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Work in a small group or alone to co that follow mplete this exercise. Use the stratigraphy drawing provided to answer the questions that follow1. Which layer is the oldest? 2. Which layer is the youngest (most recent)? 3. In layer B, you find an unfossilized bone. What chronometric dating method could you use to date this layer? For what date range would this method be appropriate? 4. In layer D, you find a fossilized bone. Layer C and layer E are made of volcanic rock. Based on what is available at the site, what strategy will you use to determine a chronometric date for layer D? (Be sure to specify the exact dating method or methods used and the corresponding applicable age ranges.)

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Final answer:

The oldest layer is typically at the bottom, the youngest at the top. Unfossilized bones in recent layers can be dated with radiocarbon, while fossilized bones between volcanic layers can use argon-based methods. Biostratigraphy can also help correlate layers by fossils.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the context of stratigraphic dating, the oldest layer is typically found at the bottom due to the process of sedimentation over time. The youngest layer would be at the top as it is the most recent to have been deposited. To date an unfossilized bone in layer B, one could use chronometric dating methods like radiocarbon dating (C-14) if the bone is less than 50,000 years old. For older materials, other methods such as Uranium-series or luminescence dating might be more appropriate.

For a fossilized bone in layer D, with adjacent layers C and E composed of volcanic rock, one could use methods such as argon-argon (Ar-Ar) or potassium-argon (K-Ar) dating, taking advantage of the volcanic material to provide a bracketed age for the sediment containing the bone. These methods are suitable for dating materials that are several thousand to billions of years old. The exact method chosen would depend on the estimated geological age of the rock layers.

In addition to these methods, biostratigraphy can be used to correlate and date layers based on the fossils they contain, identifying and using indicator artifacts present within the layers to establish their relative ages.

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