
Complete question:
Drag the labels to the appropriate positions in the diagram.